We hear them mentioned together a lot: multiplication AND division. And they do belong together as inverse operations, as members of the same fact families, and how we constantly use one together with the other. But ask any kid which is harder, and the answer is division every time. So once we build a strong foundation with multiplication, we need to give teaching division special attention. More time. Exploration. Building understanding. And yes, having fun while doing it. Here are 40 different games and activities to help you get there.
40 Ways To Teach Division
1. Fair Shares Are Grape Demo!
The basis of teaching division is splitting things up into parts, like with fractions. For most kids, this phenomenon occurs early on in real life with sharing. Discuss the idea of sharing in a fair way. Bring in a bunch of grapes and ask two students to come up to the front of the class. Count out six grapes and put them on a plate. Ask the class how many grapes each of the two students should get. Ask what would make it fair. How do they know? Try this with various numbers of grapes and different numbers of students.
An alternative is to have students pair up and give them some cubes and two plastic plates. Have them try to split various numbers of cubes between the two of them. Ask students to share back what they found out. Record these results on the board as division sentences.
2. Share the Pennies
Pair up students and give them a set of 20 pennies and a die. They take turns rolling the die and generating a number. They take that number of pennies and try to divide them evenly between the two of them. Sometimes it comes out even and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes there’s a remainder. This is a good time to talk about that idea and model how it is recorded. Players record all the division problems they encounter on whiteboards or lined paper.
3. The Ants Divide!
It’s always great to have a read-aloud in math class. Read a picture book about teaching division aloud and discuss it together. A good choice is A Remainder of One by Elinor J. Pinczes. In this story, an army of ants divides up into different formations. You can have students model the problems in the story with dried beans instead of ants as you read aloud. Have them create each formation, and then write the division fact that matches it on a whiteboard.
4. Tiling Division Model
Use tiling squares or real tiles to model teaching division. Give each student a set of tiles. Have them build a 4 x 4 rectangle. Ask how these tiles could be shared evenly between two people? Four people? Eight people? Sixteen people? With each question, they should divide up the tiles evenly and share their answers on a whiteboard by writing a division sentence that matches the model.
5. Egg Carton Jellybean Division Sort
Have students bring in egg cartons from home. Provide about 20 jelly beans for each student. Tell short division stories and have students act them out and solve these problems with their cartons and jellybeans. For example, you might say, “There were 4 sisters and 12 books. How could they share them fairly? How many books would each sister get?”
Model using an egg carton by putting the 12 jelly beans evenly into four of the egg cups in the carton. It becomes clear the answer is 3 books. Try a variety of problems and then let students suggest some.
6. Class Teaching Division
Have the class sit as a group or at desks with whiteboards, markers, and erasers. Call up four students and ask them to stand in a line. Explain that you want to divide them up into two teams. Ask, “How many students should go on each team?” As you do this, have students at desks write a division sentence that matches the action at the front of the room. Discuss what number comes first, second, and third in the problem and how they match what they are seeing. Try this with a variety of numbers of students.
7. Yummy Division
Provide some licorice lace, Skittles, and a paper towel for each student. Write a division problem on the board and ask students to model it with the candy on the paper towel. For example, you write 10 ÷ 5 = ? Students would take 10 Skittles, divide them up into 5 groups, and put a licorice lace circle around each group showing that there are 2 Skittles in each group. Have students suggest problems for the class to try.
8. What’s on the Back?
Give each student a set of index cards. Write some multiplication facts on the board and have students copy them onto their index cards. Now, ask if they could write a division fact that goes with the multiplication fact. For example, you might write 2 x 6 = 12 on the front. On the back of the card, you would write 12 ÷ 6 = 2. Do at least 10 of these together, then ask students to create some of their own cards.
Students can then partner up and quiz each other with their decks, asking, “What’s on the back?” when they flash a card. If they show the division side, the partner must say the accompanying multiplication fact and vice versa.
9. Operation Station Rotation
Create sets of manipulatives around the room that model a multiplication/division situation. For example, you might put out 5 rows of 5 counters in each row at one station and 3 rows of 6 cubes in each row at another. Label each station with a letter. Students go around the room with a clipboard, lined paper, and a pencil. They write down the letter of the station and then write a multiplication fact and division fact that would match that model, then rotate to a new station. Share back the station results at the end.
10. “Eggcellent” Division
In this activity about teaching division, take colored construction paper and trace egg shapes. Cut out each egg and at the top write a division fact like 8 ÷ 2. On the bottom write the quotient, 4. Do this with all the facts you want to practice. Laminate them. Cut each egg in half with a crooked line. Shuffle these pieces up and put them in a bag. Have students take the bag, pour out the pieces, and put the division puzzles together again.
