Place Value Teaching Resources
Browse place value charts, printable worksheets, games and more teaching resources aligned to the Australian curriculum.
This collection of teacher-created resources has been carefully reviewed by the expert teachers on the Teach Starter team to ensure every single one is ready to use in the classroom. That means you can save hours on lesson planning with activities ready to print or use digitally!
Want to learn more about this section of the maths curriculum, or just looking for fresh ideas to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a look at the meaning of place value and tips on teaching place value in the classroom!
What Is Place Value? A Kid-Friendly Definition
When it comes time to teach place value, it helps to have a simple definition to use to introduce this core maths concept to your class. Here's how we explain the meaning to our students:
In maths, the term place value refers to the value of a digit in relation to its position in a number. For example, in the decimal system (also referred to as the Hindu-Arabic system), which is based on powers of 10, the value of a digit in a number depends on its position relative to the decimal point, as follows:
- The digit in the ones place has a value of 1 times the digit.
- The digit in the tens place has a value of 10 times the digit.
- The digit in the hundreds place has a value of 100 times the digit.
- The digit in the thousands place has a value of 1000 times the digit.
- And so on.
Place Value Example
Like most maths concepts, looking at place value examples with your students is key to helping them understand the concept. So let's look at an example of place value using the number 3245:
- 3 is in the thousands place
- 2 is in the hundreds place
- 4 is in the tens place
- 5 is in the ones place
Therefore, its value can be calculated as:
(3 x 1000) + (2 x 100) + (4 x 10) + (5 x 1) = 3000 +200 +40 + 5 = 3245.
Why Is Place Value Important?
Place value is an important concept for primary students to understand, as it is a major factor in understanding numbers and their overall value.
Understanding place value is also essential for performing the four maths operations, and it will help students as they move on toward working with decimal fractions, scientific notation and other mathematical concepts.
What Is a Place Value Chart?
A handy tool for teaching this maths concept is the place value chart! This visual teaching tool can be used to represent and organise numbers based on their value and position in a given number.
A place value chart is typically divided into columns representing the different powers of 10 in our number system. Each column is labelled with the name of the place value it represents (e.g. ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.) and contains a series of boxes or cells — each of which corresponds to a single digit.
The rightmost column will represent the ones place, the next column to the left will represent the tens place, the next represents the hundreds place, and so on.
Place Value vs. Face Value — What's the Difference?
At some point, your students may ask about face value — after all, the terms sound similar! So are they interchangeable? The answer is no.
Face value and place value — despite their similar names — are not the same, but they are related.
As we've already noted, the place value of a digit tells us the value of that digit based on its position in a number. The place value of a digit changes depending on where it is in the number.
On the other hand, the face value of a digit tells us the actual value of the digit itself, regardless of its position in the number. So, for example, in the number 357, the face value of the digit 5 is simply 5.
In essence, place value is what helps us understand the value of a number based on the position of its digits, but face value is what helps us understand the value of individual digits in a number.
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Two-Digit Numbers Maze Worksheet
Explore two-digit numbers with this fun maze where students use clues to make their way from the start to the finish.
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Writing Numbers in Expanded Form Board Game
Help students practise writing numbers in expanded form with this fun and engaging gameboard and cards.
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Expanded Form Poster Set
Teach students what it looks like to expand 2-digit, 3-digit, 4-digit, 5-digit and 6-digit numbers with this set of classroom posters.
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Number Forms Worksheet (Up to 5 Digits)
Help students practice recognising and writing numbers in word form and expanded form with this worksheet.
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Ordering Numbers Worksheets - Halloween Cut and Paste
Share these ordering numbers worksheets with your students for some spook-tacular Halloween fun!
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Rounding Whole Numbers Word Problem & Error Analysis Worksheet
Print a maths worksheet with variety of rounding word problems and error analysis challenges.
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Using Greater Than - Less Than Symbols - Halloween Worksheet
Practise using the greater than, less than, and equal to symbols to compare two-digit numbers with a fun Halloween worksheet.
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Rounding Task Cards (Numbers to 100 000)
Use place value knowledge and vertical number lines to round numbers up through the hundred thousands place with a set of 24 task cards.
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Rounding Numbers to the Thousands Place Task Cards
Teach students to round numbers up through the thousands place with a set of 24 task cards.
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Vertical Number Line - Rounding Worksheets
Use a vertical number line to round whole numbers to a given place with a set of rounding worksheets.
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Tens Frames Counting Flowers Task Cards
Step up your students’ place value skills with a set of spring-themed task cards.
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Rounding Task Cards
Use place value knowledge to round numbers to the nearest ten through to the nearest hundred thousand with this set of 20 task cards.
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Place Value - Bunting
A display bunting which can be used to practise Place Value from units to quadrillions.
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Numbers and Symbols Mini Flashcards
Print a set of colourful number and symbol cards for various maths lessons.
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Two-Digit Place Value Bingo Game (Digits and MAB)
32 different bingo cards using place value to 99.
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Integers Polygon Puzzle
A puzzle using positive and negative numbers in number sentences.
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Index Notation Worksheet — Tarsia Puzzle
Share this index notation worksheet with your students to give them practice evaluating exponential expressions in a fun puzzle format.
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2-Digit in Expanded Form Interactive Activity
Engage students in showing their knowledge of converting double digit numbers into their expanded form with this interactive activity.
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Reading and Writing Double Digit Numbers Interactive Activity
Get students practising their knowledge of converting standard form numbers to expanded form with this engaging interactive activity.
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Reading and Writing Double Digit Numbers Flipbook
Engage students in learning to read and write double digit numbers with this engaging flipbook.
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Expanded Form Match Up Puzzles
Practise matching standard numbers to their expanded form with your students using this fun, hands-on number puzzle.
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Expanded Form Task Cards
Help your students explore expanding numbers up to 6-digits with this set of task cards.
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Find a Friend Expanded Form Worksheet
Explore expanding 2-digit to 6-digit numbers with your students with this expanding form active worksheet.
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Expanded Form Interactive Activity
Explore 3-digit, 4-digit and 5-digit numbers in their expanded form with this fun space-themed interactive activity.
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3-Digit Number Expander Template (Bat)
Explore 3-digit numbers with this cute foldable bat number expander for your students.
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Comparing Numbers-Halloween Word Problems
Practise comparing numbers using MAB blocks with a Halloween Maths word problem worksheet.
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Number Patterns: More or Less – Puzzle Match-Up
Use your understanding of place value and skip counting to determine 10 or 100 more or less than a 3-digit number with this set of puzzles.
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Rounding Numbers – Match-up Activity
Practise rounding decimals and whole numbers with this match-up activity.
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Comparing Numbers Board Game
A hands-on Board Game to practise comparing numbers less than ten.
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Maths Activity Ideas for Parents - Place Value
An information sheet for parents or carers to use when assisting children with place value at home.
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QR Code 3-Digit Place Value Scavenger Hunt
A fun activity where students scan QR codes to go on a 3-digit scavenger hunt in the classroom.
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Penny's Place Value Puzzle
A worksheet to use to consolidate student understanding of place value to the hundreds.