Free Division Worksheets for Kids: KS1 and KS2 Printable Practice

Division is one of the four fundamental mathematical operations and one that many children find significantly harder than addition, subtraction, or multiplication. Unlike the other operations, division requires children to simultaneously understand the concept of sharing, the relationship between division and multiplication, and — eventually — the formal procedures of short and long division. The right worksheet practice, at the right time, can make division accessible and even enjoyable for children across KS1 and KS2.

**Understanding Division: Sharing vs Grouping**

Before diving into formal division, it is important to understand that there are two distinct ways of thinking about division that children need to encounter.

Sharing (partitive division): The total is shared equally into a known number of groups, and we find how many are in each group. Example: "24 sweets are shared equally between 6 children. How many does each child get?" Here, children imagine dealing out the sweets one at a time.

Grouping (quotitive division): We find how many groups of a given size can be made from a total. Example: "How many groups of 4 can be made from 24?" Here, children imagine counting out groups of 4 until the total is used up.

Both types of division produce the same answer, but they represent different real-world situations. Worksheets that deliberately mix both types — with picture representations in early stages — help children develop a flexible understanding of what division means, rather than simply applying a procedure.

**Division in KS1 (Ages 5–7)**

In Year 1, division is introduced practically and visually. Children share objects equally into groups and begin to use the ÷ symbol. Worksheets at Year 1 level should use pictures extensively — arrays of dots, simple sharing diagrams, or groups of objects — to make the abstract concept concrete.

By Year 2, children begin to work with the 2, 5, and 10 times tables and their corresponding division facts. If they know 5 × 4 = 20, they should also know 20 ÷ 5 = 4 and 20 ÷ 4 = 5. Year 2 division worksheets that present multiplication and division as a fact family — showing all four related number sentences together — explicitly teach this inverse relationship.

**Division in KS2 (Ages 7–11)**

Year 3 and Year 4 extend division to all times table facts up to 12 × 12. Children should be able to recall division facts automatically — if asked "56 ÷ 7", they should retrieve the answer from memory rather than working backwards from 7 × 1, 7 × 2, etc. Division worksheets at this stage should be timed to build this fluency.

Year 4 also introduces short division (the "bus stop" method) for dividing two-digit numbers by one-digit numbers, initially without remainders and then with remainders. Short division worksheets should progress clearly: begin with no regrouping, add regrouping once that is secure, then introduce remainders.

Year 5 extends short division to three and four-digit numbers divided by single digits, and introduces dividing by multiples of 10. Division word problems become more complex: "A school orders 576 exercise books. They are packed in boxes of 8. How many boxes are needed?"

Year 6 introduces long division — dividing three and four-digit numbers by two-digit numbers. This is often the most challenging written method in primary maths. Long division worksheets should break the method down into clear steps: divide, multiply, subtract, bring down, and repeat. Presenting worked examples alongside practice questions is particularly helpful at this stage.

**Division with Remainders**

Remainders are a concept that confuse many children. A key understanding is that remainders are always less than the divisor — if you get a remainder larger than the number you are dividing by, you have made an error.

Worksheets that practise interpreting remainders in context are particularly valuable. "27 children need to get on minibuses. Each minibus holds 8 children. How many minibuses are needed?" — here the remainder (3 children) means an extra minibus is needed, so the answer is 4, not 3. These interpretation skills are tested directly in SATs reasoning papers.

**Division Word Problems**

Word problem worksheets for division are essential preparation for SATs. Children need to: 1. Identify that the problem requires division 2. Set up the correct division calculation 3. Carry out the calculation accurately 4. Interpret the answer in the context of the problem (including rounding decisions)

Many children can perform a division calculation correctly when told to divide, but struggle to identify when division is the appropriate operation in a multi-step word problem. Worksheets that present a variety of word problems — including some that require multiplication rather than division — build this discrimination skill.

**Division and Fractions**

An important connection that helps children understand fractions is that dividing by a number is the same as finding that unit fraction of a quantity. "48 ÷ 6" gives the same answer as "one-sixth of 48". Worksheets that make this connection explicit prepare children for the fractional thinking expected in Year 5 and Year 6.

**Common Division Mistakes**

The most common errors in division worksheets include: forgetting to carry remainders in short division, misaligning columns in long division, confusing when to round remainders up or down in context questions, and losing track of whether the answer is the number of groups or the size of each group.

When reviewing completed worksheets, look for consistent error patterns rather than individual mistakes. If a child always makes the same type of error in short division, that signals a procedural misunderstanding that needs to be addressed directly.

**Generate Free Division Worksheets Instantly**

Worksheets Generator creates free, customised division worksheets for any age and level of difficulty. Select the appropriate age group, type a specific topic — "Year 2 sharing division", "division facts 2 5 and 10 times tables", "Year 4 short division no remainders", "Year 5 division with remainders", "long division Year 6", or "division word problems KS2" — choose your preferred difficulty, and click Create. A unique division worksheet with a full answer key is generated in seconds, ready to print immediately.