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Maths Games

Division games with counters

Practise equal sharing and grouping through hands-on games.

Quick answer

Division games with counters help you learn how to share things equally or group them fairly. You can use counters like coins, buttons, or blocks to practice dividing them into equal groups.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to share a number of objects equally between a group of people or into equal groups, using counters to help you understand how division works. Success signs:
  • You can take a set of counters and split them into equal groups
  • You can explain what happens when you divide by 2, 3, 4, or 5
  • You can play a game using counters to solve simple division problems
  • You can use counters to show that 12 ÷ 3 = 4

Why this matters

Division helps you understand how to share things fairly, which is useful in many real-life situations. When you play games, cook, or even split a pizza with friends, you are using division. Learning to divide with counters makes it easier to understand bigger division problems later in school.

How it works

Division means splitting something into equal parts. You can use counters to help you understand this. Here’s how to do it:
  1. Start with a number of counters
  2. Decide how many equal groups you want
  3. Share the counters equally into those groups
  4. Count how many counters are in each group

Examples you can see

Let’s imagine you have 12 counters. You want to share them equally between 3 friends. Step 1: You have 12 counters. Step 2: You want to make 3 equal groups. Step 3: You give one counter to each friend at a time, until all 12 are shared. Step 4: Each friend gets 4 counters. So, 12 ÷ 3 = 4. You can also do this with arrays. If you arrange 12 counters in 3 rows, you can count how many are in each row.
Row 1 Row 2 Row 3
4 counters 4 counters 4 counters
This shows that 12 divided by 3 equals 4.

Try it as a mini adventure

Adventure: The Cookie Sharing Challenge You and your 3 friends are going to a party. You have 16 cookies to share equally. You need to work out how many cookies each person gets. Step 1: You have 16 cookies. Step 2: You want to share them between 4 people (you and 3 friends). Step 3: Share the cookies one by one, giving one to each person. Step 4: How many cookies does each person get? Answer: Each person gets 4 cookies. So, 16 ÷ 4 = 4. Try this with your counters at home. Use buttons, coins, or blocks to make 16 and divide them into 4 equal groups.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Thinking that 10 ÷ 2 = 5, but then counting 5 + 5 = 10 and thinking it's wrong.
    Why it happens: Confusion between multiplication and division.
    Fix: Remember that division means sharing equally. If you have 10 counters and split them into 2 groups, each group has 5 counters. So, 10 ÷ 2 = 5.
  • Mistake: Not using counters to check if the groups are equal.
    Why it happens: Not taking time to check.
    Fix: After dividing, count the counters in each group to make sure they are the same.
  • Mistake: Thinking 12 ÷ 3 = 9.
    Why it happens: Mixing up addition and division.
    Fix: Use counters to show that 12 divided by 3 means 12 shared into 3 equal groups. Each group has 4 counters. So, 12 ÷ 3 = 4.

Parent and carer guide

You can help your child by:
  • Using everyday objects like buttons, coins, or toys to practice sharing
  • Playing games with counters to make division fun
  • Encouraging your child to explain how they shared the counters
  • Checking that each group has the same number of items
  • Practising with different numbers to build confidence
If your child gets confused, ask them to show you how they shared the counters. This helps you see where they might be making mistakes.

Practice questions

  1. Share 10 counters between 2 groups. How many in each group?
    Answer: 5
  2. Divide 15 counters into 3 equal groups. How many in each group?
    Answer: 5
  3. Share 20 counters between 4 groups. How many in each group?
    Answer: 5
  4. Divide 18 counters into 6 equal groups. How many in each group?
    Answer: 3
  5. Share 14 counters between 7 groups. How many in each group?
    Answer: 2

FAQ

What is division?

Division is when you share a number of things equally into groups. It is the opposite of multiplication.

How can I practice division at home?

You can use counters like coins, buttons, or blocks. Try sharing them equally into different groups and count how many are in each group.

Why do we learn division?

Division helps us share things fairly, like splitting a pizza or sharing toys. It is also useful for bigger maths problems later on.

Can I use division with any number?

Yes! You can divide any number of counters by any number of groups, as long as the groups are equal.

What if the counters don’t divide equally?

If the counters don’t divide equally, you can still share them and see how many are left over. This is called a remainder.