For parents
First division: share blocks equally
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Division can mean giving each recipient the same number of objects. We know the total number of blocks and the number of places, and want to find how many go in each. Start with six blocks and three paper garages.
Prepare six blocks and three sheets
Choose large blocks suitable for your child’s age. Begin with six blocks and three sheets of paper; for later problems, have up to ten blocks and a fourth sheet ready. Put all the blocks for the current problem in the middle. Each sheet marks a place that should receive an equal share. Count the whole collection first, touching each block once.
Share one at a time: 6 ÷ 3
Place three sheets in a row. Your child moves one block to the first, one to the second and one to the third. Repeat for a second round. The middle is now empty, and every sheet holds two blocks. Ask, “Does every garage have the same number? How many did each receive?” Write 6 ÷ 3 = 2. Say the whole story aloud before asking your child to read the calculation.
What does the answer two mean?
Six means all the blocks, three means the number of garages, and two tells us how many are in one garage. We are not asking how many garages we made: that is already known. Check by putting the three pairs together: 2 + 2 + 2 = 6. This story shares a known total between a known number of places. The NCETM resource below covers this meaning of division alongside making groups of a given size.
Play a garage delivery game
The blocks are cars waiting to be delivered to garages. You choose the number of cars and garages; your child delivers one to each in the same order each round. At the end, check both that the shares match and that the middle is empty. Swap roles so your child sets a problem for you. Start with examples that leave no remainder, and complete one problem before changing the numbers.
Four problems with explained answers
4 ÷ 2 = 2: share four cars between two garages, giving each two. 8 ÷ 4 = 2: share eight between four garages; two complete rounds give each two. 9 ÷ 3 = 3: nine cars between three garages need three rounds, with three in each. 5 ÷ 1 = 5: one garage receives all five cars. Offer one problem at a time. After your child tries, ask them to point to one share and then count the whole collection as a check.
Unequal shares and a leftover block
Four blocks in one garage and two in another use all six, but the shares are unequal. Move blocks one at a time until both have three. If your child answers with the number of sheets, ask about the blocks on one particular sheet. Seven whole blocks shared between three garages give two each and leave one: 7 ÷ 3 is 2 remainder 1. Do not hide the extra block or give it to just one garage and call the result equal. In this activity we keep blocks whole and do not divide by zero.
Tell a new story and keep practising
Invite your child to tell a new story for 6 ÷ 3 = 2 and show what each number means. Stop after one successful example if counting becomes tiring. A parent can later choose the division book in Otto Math on iPhone or iPad. The first five routes in each book are free; further routes require Otto Plus. The real-object game is a complete activity without the app too.