Dividing by a One-Digit Number: Practice at Home, Grade 4

Long division is a sharing problem in disguise. In Grade 4, children divide up to four-digit numbers by one digit, and the best start is sharing real objects.

What your child is working on

For 84 ÷ 4, share 8 tens among 4 groups (2 tens each), then share 4 ones (1 each): the answer is 21. The written method records the same steps.

Try it at home

Give your child 8 bundles of ten sticks and 4 loose sticks, and 4 paper plates. Ask them to share the bundles first and then the loose sticks. When there is a leftover bundle, they trade it for ten loose sticks. Write each step as it happens.

A four-step routine

Divide, multiply, subtract, bring down. Make a small card with these four words and keep it by the page. After each problem, check by multiplying the answer by the divisor.

Where children slip

Zeros get lost. In 612 ÷ 3, the tens place has nothing left to share, so the answer, 204, needs a 0 in the middle. Estimate first: 612 is a bit more than 600, so the answer is about 200.

Practice online

The free Divide by one digit: two-digit answers page gives short sets with an explanation for each miss. More are on the Grade 4 skills list.