11. Division Fact Discards
Playing cards are always motivating. Give partners a deck of playing cards. Four cards are dealt to each player. The rest of the deck is placed in the middle. Players take turns picking cards from the deck and adding them to their hands. Anytime a player has two cards that can form a division fact, they put those cards out face up and solve the fact aloud.
For example, if I have a 10 and a 2, I can lay them down and announce, “10 ÷ 2 = 5.” Players keep taking turns drawing cards and laying down division facts until the deck is gone. Whoever has the least cards left in their hand wins.
12. Division Fact Race
Kids love to race. Here’s a fun way to use that and get some practice teaching division. Print out a set of division fact cards or make some with index cards. Give each pair of players a set of cards and a small plastic or matchbox car. Line cards up to form two rows face down from end to end. Use at least 10 cards. These are the lanes the cars will race in. Roll a die to see who goes first. Players take turns advancing their cars onto the next card. They flip the card over and try to solve the problem. If correct, they stay in that space. If incorrect, they go back one space and get to try again on the next turn. First to the end wins the race.
13. How Many Facts Can You Make?
Put a target number on the board like 24. Tell students to take out a lined piece of paper and a pencil. Explain that you will give them two minutes to write as many division facts as they can with the number 24 in them. For example, we might have 24 ÷ 1 = 24, 24 ÷ 2 = 12, 24 ÷ 8 = 3, 24 ÷ 3 = 8, and so on. After two minutes, have students share their results. Write these on the board until all the answers are up. Then ask a student to come up and write a new target number.
14. Division Concentration
Everyone likes the game Concentration. It tests not only your memory but your math skills, at least in this version. Provide each student with a set of division fact cards and a set of blank index cards. Using the index cards, students should create a set of answer cards for each of the fact cards. Players can choose whatever facts they want but must have at least 30 cards. Four players get together and lay out one complete set of cards, both fact cards and answer cards all face down. The four then play Concentration with that deck. When finished, they switch to someone else’s deck.
15. Roll the Facts
Give players a pair of dice, a pencil, and a piece of lined paper. Each player rolls the dice and records the two numbers as two multiplication facts. For example, if I roll a 3 and a 2, I would write 3 x 2 = 6 and 2 x 3 = 6. Underneath these I should write the corresponding division facts: 6 ÷ 3 = 2 and 6 ÷ 2 = 3. If you get numbers you’ve already used, you roll again until you get new ones.
16. Sticky Dot Division Cards
Purchase a few sets of colorful sticky dots. On pieces of card stock or construction paper, arrange sticky dots in arrays that model multiplication/division facts. For example, to show 12 ÷ 3, make 3 rows with 4 dots in each row. Have students make these on pieces of card stock with the dots on one side and the division fact written on the back. Once students have made a set of at least 12 cards, have them meet with a partner to play a game. The first player flashes a card with dots showing for two seconds. The second player must try to quickly guess the division fact and answer. The lead player takes the card out and shows both sides to check the answer. Have students take turns flashing cards and working through the deck.
17. Rocky Division
Bring or have students bring in small, interesting stones or rocks. Each student should have at least three. On the board, draw three large ovals. In the first one, write a set of dividends. In the second a set of divisors. The third is a set of quotients. Students copy these onto a whiteboard and then place their rocks, one on a dividend, one on a divisor, and one on a quotient that belong together. These should be the three parts of a division fact. As they remove the rocks, they circle those numbers and cannot use them again. Repeat and see how many combinations they can find.
18. Pizza Stories
For this teaching division activity, draw a large rectangle on the board and have students do the same on individual whiteboards. This is a Sicilian-style pizza, which is rectangular. Tell a pizza story word problem like, “I have this pizza, which I cut into 8 pieces.” Draw lines to show 8 equal pieces. Students should do the same. Continue, “I have 3 friends coming over. How many pieces can each of us have?” (8 ÷ 4 = 2 pieces each). Students should write a division problem that matches the story and find the answer. Take turns telling Pizza Stories that have everyone dividing.
19. Spot the Error
As students work on long division, it can be difficult to keep columns and numbers straight. To help, give each student graph paper to do the division work on. If you don’t have graph paper, suggest students turn a piece of lined notebook paper sideways and draw lines with a ruler to make a piece of graph paper. To reinforce this idea, write some long division problems on the board and solve them, only make your columns of numbers crooked so answers come out incorrectly. See if students can spot the errors.
20. Fact Family Division
Draw a triangle on the board, and in each corner make a circle. In each circle write a dividend, divisor, and quotient that go together. Have students do the same on a whiteboard. Invite students to write all of the fact members of the family, both multiplication and division, on their boards. Discuss together and then ask students to come up and create some of their own on the board while other students erase their boards and try the new family.
