Instead of simply telling your students how to divide, model the process for them. Start with a simple division problem, such as eight divided by two. Write the problem on your chalkboard or an overhead transparency. Talk through the problem with your students, asking them what the problem is calling for you to do. Draw some shapes to help your students understand the concept; for example, create eight squares then show your students how you can divide them into two groups to get your answer. This simple walk-through of the process can help your students develop a strong foundation upon which to place a better-defined understanding of the practice.
When students first start trying their hands at division, give them tools to help them along the way. Present students with plastic chips or wooden blocks to use as manipulatives. With these tactile tools, they can physically work through problems, seeing for themselves how division works. To make your manipulatives more engaging, replace these generic manipulative options with more engaging ones, such as petite toys.
Give your students an alternative to manipulatives that they can use on tests by teaching them to draw division pictures. Have your students create shapes or pictures of objects to represent each item in a division problem, much the way you did when you modeled the process at the start of the unit. Help your students draw boxes around these objects or number them to divide them as evenly as possible into groups.
Instead of making the learning of division all about sitting at a desk and completing a worksheet, make the process a more active one by having your students engage in game play. Try a simple head-to-head division match-up by writing a division problem in the center of your board and having two students, standing on opposite sides, race to solve it. Or add some physical activity to the game, having students run around the room and collect hidden division problems, then solve them as rapidly as they can. Whichever option you choose, this hands-on method of providing your students practice will likely prove both enriching and educational.