Long Division for Third Graders with Sample Problems

What Kind of Division Problems Can Third Graders Solve?

In third grade, students are introduced to basic multiplication and division facts. Students memorize these facts and often take timed math tests. As a result, many third grade classes don't do long division; however, if your child is up for a challenge, you can introduce simple long division problems at home.

Simple long division problems include 1-digit divisors and 2-digit dividends, and they don't have remainders. For example, a problem like 30 ÷ 5 would be a good choice for your third grader because it includes a math fact that he already knows.

Although some kids will be able to solve the above problem in their heads, it can be helpful to use a long division sign so your child becomes familiar with the format. The dividend (30) should be written under the long division sign and the divisor (5) should be written to the left of the sign. The quotient, or answer, is written on top of the sign, above the dividend. It's important that your child format the problem correctly because it can help him organize more complex problems.

You also might want to stress to your child that long division is often a process of trial and error. Particularly when dealing with larger dividends, be sure to encourage your child to persevere until the right answer is found.

Long Division Problems for Third Graders

1. 60 ÷ 3

The quotient is 20. Remind your child to always check his or her answers. With division problems, the answers can be checked using multiplication. For instance, you can tell this problem is correct because 3 x 20 = 60.

2. 80 ÷ 5

The quotient is 16. Use the correct vocabulary terms, like divisor, dividend and quotients, when talking about long division with your child. This repetition can help your child internalize the terms, and he or she will be more prepared when long division is taught at school.

3. 52 ÷ 4

The quotient is 13. Notice that all of these problems divide evenly, so there aren't any remainders.