21. Pirate Treasure
Draw a treasure map and write at least 12 division problems on the map with answers. All are correct except for one. This is where the treasure is hidden. Students solve the problems on a separate piece of paper and cross out each correct problem until they find the incorrect one.
22. Run Out of Room
In this activity about teaching division, get students up on their feet acting out these division problems with remainders. Clear an area in the classroom with everyone sitting at their desks. Tape a large rectangle on the floor and make a tape square in each corner. Ask for a volunteer to record the division facts they see acted out on the board. Also, have students at their desks take out whiteboards to write the problems they see.
Call up eight students to stand in the middle of the rectangle. Explain that you are going to divide them up evenly. Send two each to the four corners. The writer should write 8 ÷ 4 = 2. There were eight students, they divided into four corners, and there were two in each corner. Ask for one more student to come up. Now there are nine students. Divide them up again into the four corners except for the one remainder. Explain to students how a division problem with remainders is written as you write this one out on the board. Try a few, some with remainders, some without. Then ask the class for some equations both ways. Act them all out and write them all down.
23. Share and Share Alike
Put a set of cubes out for pairs of students. Each should also have a whiteboard and marker. Have students work together to divide up the cubes as many ways as they can think of and record these with division sentences on the whiteboard. They can start with any number of cubes they like and change that amount as they go. Begin with a total of 30 cubes and add more if needed.
Then at your signal, two groups combine so four students are now doing the same task together. After using the 30 cubes, combine both sets to work with 60 cubes.
24. Damult Dice Division
Dice, or random number generators as they are sometimes called, always make numbers more interesting. It must be the aspect of chance. It definitely works in this game.
Partner students up and give them three dice. They take turns rolling the dice to create division problems. They create these by putting two of the dice together to form a two-digit number, which they then divide by the other number. For example, if you roll 6, 4, and 4, you could make 64 ÷ 4 = 16. The highest quotient in each round wins. Students get 10 bonus points if there is no remainder.
25. Quotient Call-Out
Provide each student with a copy of a 100s chart and a set of crayons or colored pencils. Give directions to have students color and locate quotients for the division fact you call out. When you call out 25 ÷ 5, students should color the number 5 on their charts. This is a great way to emphasize teaching division and multiplication patterns and how they relate to each other by calling out all of the facts with a certain divisor in a row. For example, you might ask for 7 ÷ 7, 14 ÷ 7, 21 ÷ 7, and so on. You could call them in order or mix them up a bit.
26. Who Am I?
For this activity about teaching division, partner students up and put a deck of division fact cards down in between them. Each student takes a turn picking a card. They do not look at the card but rather hold it against their forehead so their partner can see the card. The partner tells the lead player the quotient for that fact. For example, if I pick a card that says “10 ÷ 5,” my partner would say, “You’re 2.” Now I have to guess the dividend and divisor on the card by saying, “I’m 10 ÷ 5.” There are sometimes many more ways than one to make a given quotient, however.
To make this a little easier, it is helpful to give an additional clue, like in this case, “The dividend is less than 12 and it’s even.” With each missed guess, give another clue. This keeps both players thinking and can really be fun while developing strong mental math and listening skills.
27. Find That Division Fact
Here’s a simple game you can play with even just a spare five minutes. Write about 20 quotients on the board. Have two students come up. Explain that you will call out a division fact. Players must point to the quotient that matches your fact as quickly as possible. Whoever points to the fact first wins that round and stays at the board. Keep sending players up until everyone has a turn.
28. Division Flower Garden
Math and art—they go together. Here’s a decorative way to practice a set of division facts. Draw a flower with 12 petals and a circle in the center. Write the divisor for a division fact family you want to practice in the center circle. Draw 12 petals and number them 1 through 12. These are the dividends. On the outside of these petals, draw larger petals and write the quotients of the center and the first petal. Now color. Makes a great math display. Assign different fact families to different students so you can have a complete garden.
29. Spinner, Spinner, Division Winner
Make a simple spinner with a paper clip and a pencil. Start by having students draw a circle. Tracing around a coffee-can lid is an easy way to do it. Divide the circle up into 10 sections using a ruler. Color the sections and write numbers 1 through 10 on them. Place the paper clip and pencil down in the middle of the circle. Flick the paper clip so it spins. Whatever number it points to is your divisor. Spin again twice. Add those spins together to form your dividend. Divide and that is your score for the round. Your partner does the same.
The highest (or lowest) quotient wins that round. To make it more fun and motivating, put out a set of 20 marbles or cubes. As a player wins a round, they get a cube or marble. Whoever has the most after all is taken is the winner.
