Worksheet guide
What is on the short division sheet
Each question is printed in the bus stop frame: the divisor on the outside left, the dividend under the bracket, and a clear space above it for the quotient. Three-digit dividends divided by one-digit divisors are the default, which is the step after two-digit dividends.
Division gives whole numbers controls the answers. Yes produces exact division; No allows a remainder, which is written as r after the quotient. Both versions use the same frame, so the layout never changes under the child.
How short division works
Work from the leftmost digit of the dividend. Divide it by the divisor, write the quotient digit above, and carry any remainder to the next digit as a small number in front of it. Repeat to the end. In 276 ÷ 6: 2 ÷ 6 will not go, so the first quotient digit 4 is written above the 7 (because 27 ÷ 6 = 4 remainder 3), and the 3 is carried to make 36, giving 6 above the 6.
The two errors that matter are starting at the right (which is what addition and subtraction have trained the child to do) and leaving a blank when a digit will not divide. A blank is not the same as a zero, and the answer is wrong by a place value until a 0 is written.
Whole numbers or remainders
Start with whole numbers. An exact answer lets the child check the method by multiplying the quotient by the divisor and getting back to the dividend, which is a genuinely independent check.
Remainders come next, and the sensible question to ask is what the remainder means in context. On a plain calculation sheet it is just r, but the same answer becomes a decision when it is 47 children and 6 minibuses.
Checking the quotient by multiplying back
Because the divisor is a single digit, the check takes seconds: quotient × divisor, plus the remainder if there is one, should give the dividend. If 276 ÷ 6 = 46, then 46 × 6 = 276. Put the check into the lesson alongside the method and half the class will mark their own sheet before you get to it.
How to use it
How to use this generator
- Choose Short division; the bus stop layout is applied automatically.
- Set Division gives whole numbers to Yes for exact answers, No for remainders.
- Use the Year dropdown to raise the dividend size.
- Generate, print, and mark from the answer page.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is short division the same as the bus stop method?
Yes. Short division is the name of the method and bus stop is the name of the shape it is written in. This site has pages for both because people search for both terms.
What is a remainder?
The amount left over when a number does not divide exactly. 47 ÷ 6 = 7 remainder 5, written as 7 r 5.
Why does the quotient go above the bracket?
Because the digits of the quotient align with the digits of the dividend they came from, which keeps the place value correct as you work left to right.
What if the first digit is smaller than the divisor?
Then the first quotient digit is written above the second digit instead, and the first digit is carried. A 0 is not written above the first digit unless the division actually gives zero.
Can I print division with a two-digit divisor?
Short division on this site uses one-digit divisors. For two-digit divisors use the long division page, which prints the working lines needed.
Should children check their answers?
With whole numbers, yes: quotient × divisor should give the dividend. With remainders, quotient × divisor + remainder should. Both checks take seconds and catch most errors.
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