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Journey To School Maths

Maths hiding in getting to school: walking groups

Share children into safe groups or pairs.

Quick answer

Maths is everywhere in getting to school, especially when you walk in groups! When you walk in groups, you use maths to make sure everyone is safe, count how many are walking, and work out how long it takes to get to school.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to:
  • Split your walking group into equal teams
  • Count how many people are in your group
  • Work out how many groups you can make with a certain number of people
  • Use maths to help keep everyone safe on the way to school

Why this matters

When you walk to school with friends or family, you use maths to stay safe and make sure everyone gets there together. You might need to know how many people are in your group, how many groups you can make, or how long it takes to walk. This helps teachers and parents keep track of children and makes the journey easier for everyone.

How it works

Let's imagine you are walking to school with your friends. You have 12 friends and want to split into groups of 4. You need to use maths to work out how many groups you can make. This is called division. You take 12 and divide it by 4. That means you have 3 groups. You can also use multiplication to check your answer. If you have 3 groups with 4 people in each, that is 3 x 4 = 12 people in total.

Examples you can see

Let's look at some real examples of maths in walking groups: Example 1: Making equal groups You have 15 friends going to school. You want to split them into groups of 3. How many groups will you make?
  • 15 ÷ 3 = 5 groups
Example 2: Counting people You are walking in a group of 6. Your teacher wants to know how many people are in your group.
  • You count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
  • There are 6 people in your group
Example 3: Sharing space You are walking with 8 friends and there are 4 paths to school. How many people can walk on each path?
  • 8 ÷ 4 = 2 people per path
Example 4: Making teams You have 10 children in your class and want to split them into teams of 2. How many teams will you make?
  • 10 ÷ 2 = 5 teams

Try it as a mini adventure

Adventure: The Walking School Group Challenge You are the leader of a walking group to school. You have 24 friends with you. You need to split them into equal groups for safety. Your teacher says each group should have 6 people.
  • 1st time: How many groups will you make?
  • 2nd time: If you have 24 friends and want to make 4 groups, how many people will be in each group?
  • 3rd time: If you have 24 friends and want to make 3 groups, how many people will be in each group?
  • 4th time: If you have 24 friends and want to make 8 groups, how many people will be in each group?
  • 5th time: How many groups of 4 can you make with 24 friends?

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Thinking 24 ÷ 4 = 6, but counting wrong
    Why it happens: Children might not count correctly or forget to check their answer
    Fix: Count the groups again and use multiplication to check: 6 x 4 = 24
  • Mistake: Trying to make groups that are not equal
    Why it happens: Children might not understand what "equal" means
    Fix: Make sure each group has the same number of people
  • Mistake: Adding instead of dividing
    Why it happens: Confusing the operation needed for the problem
    Fix: Ask yourself: "Are we sharing or combining?" If sharing, use division

Parent and carer guide

As a parent or carer, you can help your child learn about walking groups and maths by:
  • Counting how many people are in your walking group
  • Asking questions like: "How many groups can we make with 12 people?"
  • Using everyday situations to practice division
  • Encouraging your child to check their answers using multiplication
  • Playing games that involve grouping people or objects
How to help in 5-10 minutes: 1. Ask your child to count how many people are in their walking group 2. Challenge them to split the group into equal teams 3. Use counters or toys to model the groups 4. Check their answers by multiplying 5. Discuss how they solved the problem

Practice questions

  1. There are 10 children in your walking group. You want to split them into groups of 2. How many groups will you make?
  2. There are 18 children in your walking group. You want to split them into groups of 3. How many groups will you make?
  3. There are 20 children in your walking group. You want to split them into groups of 5. How many groups will you make?
  4. There are 16 children in your walking group. You want to split them into groups of 4. How many groups will you make?
  5. There are 25 children in your walking group. You want to split them into groups of 5. How many groups will you make?
Answers:
  1. 10 ÷ 2 = 5 groups
  2. 18 ÷ 3 = 6 groups
  3. 20 ÷ 5 = 4 groups
  4. 16 ÷ 4 = 4 groups
  5. 25 ÷ 5 = 5 groups

FAQ

How can I help my child understand grouping? Use everyday objects like toys, counters, or snacks to make groups. For example, if you have 12 cookies and want to share them equally among 3 friends, you can show how many cookies each friend gets.

Why is it important to make equal groups? Equal groups help everyone stay safe and make sure no one is left out. When you split into equal groups, everyone knows where they are going and who they are with.

What happens if the number doesn't divide evenly? If the number doesn't divide evenly, you will have a remainder. For example, if you have 13 children and want to make groups of 3, you will have 4 groups with 1 child left over.

How can I make learning about walking groups fun? Play games like "How many groups can we make?" or "Let's count how many people are in each group." You can also create a chart to track how many groups you make each day.

Can I use this maths for other situations? Yes! You can use this maths when sharing toys, organizing games, or even when you are cooking and need to divide ingredients into equal parts.