How to Teach Order of Operations (PEMDAS) to Your Child

By the Practice Buds team · October 23, 2026

Short answer

Order of operations is the set of rules that says which part of a math expression to solve first. Parentheses come first, then exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right. Teach it with a short routine on paper, and use printable order of operations worksheets once your child can explain why the rules exist.

Why kids find this hard

Until 4th grade, almost every problem your child has seen is read from left to right, like a sentence. Order of operations breaks that habit. Suddenly the multiplication that sits in the middle of the line has to be done before the addition that sits at the front.

The memory trick makes it worse. PEMDAS is a list of six letters, and many children read it as six separate steps. In fact multiplication and division share one step, and so do addition and subtraction. That single misunderstanding causes more wrong answers than anything else.

There is also a reason behind the rules, and children who never hear it treat them as arbitrary. Mathematicians agreed on one order so that everyone who reads 6 + 4 × 3 gets the same answer. Without that agreement, the same line could mean two different things.

How to teach it

Use a sheet of plain paper and a pencil. Work on one expression at a time, and keep each session to about 10 or 15 minutes.

  1. Start with the reason. Write 6 + 4 × 3 and ask two people to solve it left to right and by the rules. Show that they get different answers, then explain that the rules exist so the answer is always the same.
  2. Teach the four levels, not six letters: parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division together, then addition and subtraction together.
  3. Have your child circle or underline the part to do first. Do not let them start solving until something is marked.
  4. Solve only that part, then rewrite the whole expression on the next line with the answer in its place. Never skip the rewrite.
  5. Repeat the circle, solve and rewrite cycle until one number is left.
  6. For a tie (multiplication and division, or addition and subtraction), go left to right. Say it aloud: "Same level, so I go from the left."
  7. Check by asking, "Did I do anything out of order?" Point to each line and name the level you used.
  8. Once the routine is smooth, add parentheses, then exponents, one new feature at a time.

Worked example

Take this expression: 20 − 12 ÷ 4 + 3 × (2 + 1).

Step 1: Look for parentheses. The group (2 + 1) comes first, and 2 + 1 = 3. Rewrite the line as 20 − 12 ÷ 4 + 3 × 3.

Step 2: There are no exponents. Next is multiplication and division, working from the left. The first one is 12 ÷ 4 = 3. Rewrite as 20 − 3 + 3 × 3.

Step 3: The multiplication is still waiting. 3 × 3 = 9. Rewrite as 20 − 3 + 9.

Step 4: Now only addition and subtraction remain, so go left to right. 20 − 3 = 17, then 17 + 9 = 26.

The answer is 26. Notice that your child never had to hold more than one small step in their head, because each line was rewritten.

Here is a short one to try next: 5 + 2 × 6. Since 2 × 6 = 12, and then 5 + 12 = 17, the answer is 17.

Common mistakes

Solving strictly left to right. On 6 + 4 × 3, your child adds first and gets 30. Spot it when the answer is much larger than expected. Fix it by having them circle the multiplication before touching anything else.

Treating multiplication as always before division. On 24 ÷ 4 × 2, your child multiplies first and gets 3 instead of 12. Spot it when a division expression ends in a fraction or a small number. Fix it by teaching that M and D are one level, and the left one goes first. Done correctly, 24 ÷ 4 = 6 and then 6 × 2 = 12.

Doing addition before subtraction. On 10 − 3 + 2, your child adds 3 + 2 first and gets 5. Spot it by comparing to a number line walk: down 3, then up 2. The right answer is 9, because 10 − 3 = 7 and then 7 + 2 = 9.

Forgetting to rewrite. Your child solves two steps in their head and drops a number. Spot it when the final line has a number that was not in the original. Fix it by making the rewrite a rule, even when it feels slow.

Practice ladder

First (late 3rd or early 4th grade): Two operations and no parentheses, such as 8 + 3 × 2. Focus only on the idea that multiplication goes first. Mixed addition and subtraction is a good warm-up for the left-to-right rule.

Next (4th grade, weeks 2 to 4): Add parentheses, then mix in division. Use the circle and rewrite routine on every problem.

Then (4th to 5th grade): Three or four operations in one line, and nested parentheses. Try insert the missing operation as a puzzle, which makes your child think about the rules from the other direction.

Later (5th grade): Exponents inside longer expressions, and stories where your child writes the expression first. Order of operations word problems cover that step. The full order of operations topic has everything in teaching order.

FAQ

Is PEMDAS the same as BODMAS? They describe the same rules. BODMAS is used in some countries and uses "brackets" and "orders" instead of "parentheses" and "exponents." Pick one and stay with it, so your child is not juggling two lists.

Why do some calculators give a different answer? Basic calculators often work strictly left to right, one key press at a time. Many scientific calculators follow the rules. If the answer looks odd, ask your child to solve it by hand first.

Should my child memorize "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally"? It can help as a first hook. Just make sure your child also knows that M and D share a level, and so do A and S. The sentence alone hides that.

My child gets it right with me but wrong at school. What now? Look at the written work. Often the steps are right, but the rewrite is skipped. Ask the teacher what notation the class uses and match it at home.

Practice at home

Short, steady practice with the rewrite routine works better than long sessions. Printing needs a free account.

Start with order of operations (PEMDAS) worksheets, and browse the whole order of operations topic when you want more.