30. Dastardly Division Thief
Ask students to come to the board and write a division fact with a quotient. Take turns until you have at least 12 facts on the board. Then ask students to hide their eyes while you erase one number from each problem. Make a monster noise and open and close the door and say, “Open your eyes. The Dastardly Division Thief was just here and he stole some of the numbers. Who can help us replace them?” Allow students to come up and replace the missing numbers until all division problems are correct. The anticipation is great every time you do this one!
31. Anchor Aweigh!
It’s always a good idea to do an anchor chart. Brainstorm with the class everything they know about division and write it on a large chart paper or bulletin board paper with colorful markers. Draw a boat around each idea. Prompt any ideas that might be missing. Make sure the division signs are there, names of division elements like divisor, dividend, and quotient, proper form for writing division problems, array examples, and so on. As you continue your study, ask each day, “Are there any new division ideas for our chart?”
32. The Multiplication Division Trail
Give partner groups a set of division cards and a die. Players take 20 division fact cards and lay them end to end face down in a path or trail on the desk. Each player chooses a token like a colored cube and places it at the start of the trail. The first player rolls a die and moves that many spaces on the trail. They flip the card and state a multiplication problem that is related to the division fact. For example, if I flip over 14 ÷ 7, I would say, “2 x 7 = 14.” If they are correct, they stay on that spot. If they miss, they go back the number of spaces they had just rolled. When they leave the space going backward or forward, they turn the card back down again. First to the end of the trail wins.
33. Odd and Even Answers
Give two players a pack of playing cards. Players take turns drawing two cards from the deck. They arrange these cards to create a division problem if they can. Face cards are worth 10 and aces are 1. They answer the problem, and if the answer is odd, they keep the cards. If the answer is even, they can put the cards in the discard pile. Players continue to draw cards, make facts, and discard cards they used to make facts. The player with the least number of cards at the end wins.
34. Knockout!
Split the class into two groups and have them line up in two lines facing the board. Write two division problems, one for the first group and one for the second. The first player from each group answers the question for that group. Correct answers score a point for the team. It is not a race. It’s about accuracy.
If a player gets stuck on a problem, they may “phone a friend,” once. The friend cannot give them the answer but can give them a clue. After the clue, the player gets one more chance to answer. Play continues until all have had a turn. Points are totaled and a winner for that round is declared.
35. Division Stories
Give each student a piece of drawing paper, pencil, crayons, and/or colored pencils. Ask students to draw a picture that shows a division problem happening with the division problem underneath. They should then write a two- or three-sentence word problem that goes with it. Students should write the answer but cut out a square of black construction paper and tape it on the paper covering the answer. Just tape the top edge of the black paper square so it acts as a flap that can be lifted. These make a great interactive bulletin board that kids can try their hand at.
36. Dividing Up the Money
Get a set of play money and a spinner with numbers 1 through 10 on it. Group students into teams of three or four. The group takes turns spinning the spinner. Whatever number comes up, that’s the amount of dollars the player should take from the set of bills. After everyone has three turns, the money is put together and counted. Then the group has to figure out how to divide the money up evenly, writing the division sentence as proof they are correct. Remainders are possible and should be noted.
37. Close Relatives
Teaching fractions and teaching division are closely related. With fractions, you are often dividing whole numbers into smaller pieces. For example, if you take one apple and divide it evenly between four people, each person gets ¼. Give partners a set of fraction cards. As they take a card from the set, they should write it as a division fact. For example, if they pull a ½ card, they should write 1 ÷ 2. This helps build a conceptual understanding of how these ideas are related.
38. Teaching Division Kaboom
Get a set of wooden craft sticks and write division facts on them, except for a few sticks on which you write “Kaboom!” Put the sticks with the facts side down in a can. This is a fun activity for a small group. Students take turns pulling sticks from the can. If they get the fact correct, they keep the stick and grow their collection. If they get it wrong, they put it back in the can. And if they pull a “Kaboom” stick, they put their whole collection back in the can.
39. Calculator Division Checker
Give students simple calculators. It’s good to give your class practice with how calculators work and how they can be useful in checking math work. Call out a division fact like 45 ÷ 5. Students input the numbers with the ÷ button in between, but they don’t press the = button. Wait 30 seconds while students think about the answer. Then ask for possible answers. After everyone has a chance to respond, tell students to press the = button to check their answers. Let students have turns leading this game.
40. Division Bingo
Provide each student with a blank 4 x 4 grid. Direct students to fill in the chart with their choice of division facts. Tell students you will be playing Division Bingo together. You will call out a quotient and they must find a fact on their paper that can be answered by that quotient. If they have it, they color it in with a light-colored color pencil or crayon so we can still see the facts. When they get three in a row in any direction on the board, that’s a Bingo. They announce the three facts and the answers. If correct, it’s an official bingo.
You can expand on this game by using a 100-division fact chart. Keep playing on that sheet and play for as many bingos as you like.