Long division steps for kids: divide, multiply, subtract, bring down

Every round of long division is the same four steps, in the same order:

1. 1Divide. How many times does the divisor fit into the number you are looking at?
2. 2Multiply. Multiply that answer by the divisor.
3. 3Subtract. Take that away to see what is left over.
4. 4Bring down. Bring down the next digit and start again.

Kids often learn a silly sentence to remember the order. A common one is “Does McDonald’s Sell Burgers?” for Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bring down. If it helps, use it. Some families write D, M, S, B down the side of the page.

Set it up with 6 outside the bracket and 857 inside. Work left to right.

Round one: the hundreds

Divide: how many 6s fit in 8? One. Write 1 above the 8. Multiply: 1 × 6 = 6. Write 6 under the 8. Subtract: 8 − 6 = 2. Bring down the 5 next to the 2, which makes 25.

Round two: the tens

Divide: how many 6s fit in 25? Four, because 4 × 6 = 24 and 5 × 6 = 30 is too big. Write 4 above the 5. Multiply and subtract: 25 − 24 = 1. Bring down the 7 to make 17.

Round three: the ones

Divide: 6 fits into 17 twice, because 2 × 6 = 12. Write 2 above the 7. Subtract: 17 − 12 = 5. There is nothing left to bring down, so 5 is the remainder.

The answer is 857 ÷ 6 = 142 R 5.

To check, multiply back and add the remainder: 142 × 6 + 5 = 857. That is the number we started with, so the division is right.

In fifth and sixth grade, kids are often asked to keep going instead of stopping at a remainder. The trick is that a whole number can have as many zeros after the decimal point as you like: 87 is the same as 87.00.

Start the normal way. 4 fits into 8 twice, 8 − 8 = 0, bring down the 7. 4 fits into 7 once, 7 − 4 = 3.

Normally 3 would be the remainder. Instead, put a decimal point after 87 and another directly above it in the answer. Bring down a 0 to make 30. 4 fits into 30 seven times, because 7 × 4 = 28. Subtract: 30 − 28 = 2.

Bring down another 0 to make 20. 4 fits into 20 exactly five times. Subtract: nothing left. The answer is 87 ÷ 4 = 21.75.

Notice that the remainder of 3 in the first version became .75 here. That makes sense: 3 out of 4 is three quarters, and three quarters is 0.75.

Some divisions never come out even. 10 ÷ 3 keeps giving 3s forever. In that case the worksheet will say how many decimal places to stop at.

• Skipping a zero in the answer. In 612 ÷ 3, after the 6, the 1 is too small for 3 to fit. Kids skip it and get 24 instead of 204. Every digit they bring down needs a digit in the answer above it, even if that digit is 0.
• Writing the answer digit in the wrong column. The answer digit goes directly above the last digit you are dividing into. Graph paper helps a lot.
• A guess that is too small. If what is left after subtracting is as big as the divisor or bigger, the guess needs to go up by one.
• Bringing down two digits at once. One digit per round. Always.
• Weak times tables. Most long division mistakes are really multiplication mistakes. Practicing facts pays off here more than anywhere.

Sit beside your child and ask them to say each step out loud: “Divide. Six goes into eight once.” You will hear the slip the moment it happens, and they will usually hear it too.

Keep a times table nearby at first. Looking up 7 × 6 is fine while they learn the steps. Once the steps are automatic, take the table away. Our post on times tables practice that sticks has ideas for building the facts in the background.

Start with one-digit divisors and no remainders, then add remainders, then zeros in the answer, then decimals. The long division practice page summarizes the steps in one place.

On the MathPad pad, long division is laid out on a grid with the bracket drawn for you. Your child fills in each digit of the answer, each product and each difference in order, and can choose to finish with a remainder, a fraction or a decimal. If a digit is off, the hint is about that step, so they find the slip themselves.