6th grade exponents
6th grade exponents (class 6): a quiz for kids, then every skill in order with lessons, a checklist and a plan.
🧒 Kids: answer 10 grade 6 exponents questions. Tap Check ✓ after each one!
🔢 Exponents practice 🏆 Exponents levels 🧮 Exponent calculator
What 6th grader learn about exponents
In grade 6 (class 6), children learn what exponents mean and how to work them out. They meet squares and cubes as areas and volumes, use powers of 10, and put exponents into the order of operations. Square roots appear as the side of a square.
- 6.EE.A.1: write and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents.
- 6.EE.A.2c: evaluate formulas such as V = s³ and A = 6s², in the conventional order.
- 5.NBT.A.2 (review): powers of 10 and the patterns of zeros.
- 6.G.A.2: volume of rectangular prisms, where cubes appear.
Other grades: 6th grade · 8th grade
The big idea in grade 6
Grade 6 is the year exponents arrive. Children learn that an exponent counts factors, so 3⁴ = 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 = 81, and they write and work out powers (6.EE.A.1).
They meet squares and cubes as areas and volumes, use formulas like A = s² and V = s³ (6.EE.A.2c), and put powers into the order of operations.
Square roots usually appear too, as the side of a square with a known area. The formal work on roots comes in grade 8.
When your child gets stuck
Most grade 6 trouble is one mistake: multiplying the base by the exponent, so 2⁵ becomes 10. Ask your child to write every power out in full until the habit goes.
If squares and square roots get mixed up, draw the square. The number of tiles is the square, and the length of a side is the root.
6th grade exponents skills, in order
Work down the list. Each lesson explains the idea for parents with pictures and has a quiz for your child.
By the end of grade 6, your child should be able to…
- Write 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 as 5⁴ and explain the base and the exponent.
- Work out 2⁵ and explain why it is not 10.
- Say the squares from 1² to 12² and the cubes from 1³ to 5³.
- Write 10⁴ as a number and 1,000,000 as a power of 10.
- Find √49 and explain it as the side of a square.
- Work out 4 + 2 × 3² in the right order.
Unsure where your child is? The exponents levels page has a short test for every step from writing powers to scientific notation.
A 4-week plan for 6th grade exponents
| When | Focus |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | What exponents mean: writing and working out powers |
| Week 2 | Square numbers and cube numbers, with pictures |
| Week 3 | Powers of 10 and square roots |
| Week 4 | Exponents in the order of operations and in formulas |
Add 5 minutes a day with the exponents practice tool, and check any power with the exponent calculator.
More for grade 6
All 6th grade math · CBSE class 8: A Square and a Cube · 6th grade order of operations · Exponents quiz for grades 5, 6 and 8 · Exponents for kids
What to say to your child
A short script for teaching it the first time. Pause after each line and let your child do the next step.
- “What does 2⁵ mean?” (2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2.)
- “What is it?” (32.)
- “Is it the same as 2 × 5?” (No, that is 10.)
- “What is 4²?” (16, a 4 by 4 square.)
- “What is √16?” (4.)
More worked examples
Example 1: work out a power
2⁴ = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 16.
Example 2: a power in a sum
4 + 3² = 4 + 9 = 13.
Example 3: a cube as volume
A cube with sides of 5 cm has volume 5³ = 125 cm³.
Practice questions (answers below)
Ask these out loud or write them down. Check each answer, and ask “how did you get that?” for one or two.
- 2⁵
- 3⁴
- 6²
- 4³
- 10⁵
- √81
- 2 × 3²
- Write 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 as a power.
- The area of a square with sides of 7 m
- Stretch: which is bigger, 2⁶ or 6²?
Show the answers
- 32
- 81
- 36
- 64
- 100,000
- 9
- 18
- 5⁴
- 7² = 49 m²
- 2⁶ = 64 is bigger than 6² = 36
Common mistakes
How to teach it at home
Five minutes a day
Short daily practice beats long weekend sessions.
Doubling game
Start at 1 and keep doubling. Which power of 2 is each number?
Squares and cubes out loud
Say the squares to 12² and the cubes to 5³ in the car or at dinner, like times tables.
By grade
- Before: powers of 10 in grade 5 and multiplication facts
- After: 8th grade exponents
Not sure where to start?
The free 6th grade math check-up tests every grade 6 topic in 18–22 minutes. It shows which topics are solid and which lesson to start with.
Worksheets and practice
Exponents worksheet: printable PDF with an answer key.
Last reviewed
Questions parents ask
What exponents should a 6th grader know?
What an exponent means, how to work out powers like 3⁴, square and cube numbers, powers of 10, simple square roots, and exponents in the order of operations.
Do 6th graders learn negative exponents?
No. Under Common Core, grade 6 uses whole-number exponents. Zero and negative exponents come in grade 8.
Is there a 6th grade exponents quiz?
Yes. The quiz at the top of this page has 10 mixed grade 6 questions. Each one is marked straight away, and a wrong answer shows the working. Play again for a fresh set, or try the exponents quiz for grades 5, 6 and 8.
What exponents are taught in class 6 in India?
The new NCERT books teach squares, cubes, roots and exponents in class 8, in the chapters “A Square and a Cube” and “Power Play”. This page lists the skills in order, starting with what are exponents, work out powers.
How much exponents practice does a 6th grader need?
About 10 minutes a day: 5 minutes on the current skill with the practice tool and 5 minutes of mixed review. Short daily practice works better than long weekly sessions.