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.NCF and NCERT links
- Class 1The NCF-FS (C-8.7) starts division as equal sharing into groups, and introduces the ÷ sign.
- Class 2Children use repeated subtraction to find how many equal groups fit in a number.
- Classes 3–5NIPUN Bharat counts standard written methods for all four operations on numbers up to three digits as part of numeracy; long division builds on this.
Before long division, children in India meet division as sharing: laddoos among friends, or marbles into bags. The NCF-FS describes children first sharing a handful of objects between two people and later sharing up to 20 between four or five.
Many classes check each answer with dividend = divisor × quotient + remainder, which is a quick way to spot mistakes. If your class writes the answer as “Q = 47, R = 3” instead of 47 R3, ask children to write it that way on their sheets.
Summarised in our own words from the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCERT, 2022) and the NIPUN Bharat guidelines (Ministry of Education, 2021).
