If you are wondering how to teach long division, the good news is that it is the same four small steps repeated. The method looks busy on paper, so children often freeze before they begin. Taking it slowly, one step at a time and saying each step out loud, makes it much more approachable.

This guide is for parents helping a child who already understands what division means. If sharing and grouping are still new, begin with division explained simply or the division learning path first.

Check the building blocks first

Long division borrows from several skills. If one of them is wobbly, the method will feel harder than it is. Quickly check that your child can:

  • recall or work out single-digit times-table facts, such as 4 × 2 = 8;
  • subtract within 100 without losing track of tens and ones;
  • say what the digits in a two-digit number are worth, such as 85 being 8 tens and 5 ones.

If times tables are the sticking point, practise those separately and come back. Our guide to times tables practice without the timer pressure may help.

The four repeating steps

Each digit of the big number goes through the same cycle:

  1. Divide: how many times does the divisor go into this number?
  2. Multiply: multiply that answer by the divisor.
  3. Subtract: take the result away from the number you started with.
  4. Bring down: bring down the next digit and start again.

Written layouts vary between schools. Some use the "bus stop" bracket, others a different format, so check what your child's teacher uses and match it.

Worked example: 85 ÷ 4

        2 1  R1
    4 ) 8 5
        8
        -
        0 5
          4
          -
          1
  1. Divide: how many 4s go into 8? Two. Write 2 above the 8.
  2. Multiply: 2 × 4 = 8. Write 8 under the 8.
  3. Subtract: 8 − 8 = 0.
  4. Bring down the 5 to make 05, which is 5.
  5. Divide again: how many 4s go into 5? One. Write 1 above the 5.
  6. Multiply and subtract: 1 × 4 = 4, and 5 − 4 = 1.

There are no more digits to bring down, so the 1 is the remainder. The answer is 21 remainder 1.

Always check

Multiply the answer by the divisor, then add the remainder: 21 × 4 = 84, and 84 + 1 = 85. Checking is a good habit, and it gives your child a way to find their own mistakes.

When a zero appears in the answer

Try 61 ÷ 3. Three goes into 6 twice (2 × 3 = 6), and 6 − 6 = 0. Bring down the 1. Now 3 does not go into 1, so write a 0 above the 1 and carry on. The 1 is left over. The answer is 20 remainder 1, and the check is 20 × 3 = 60, plus 1 is 61.

Children often skip the zero and write 2 instead of 20. Place value is the cue: ask whether 61 shared between 3 could be as small as 2.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

  • Forgetting to bring down. Tick each digit as it is brought down, or use a coloured pencil for the arrow.
  • A remainder as big as the divisor. If the leftover is 4 or more when dividing by 4, another group fits. Go back and increase the answer by one.
  • Digits not lined up. Use squared paper, or turn lined paper sideways so the lines make columns.
  • Small subtraction slips. Slow down on the subtraction step and check it with addition.
  • Skipping the check. Make the multiply-and-add check part of every problem.

A five-minute routine

  1. Pick two problems (1 minute). Choose a one-digit divisor and a two-digit number, such as 72 ÷ 3 (the answer is 24 exactly) and 85 ÷ 4.
  2. Talk it through (2 minutes). Do the first problem together and ask your child to say each step: divide, multiply, subtract, bring down.
  3. Your child leads (2 minutes). Let them try the second problem while you only point at the step they are on. Finish with the multiply-and-add check.

For extra practice, the long division tool uses the bracket layout with a small divisor and a two-digit number, sometimes with a remainder. Your child fills in one digit at a time and the tool checks their entries as they go. Use it to talk through a step, then try the same method on paper.