Welcome to the Grouping Zoo!

The zookeeper needs your help! It’s time to get the animals ready for the day, and they all need to be put into their enclosures. This fun game is a fantastic way for children to get hands-on with early division concepts.

Your mission is to follow the zookeeper’s instructions. You might be asked to “Put 12 monkeys into groups of 3” (grouping) or to “Share 8 lions equally into 4 enclosures” (sharing). Drag the animals into the pens to make the groups, then hit the “Check My Groups” button to see if you’re right!

Why is This Game Great for Learning?

This game provides a vital, visual introduction to the concept of division. By physically moving the animals, children can build a deep and lasting understanding of what division means. It helps them to:

• Understand Division as Grouping: Children learn that “12 divided by 3” can mean making equal groups of 3 and counting how many groups they have made.
• Understand Division as Sharing: The game also teaches the other key model of division: sharing a total amount into a set number of equal groups.
• Connect Language to Maths: Players see the link between the words “groups of” and “share equally” and the division symbol (÷).
• Develop Foundational Skills: A strong grasp of grouping and sharing is the essential foundation for learning multiplication facts and tackling more complex division problems later on.

For Teachers and Parents: Meeting Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Objectives

“Grouping Zoo” is perfectly aligned with the UK’s National Curriculum for maths, making it an ideal tool for children in Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2).

• Year 1 Maths: The curriculum requires pupils to “solve one-step problems involving multiplication and division, by calculating the answer using concrete objects, pictorial representations and arrays with the support of the teacher.”
  • How this game helps: This game provides the “concrete objects” (the animals) for children to solve division problems in a visual and interactive way.
• Year 2 Maths: Pupils must be able to “calculate mathematical statements for multiplication and division within the multiplication tables and write them using the multiplication (×), division (÷) and equals (=) signs” and “solve problems involving… division, including problems in contexts.”
  • How this game helps: By showing the division equation alongside the word problem, the game explicitly connects the practical activity to the formal mathematical statement. It teaches children to recognise that both grouping and sharing can be represented by the ÷ symbol.

How to Use This Game

For Teachers:

• Interactive Whiteboard Introduction: Use the game as a whole-class activity to introduce the concepts of grouping and sharing. Work through a few problems together.
• Independent Practice: An excellent task for children to complete on tablets or laptops to consolidate their understanding after a lesson.
• Assessment for Learning: Quickly observe which children can confidently solve both grouping and sharing problems and which might need more support.

For Parents:

• Fun Homework: Make division practice enjoyable! This game turns abstract sums into a fun, hands-on puzzle.
• Use the Language: Talk about what’s happening on screen. Ask, “So, if we put 10 elephants into groups of 2, how many enclosures did we need?” This helps reinforce the vocabulary.
• Real-World Connection: After playing, try it out with toys at home! “Can you put your 12 toy cars into groups of 3? How many groups did you make?”