Smart Starters · Ages 8 to 10
Mixed Number Speed Dash
Race between frozen research stations by adding and subtracting mixed numbers against a friendly timer, for ages 8 to 10.
5 levels+40 XP
ProgressNot started
5 levels · BeginnerPlay
Smart Starters · Ages 8 to 10
All Smart Starters gamesBus Stop Division Depot
Short division in the bus stop layout: place each answer digit above the dividend. For ages 8 to 10.
BuilderBus stop method: short division layout~9 min per level5 levelsAll devices
- Free · no account required
- COPPA compliant
- +10 XP per level
- 5 levels
- Plays on all devices
- Curriculum-aligned
The learning journey
Every activity is one step. Here is where this one fits.
- Play(you are here)Learn the idea in a game
- PractiseLock it in on paper
- ReviewCome back and keep it sharp
- MasterTake on a harder challenge
- AchieveEarn a certificate
About Bus Stop Division Depot
Bus Stop Division Depot teaches short division as the shape it actually is. The dividend sits inside the bus stop, the divisor stands outside it, and the child places each digit of the answer in the row above, working left to right one column at a time. Teaching the layout alongside the arithmetic is not decoration: short division is a method for keeping your place, and children who have only ever seen the answer written on a separate line lose track the moment the numbers get longer or a column fails to divide neatly. The bus stop exists to hold that information in a fixed position on the page, and a child who has used it properly can pick up a four-digit division without any new ideas at all. The first two levels are built so every column divides exactly, which lets the child learn the left-to-right rhythm before anything complicates it. From the third level the columns carry: eighty-four divided by seven needs the one left over from the eight to be carried across and read as fourteen, and that carrying step is the entire reason the method is worth writing down rather than doing in your head. Two-digit dividends run to level three and three-digit ones arrive at level four. Digits are placed from a short palette, everything is operable by tap or keyboard, each cell is announced to screen readers with its column, and a wrong digit flashes and can be replaced with nothing lost. Free, no sign-up, no advertising to children, progress kept on the device.
Where to go next
Chosen by the skills this activity practises.
Next — more of the same skill
Printable worksheets for this skill
A hand for grown-ups
- Before you start
- Have something shareable to hand — counters, grapes, coins. Division is "share these out equally", and that is easier shown than told.
- While they work
- Encourage dealing out one-at-a-time into equal groups, like cards. It makes remainders visible and obvious.
- Afterwards
- Share something for real — biscuits between the family — and ask how many each, and how many left over.
- Watch out for
- Forgetting the groups must be EQUAL. Dealing one-at-a-time rather than grabbing handfuls keeps them even.
- Away from the screen
- Share snacks, deal cards, split a pile of coins. Any fair-sharing situation is division practice.
How to play
A question appears on screen
A maths question is shown in large text at the centre of the play area. A timer bar begins counting down from 130 seconds.
Choose the correct answer
Answer options are shown as large buttons. Tap and drag, or use the mouse on desktop. Any input method works — touch, mouse or keyboard.
Build your streak
Each consecutive correct answer increases your streak. A longer streak lights up the flame icon and adds a bonus multiplier to the XP you earn for the level.
Finish the level
Each level has 4 questions. Complete them to earn the full level reward (+10 XP, plus up to +10 XP for a perfect run). Progress is saved locally and shown on the Parent Dashboard.
Curriculum alignment
Mapped to national curriculum frameworks so teachers and parents can match practice to school standards.
- United StatesCommon Core State Standards for Mathematics · division, place-valueAligned to division, place-value number and operations objectives.
- United KingdomNational Curriculum for England — Maths · division, place-valueAligned to division, place-value number and operations objectives.
- AustraliaAustralian Curriculum v9.0 — Mathematics · division, place-valueAligned to division, place-value number and operations objectives.
- CanadaPan-Canadian Provincial Standards · division, place-valueAligned to division, place-value number and operations objectives.
Common questions from parents & teachers
Everything you need to know before your child starts playing.
- The written layout for short division: the dividend inside the bracket, the divisor outside, and the answer written along the top, one column at a time from the left.
- Because the layout is the method. It holds your place on the page, which is what stops children losing track once the numbers get longer or a column does not divide neatly.
- From the third level. The first two keep every column exact so the left-to-right rhythm can be learned before anything complicates it.
- Two-digit dividends up to level three, three-digit from level four, with divisors up to nine.
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