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Dividing by 12 Worksheet for Year 4 (Free Printable)
- ForYear 4 (Free Printable)
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Dividing by 12 Worksheet is a free printable maths sheet for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9). It has 18 questions in three steps and a challenge question. Children practise dividing by 12 using the times table facts they already know. Page 2 gives the grown-up the answers, help ideas and a stretch task.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages on A4, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
The sheet has 18 questions, grouped in three steps, followed by one challenge question. Each question asks children to divide by 12, and there is space to write the answer. Children use what they know about the 12 times table and about sharing equally. They can work in their head, draw pictures or use counters. The challenge question at the end gives confident children something extra to think about.
Ways to build confidence with dividing by 12
Share with counters
Take a pile of counters and make groups of 12. Count how many groups you have. This shows that dividing is sharing or grouping, not just a fact to remember.
Count in twelves
Say the 12 times table aloud, then count jumps of 12 along a number line. The number of jumps is the answer to a division.
Turn a fact around
Pick any multiplication fact and write the two division facts that go with it. Children see that multiplying and dividing undo each other.
Use smaller factors
12 is made from 3 and 4, and from 2 and 6. Some numbers can be divided by 12 in two smaller steps. Try this once the basic facts feel secure.
Why dividing by 12 matters
Division has two meanings. It can mean sharing a number equally, or it can mean asking how many groups of a size fit inside a number. Dividing by 12 uses the second meaning well. Children ask how many groups of 12 there are. This links straight to the 12 times table, because division is the inverse of multiplication.
The 12 times table is the last one in the Year 4 list, and many children find it the hardest. Twelve is also a very useful number. It appears in months, inches in a foot and boxes of eggs. Short, regular practice with division facts helps children answer quickly and gives them a firm base for longer division later.
Fun facts about the number 12
- A group of 12 is called a dozen.
- There are 12 months in a year.
- A clock face shows 12 numbers.
- A foot is 12 inches long.
- Before decimal money, a British shilling was worth 12 pennies.
Skills and curriculum link
- Dividing by 12
- Times table recall
- Sharing and grouping
- Inverse operations
- Reasoning
- Checking answers
Ideas that help with division facts
- Think multiplicationTo divide by 12, ask which number times 12 gives the number you start with. Then check by multiplying back.
- Count the groupsUse counters or draw rings round groups of 12. The number of groups is the answer.
- Use fact familiesThree numbers can make two multiplications and two divisions. Learning them together makes each fact easier to remember.
- Split 12 into two steps12 is 3 times 4, so dividing by 12 can mean dividing by 3 and then by 4. This only works neatly for numbers in the 12 times table.
Key words
- DivideShare a number equally, or find how many groups of a size fit into it.
- DivisorThe number you divide by. On this sheet it is 12.
- MultipleA number in a times table. The multiples of 12 are the numbers you say when you count in twelves.
- InverseThe opposite operation. Division is the inverse of multiplication.
- DozenA group of 12.
- Fact familyA set of linked facts using the same three numbers, such as 3 times 5, 5 times 3, and two divisions.
How to use it
- Print both pages on A4. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the answers and notes.
- Read the first question together. Ask your child what they already know about the 12 times table.
- Let them choose how to work: counters, a drawing, counting in twelves or recall. There is no single right way.
- Check against page 2. Ask, "How did you work that out?" The thinking matters as much as the answer.
- Come back another day and try again. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Use counters. Share them into groups of 12 and count the groups. Say each multiplication fact aloud as you go. If a question feels too big, start with the ones that feel easiest and come back to the rest later.
To stretch confident children
Try the challenge question at the end. Then write three similar questions of your own for a friend to answer. Check each other's work by multiplying the answer by 12 to see if you get back to the start.
Make it a game
Set a timer for a time you choose and see how many questions you can answer correctly. Next time, try to beat your own score. Play in pairs, with one child reading the question and the other answering.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child multiplies by 12 instead of dividing.
Try thisAsk whether the answer should be bigger or smaller than the starting number. Dividing by 12 makes a number smaller.
Watch forA child counts the counters instead of the groups.
Try thisDraw a ring round each group of 12 and count only the rings.
Watch forA child guesses a times table fact from one that is close.
Try thisMultiply the answer back by 12. If it does not return to the starting number, count up in twelves again.
Talk about it
- How do you know the 12 times table helps with this question?
- Can you show me the answer with counters?
- What multiplication fact goes with this division?
- Is the answer bigger or smaller than the number you started with? Why?
- Which question was easiest, and why?
- How could you check your answer a different way?
Take it off the page
Egg box maths
Use an empty egg box that holds 12. Fill it with buttons or dry pasta shapes. Fill several boxes and count how many boxes you have made.
Calendar months
Look at a calendar and talk about the 12 months. Make up questions about sharing things equally across the months.
Clock face groups
Draw a clock face on paper. Talk about why it has 12 numbers. Practise counting round it in steps of one hour.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first few questions, then let them lead. Keep page 2 out of sight until they have tried. Praise how they work things out, not only whether the answer is right.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It supports the Year 4 strand on recalling multiplication and division facts for tables up to 12 times 12. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas.
Home educators
Print the sheet as part of a wider maths plan. It pairs well with practical sharing, times table songs and everyday counting. It can be printed again for brothers and sisters, or used for revision later on.
Where this fits in maths
Before this sheet, children learn to share and group objects, then meet the 2, 5 and 10 times tables, followed by 3, 4 and 8. They also learn that multiplication and division are linked. This sheet builds on that by using the 12 times table.
After this, children practise dividing larger numbers and using written methods for division. In upper Key Stage 2 they meet short division and dividing by bigger numbers. Secure times table and division facts make all of that much easier.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is the Dividing by 12 worksheet for?
It is written for Year 4, ages 8 to 9, in Key Stage 2. Children who are still learning their times tables in other years may also find it useful, especially with counters.
- What will children practise?
They practise dividing by 12 using times table facts and the idea of sharing equally. The sheet has 18 questions in three steps and a challenge question, so children can build up gradually.
- Are the answers included?
Yes. Page 2 is for the grown-up and has every answer, along with notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard and a stretch idea.
- What if my child finds it too hard?
Give them counters and ask them to share the counters into groups of 12. Counting the groups shows what division means. Work through the first few questions together, then let them try more alone.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or for revision a few weeks later.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. It works as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. The sheet prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Print both pages, give page 1 to the child and keep page 2 for the adult.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.