Decimals are a tricky area of maths that many children (and parents!) struggle with, but your child is going to have to be confident working with decimals and place value by the end of primary school.
Dive into decimals with teacher-created decimals resources
To help your child master each decimal skill, you first need to be confident in it yourself. In this section of the site you'll find clear explanations of KS2 decimals concepts and teachers' tips for decimals learning. And when it comes to putting knowledge into practice, we've got printable decimals worksheets covering all the decimals objectives for each school year, such as ordering decimals, doubling and halving decimals, multiplying decimals, converting decimals to fractions, long division with decimals, dividing decimals using grids and column addition using decimals.
Need a teacher to explain decimals? Try out an interactive tutorial and let our digital teacher show you how to complete decimals questions, such as ordering numbers with up to three decimal places, multiplying a decimal by 100 and recognising decimal equivalents.
You can also find decimals games in our Decimals made simple learning pack or get even more targeted support in our Teach your child decimals book.
Articles
What are decimals?
We explain what decimals are and how the concept is explained to primary-school children, as well as how they are taught to relate decimals to money and measurement, the equivalence between fractions and decimals, partitioning, rounding and ordering decimals and adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals.
Teachers' tricks for decimals
Understanding decimals is vital for real-life, everyday maths. Phoebe Doyle offers some teacher tips to help your Key Stage 2 child understand what decimals are and how to use this knowledge in calculations.
How to help with maths homework: a non-expert's guide
Maths is one subject that fills many parents with dread - but is it really so hard? We talk to author and deputy head teacher Matt Revill to find out how parents can help their children's maths learning.
Tutorials
Rounding decimals with two decimal places to the nearest whole number tutorial
Let our digital teacher show you how to round decimals with two decimal places to the nearest whole number. Then she's going to ask you some questions to check you've got the hang of it!
Recognising decimal equivalents of a quarter, a half and three quarters tutorial
Let our digital teacher show you how to recognise decimal equivalents of a quarter, a half and three quarters, and then see if you can answer the on-screen questions.
Multiplying a decimal by ten tutorial
Let our digital teacher show you a really easy way to multiply decimals by 10, then have a go at the on-screen questions to check you've got the hang of it!
Worksheets
Adding and subtracting decimals
When adding and subtracting decimals, it can be helpful to think about money. For example: 1.7 + 1.5. Change this to £1.70 and £1.50 to make £3.20, so the answer is 3.2. Use this method to work out these sums.
Column addition including decimals
This worksheet gives plenty of opportunity for children to practise column addition when adding decimals. Answer sheet included.
Decimals: doubling and halving
When doubling and halving decimals it is sometimes easier to imagine them as two-digit numbers. See if you can double and halve the following decimals, using the knowledge you already have of doubling and halving other numbers.
Also see:
The Decimals made simple learning pack aims to take you through every aspect of primary-school decimal learning, from using decimal notation in money and measurements to converting fractions to decimals and rounding decimals to the nearest whole number. As well as a year-by-year guide to what your child learns you'll be able to complete 35 worksheets with your child to help them put their decimals knowledge into practice. And why not end a study session with a quick decimal game? Use the number spinner provided to try your hand at making the biggest (or smallest) decimal number, or speed-racing some decimal multiplication or division.
Maths is a core skill within the primary national curriculum. As we use maths every day, it is also a vital skill for life. But, some of us still dread our child coming home and asking for help with their maths homework, as learning methods and terminology are sometimes different from how we were taught.
If this sounds like you, you'll find Maths Homework Helper an immensely useful resource for two reasons. Firstly, it collates the main topics your child will need to know. Secondly, it acts as a refresher course for you, so you can revisit each topic and understand just what your child is learning during class time. It covers the crucial topics of numbers, using numbers, measures, shape and space, and data handling, so you and your child will be able to learn, understand and use maths skills in everyday situations.
There are also helpful rules to remember, a jargon-busting guide to key maths language, plus tips and ideas to help your child continue their learning away from their text books. With the Maths Homework Helper eBook, you will never be stumped by your child's primary maths homework again!
Help support your child's maths learning at home with a practical, targeted eBook. Decimals topics covered include multiplying and dividing decimals, ordering and comparing decimals and their fraction equivalents, solving multi-step problems involving decimals and rounding decimal numbers. As well as parents' notes on the theory your eBook contains lots of practical activities and games to help your child practise what they're learning at home.
