Decimals Teaching Resources
Browse decimal worksheets, math center activities, engaging games and more fun ways to bring this concept to life in your elementary classroom.
This teaching resource collection was created by the teachers on the Teach Starter team and includes activities to help students learn to convert fractions into decimals and vice versa, as well as printables that will help them learn how to read and write decimals using place value and the decimal point, how to round decimals and more!
Build students' understanding of using decimals in money and measurement with curriculum-aligned teaching resources so you can meet Common Core and state standards.
New to this concept in the math classroom, or just looking for some fresh ideas for teaching about decimals? Explore a primer from the teachers on the Teach Starter team!
What Are Decimals? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Explaining decimals to your class? Here's a kid-friendly definition that will help!
A decimal is a special way to write parts of a whole number. Decimals are a lot like fractions, but instead of using numbers like 1/2 or 1/4, we use a dot called a decimal point to separate the whole number part from the part that is less than one.
The number before the decimal tells you how many wholes you have, and the digits after the decimal point tell you how many groups of one-tenth, one-hundredth or one-thousandth you have.
One of the most common places students will encounter decimals in real life is when using money — the dollar is a whole number, while cents are a part of the whole and are typically represented beyond a decimal point.
How Do You Turn a Decimal Into a Fraction and Vice Versa?
Turning decimals into fractions and doing the reverse are both important skills for students to develop. Here are simple processes for doing just that!
How to Turn a Decimal Into a Fraction
- Write down the digits in the decimal over its place value.
- For example, if you have the decimal 0.75 (seventy-five hundredths), you would write it as 75/100.
- Simplify the fraction by finding the greatest common factor (GCF) of the numerator and denominator and dividing both by it.
- In the example above, the GCF of 75 and 100 is 25, so dividing both by 25 gives you the simplified fraction 3/4. This means 0.75 as a fraction is 3/4.
How to Turn a Fraction Into a Decimal
To turn a fraction into a decimal, your students will need to divide the numerator (top number) by the denominator (bottom number).
- Divide the numerator by the denominator.
- If the numerator does not divide evenly by the denominator, add zeroes to the dividend to continue the division to as many decimal places as needed or desired. Don't forget to add a decimal point after the digit found in the denominator!
- Round the decimal to the desired number of decimal places, if necessary.
How Do You Round Decimals?
Another skill students need to learn is the process of rounding decimals to the nearest whole number or to a specific decimal place. This will allow them to simplify numbers, making them easier to work with! This comes in handy when doing things such as rounding to the nearest dollar amount when working with money.
Rounding can also be used to get a general sense of a number without worrying about the exact value, which can be helpful in certain situations, such as estimating a budget or measurement.
To round a decimal to the nearest whole number, you need to look at the digit to the right of the decimal point.
- If that digit is 5 or greater, you round up to the next whole number.
- If that digit is 4 or less, you round down to the current whole number.
For example, let's say you want to round the decimal 3.7 to the nearest whole number. The digit to the right of the decimal point is 7, which is 5 or greater, so you round up to 4.
- Plus Plan
Rounding Decimals - I Have, Who Has? Game
Review how to round decimals with an exciting I Have, Who Has? game.
- Plus Plan
Rounding Decimals – Bump! Games
Review how to round decimals with this set of printable math games.
- Plus Plan
Dividing Decimals Match-Up Activity
Divide decimals and find the correct quotient with this match-up activity.
- Plus Plan
Decimal Operations Math Mats
Get students reviewing decimal operations with these engaging, puzzle-based math mats.
- Plus Plan
Rounding Decimals – Task Cards
Round decimals to the nearest hundredth with this set of 24 task cards.
- Free Plan
Complex Dot-to-dot Worksheet – Ordering Fractions and Decimals (Cat)
Practice ordering fractions and decimals with this complex dot-to-dot worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Rounding Decimals With Visual Models – Task Cards
Use these task cards to round decimals to the nearest tenth or hundredth and match each value with a corresponding decimal model.
- Plus Plan
Rounding Decimals – Mystery Picture Worksheet
Round decimals to the nearest whole, tenth, hundredth, and thousandth while revealing a mystery image with this color-by-number worksheet.
- Plus Plan
I Have, Who Has? Game – Fraction, Decimal and Percentage Equivalence
Reinforce students' understanding of fraction, decimal and percentage equivalence with a whole-class game.
- Plus Plan
Comparing Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages – Worksheet
Strengthen student understanding of how to compare fractions, decimals, and percentages with this worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Construction Calculations – Decimal Operations Activity
Practice multiplying and dividing decimals with this 4-page math enrichment activity.
- Plus Plan
Decimal Subtraction with Base-Ten Blocks – Match-Up Activity
Use base-ten blocks to model decimal subtraction with this match-up activity.
- Plus Plan
Dividing Decimals Task Cards
Sharpen decimal division skills with this set of 24 task cards.
- Plus Plan
Decimal Number Patterns – Differentiated Worksheets
Practice determining a pattern and next value in a numerical sequence of decimals to the hundredths place.
- Plus Plan
Decimal Patterns – Match-Up Activity
Use this match-up activity to determine patterns and extend numerical sequences by adding and subtracting decimals.
- Plus Plan
Decimal Place Value Game – Find A Decimal Who...
Explore decimal place value with your students using an interactive whole-class game.
- Plus Plan
Dividing with Decimals – Differentiated Worksheets
Download this set of differentiated dividing decimals worksheet to help your students practice this key math skill.
- Plus Plan
Rockin' Rounding – Google Slides Interactive Activity
Round numbers to different place values with a Google Interactive activity designed for fourth and fifth-grade students.
- Plus Plan
Estimating Decimal Sums and Differences – Math Mazes
Practice estimating solutions to decimal addition and subtraction equations with this set of math mazes.
- Plus Plan
Daily Decimals – Worksheet
Model decimals in various ways and use estimation skills to complete decimal calculations.
- Plus Plan
Multiplying Decimals Bingo
Solve for products of decimals to the hundredths place with a whole-class bingo game.
- Plus Plan
Adding and Subtracting Decimals with Base-10 Blocks – Worksheet
Use this worksheet when teaching your students how to model adding and subtracting decimals with base-10 blocks.
- Plus Plan
Multiplying Decimals Math Mazes
Complete decimal multiplication problems while finding your way through this set of three math mazes.
- Plus Plan
Multiplying Decimals Task Cards
Get your students multiplying decimals by decimals and whole numbers with this set of 24 task cards perfects for math centers.
- Plus Plan
Multiplying Decimals – Match-Up Activity
Get students multiplying decimals with this engaging card game, perfect for elementary school math centers.
- Plus Plan
Converting Fractions and Decimals – Worksheet
Solve problems that involve converting fractions and decimals with this worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Comparing and Ordering Decimals – Worksheet
Practice using number lines to compare and order decimals with this worksheet.
- Plus Plan
5th Grade Decimal Operations Assessment
Assess student understanding of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals with this math assessment.
- Plus Plan
Comparing and Ordering Decimals Task Cards
Have students practice comparing and ordering decimals to the thousandths place with this set of 16 task cards.
- Plus Plan
Decimal Place Value – Digital and Printable Worksheet
Get students analyzing decimal place value positions with this “This or That?” worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Adding and Subtracting Decimals – Word Problem Task Cards
Have students solve decimal word problems with this set of 16 task cards, perfect for math centers.
- Plus Plan
Adding and Subtracting with Decimals – Worksheet
Practice adding and subtracting decimals to the hundredths place with this worksheet.