Mental Calculation with Large Numbers

Year 6 MathsFour Operations3 pages

About this worksheet

A Year 6 mental maths sheet with 21 questions and no written methods. Page 1 has twelve calculations in three rounds of four, from 450,000 + 300,000 to 1,000,000 - 1, with a hint to add 10,000 and adjust for 64,500 + 9,999. Page 2 starts with a four-step chain from 25,000 and a tick-two question for 500,000. Six mixed-operation chains follow, worked left to right, and a last question asks pupils to explain 800,000 - 799,994. The answers give short workings. It matches the England National Curriculum statement on mental calculation with large numbers.

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Curriculum objectives covered

Number - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division

โ€œPerform mental calculations, including with mixed operations and large numbersโ€

All 21 questions are mental, with numbers up to 2,500,000 and chains that mix all four operations.

Number - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division

โ€œUse their knowledge of the order of operations to carry out calculations involving the four operationsโ€

Question 18 puts 900,000 - 150,000 in brackets before the division by 3, and questions 15 to 20 work left to right.

What's inside this worksheet

Quick-Fire Recall

Twelve calculations in three rounds, including double 350,000 then subtract 100,000, 900,000 รท 6 and 500,000 - 25,000.

Number Chains & Strategies

A chain from 25,000 through ร— 4, + 85,000 and - 5,000, a tick-two question for 500,000, and six chains such as 125,000 ร— 16 รท 2.

Explain your strategy

Question 21 asks for the answer to 800,000 - 799,994 and a sentence on how it was done mentally.

Answers

All 21 answers. Most show the steps, for example 750,000 รท 3 = 250,000 for question 18.

How teachers use it

One round a day

Use a round of four as a starter on three mornings. Round 1 has boxes to jot a step, while Rounds 2 and 3 leave only a short line for the answer.

Cover the hint

Fold back the hint on question 3 for confident pupils. See who spots that adding 10,000 and taking 1 away beats column addition.

Compare question 21

Put two answers to question 21 side by side. A pupil who counted on 6 from 799,994 can explain it to one who tried column subtraction.

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