The long division steps
- Divide. How many times does the divisor go into this part?
- Multiply. Write the product under it.
- Subtract. Find what is left.
- Bring down. Bring down the next digit and start again.
More practice
Division facts come first: the times tables worksheets include division facts. For multiplying big numbers, see long multiplication.In the New Zealand Curriculum
- Year 3Equal sharing and grouping, with division facts for 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 8s and 10s, as in 24 ÷ 3.
- Year 4Times tables from 2 to 10, and using fact families to divide: 4 × 5 = 20, so 20 ÷ 4 = 5.
- Year 5Dividing numbers of up to four digits by a single digit, with remainders.
- Year 6Formal written methods for larger divisions, such as 1,283 ÷ 5.
The curriculum builds division on the times tables, so 2-digit problems that divide exactly suit Year 4, and 3- and 4-digit problems with remainders match Year 5. If a child is stuck on a step, it is usually a times table fact that isn’t secure yet.
The Ministry’s guide for whānau writes remainders in words, as in 29 remainder 2, while the answer key here uses R. Show ākonga both so the homework and the classroom look the same to them.
Summarised in our own words from the New Zealand Curriculum: Mathematics and Statistics, Years 0–8 (in effect from 2025), and the Ministry of Education’s year-by-year guide for parents and whānau.
