Grade 6Matheasy
Order of Operations Practice - Grade 6
Practice solving expressions using the order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS) with addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and simple exponents.
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What Your Child Will Learn
- Apply the PEMDAS order of operations to solve numerical expressions containing parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction
- Evaluate expressions with simple exponents (squares and cubes) while following the correct sequence of operations
- Solve multi-step expressions by identifying and performing operations in the proper order from left to right
- Demonstrate understanding of when multiplication and division have equal priority, and addition and subtraction have equal priority
- Calculate accurate answers for 15 order of operations problems involving whole numbers and basic operations
How to Use This Worksheet
- Step 1: Review the PEMDAS acronym with your student and explain that this worksheet focuses on applying this order to solve expressions
- Step 2: Work through the first 2-3 problems together, having your student identify which operation comes first and explain their reasoning
- Step 3: Let your student complete problems 4-8 independently while you observe, providing gentle corrections if they skip steps or perform operations out of order
- Step 4: For problems 9-15, encourage your student to show all work by rewriting the expression after each step, building confidence with the systematic approach
- Step 5: Review any incorrect answers by walking backwards through the problem to identify where the order of operations was not followed correctly
Tips for Parents & Teachers
Help students remember PEMDAS with the mnemonic 'Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally' and emphasize that multiplication/division and addition/subtraction are performed left to right when they appear together in an expression
Watch for the common mistake of always doing multiplication before division - remind students that M and D have equal priority, so they work left to right (same applies to A and S)
For expressions with exponents, show students how to calculate simple squares (like 3² = 9) and cubes (like 2³ = 8) before moving to other operations, as exponents come second in PEMDAS
Encourage students to work through each problem step-by-step on paper, rewriting the expression after each operation to avoid losing track of their progress
Frequently Asked Questions
My child keeps getting confused about when to do multiplication versus division first. How can I help them?
Remind your child that multiplication and division have equal priority in PEMDAS, so they should work from left to right when both appear in the same expression. Practice with simple examples like 12 ÷ 3 × 2, showing that we do 12 ÷ 3 = 4 first (because it's on the left), then 4 × 2 = 8.
What should I do if my 6th grader struggles with the exponent problems on this worksheet?
Start by reviewing what exponents mean - that 3² means 3 × 3 = 9, and 2³ means 2 × 2 × 2 = 8. Practice calculating these simple squares and cubes separately first, then show how exponents are calculated right after parentheses in PEMDAS, before any multiplication, division, addition, or subtraction.
How can I tell if my child really understands order of operations or is just memorizing steps?
Ask your child to explain why they're doing each step and what would happen if they did operations in a different order. True understanding shows when they can predict that 2 + 3 × 4 equals 14 (not 20) and explain that multiplication must be done before addition.
Are there any tricks to help 6th graders remember to work left to right for operations of equal priority?
Teach them to imagine reading a book - we read from left to right, and that's exactly how we handle multiplication/division and addition/subtraction when they appear together. You can also have them underline or circle operations from left to right before solving.
My child gets the right steps but makes calculation errors. How should I handle this?
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