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How to do long division: a parent’s guide

Long division is the method most parents learned: a bracket, the answer written on top, and a staircase of subtractions underneath. It works one digit at a time with the same four steps, so once your child has the rhythm, every problem goes the same way.

By The Kizupi team · Written · Updated

Key findings

  • Long division by the standard algorithm is a Grade 6 expectation: “Fluently divide multi-digit numbers using the standard algorithm” [3].
  • Before that, Grade 4 and Grade 5 children divide with strategies based on place value, such as partial quotients, with one-digit and then two-digit divisors [1][2].
  • Each round of long division is the same four steps: divide, multiply, subtract, bring down. The round repeats once for each digit of the number being divided.

The four steps

  1. Divide. How many times does the divisor go into the part you are looking at? Write that digit on top.
  2. Multiply. Multiply that digit by the divisor and write the product underneath.
  3. Subtract. Take the product away. What is left must be smaller than the divisor.
  4. Bring down. Bring the next digit down next to what is left, and start again.

Many classes remember the order with a sentence whose first letters are D, M, S, B, such as “Does McDonald’s sell burgers?”. When there is no digit left to bring down, what is left is the remainder.

Example 1: 852 ÷ 6, step by step

1426852−625−2412−120
  • Hundreds: 6 goes into 8 once. Write 1 on top. 1 × 6 = 6, and 8 − 6 = 2. Bring down the 5 to make 25.
  • Tens: 6 goes into 25 four times. Write 4 on top. 4 × 6 = 24, and 25 − 24 = 1. Bring down the 2 to make 12.
  • Ones: 6 goes into 12 twice. Write 2 on top. 2 × 6 = 12, and 12 − 12 = 0. Nothing is left to bring down.

So 852 ÷ 6 = 142. Check it by multiplying back: 142 × 6 = 852.

Example 2: a zero in the answer, 437 ÷ 4

1094437−403−037−361

4 goes into 4 once, leaving 0. Bring down the 3. Now 4 does not go into 3 at all, so the tens digit of the answer is 0. This is the step children skip most often: write the 0 on top, then bring down the 7 to make 37. 4 goes into 37 nine times, 9 × 4 = 36, and 1 is left with nothing to bring down.

The answer is 109 remainder 1, often written 109 R1. Check: 109 × 4 = 436, and 436 + 1 = 437.

Example 3: a two-digit divisor, 1,512 ÷ 24

63241512−14472−720

24 does not go into 1 or into 15, so start with 151. The divide step is harder here, so estimate: 24 is close to 25, and 25 goes into 150 six times. Try 6: 6 × 24 = 144, which fits, and 151 − 144 = 7. Bring down the 2 to make 72. 24 goes into 72 three times exactly. The answer is 63.

If the estimate is too big, the product will be larger than the number you are dividing into; try one less. If what is left is still 24 or more, the estimate was too small; try one more.

The mistakes to look for

  • Leaving out a zero. When the divisor does not go into the number, the digit on top is 0. Skipping it turns 109 into 19.
  • A remainder that is too big. If what is left after subtracting is as big as the divisor or bigger, the digit on top should be one more.
  • Digits drifting out of their column. Each digit of the answer sits over the last digit of the number it came from. Squared paper, or turning lined paper sideways, keeps the columns straight.

If long division feels too hard

Schools usually teach division with place-value strategies in Grades 4 and 5 before long division in Grade 6 [1][2][3]. If the steps feel like magic, the partial quotients method does the same division in bigger, friendlier chunks, and shows what each digit of the long division answer stands for: in 852 ÷ 6, the 1, 4 and 2 on top are 100, 40 and 2 sixes.

How to help at home

  1. Check the times tables first. The divide step is a multiplication fact in reverse. If 6 × 4 is slow, long division will be slow.
  2. Estimate before starting. 852 ÷ 6 is a bit more than 600 ÷ 6 = 100, so the answer should have three digits.
  3. Say the four steps out loud for the first few problems, then let your child say them.
  4. Multiply back at the end. Answer times divisor, plus the remainder, gives the starting number.

For practice with a hint on every problem, try the free Grade 4 multiplication and division word problem sheets, each with an answer key.

Questions parents ask

What grade learns long division?

The standard algorithm is a Grade 6 expectation [3]. Grades 4 and 5 divide with place-value strategies first, with one-digit and then two-digit divisors [1][2].

What are the steps of long division?

Divide, multiply, subtract, bring down, then repeat for the next digit. When there are no digits left to bring down, what is left is the remainder.

What do you do when the divisor doesn’t go in?

Write 0 on top for that digit, then bring down the next digit and keep going. In 437 ÷ 4, 4 does not go into 3, so the answer is 109, not 19.

How do you check a long division answer?

Multiply the answer by the divisor and add the remainder. You should get the number you started with: 109 × 4 + 1 = 437.

Keep going

Sources

  1. Common Core State Standards Initiative, Grade 4, Number and Operations in Base Ten (4.NBT.B.6). Read November 9, 2026.
  2. Common Core State Standards Initiative, Grade 5, Number and Operations in Base Ten (5.NBT.B.6). Read November 9, 2026.
  3. Common Core State Standards Initiative, Grade 6, The Number System (6.NS.B.2). Read November 9, 2026.

Cite this page: The Kizupi team, “How to do long division: a parent’s guide,” Kizupi, updated November 10, 2026, https://kizupi.com/guides/long-division.

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