5th grade simplifying fractions worksheets

The kind of problems you'll get

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on each sheet

• Fluency. Simplify each fraction. 12 questions per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Push past one-step habits: for 18/24, dividing by 2 and then by 3 works, but spotting the 6 straight away is the fifth grade goal. A quick factor check ("what's the biggest number in both times tables?") is worth practicing on its own. Test finished answers by asking whether any number but 1 still divides both.

Watch for: Kids divide only the top or only the bottom. Whatever divides one side must divide the other, or the fraction changes value. Kids stop after one step, leaving 12/16 as 6/8. Keep dividing until the only number that fits both is 1.

Common questions about simplifying fractions

What's different about the 5th grade version?

Larger terms, like 18/24 or 28/42, where the common factor isn't obvious at a glance. It's the same skill with heavier lifting.

Why keep drilling this in 5th grade?

Because every fraction answer this year (sums, differences, products) is expected in simplest form. Simplifying has to be automatic so it stops costing attention.

Related worksheets

• 4th grade simplifying fractions A step easier, same skill
• 5th grade add and subtract unlike denominators Same grade, nearby skill
• 5th grade divide fractions Same grade, nearby skill
• 5th grade fraction of a number Same grade, nearby skill
• Simplifying fractions, all grades The full progression
• All 5th grade math worksheets Every skill at this level
• All 5th grade worksheets Everything at this level