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How to Get Children to Understand Division

Division is a critical skill that children must understand before progressing to mathematical concepts. Even though children can sometimes recite division facts, they must also understand the concept behind them. By using models and physical representations children can truly comprehend division.

Things You'll Need

  • Candy or small treat
  • Base-10 blocks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make sure the children are comfortable with multiplication, addition and subtraction. These are the building blocks that children use to understand division.

    • 2

      Use representative models to explain division to children. Bring candy or other small treats for the children to share. Explain that the candies must be divided equally among the children. Use the sharing technique to show simple or long division, with or without a remainder. You may need to repeat the use of representative models with different objects. Some children are able to understand division using blocks base-10 blocks to show how units divide into a greater whole.

    • 3

      Show the children division and multiplication fact triangles. Draw a triangle on paper or the white board. On each corner write a number that belongs to a division or multiplication fact family. For example, one triangle could have the numbers 2, 3 and 6 written in the corners. Explain to the children that 2 times 3 equals six, 3 times 2 equals 6. Remind them that 6 divided by 2 equals 3 and 6 divided by 3 equals 2. The use of the triangle helps to reinforce the relationship between the numbers.

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