Place Value Teaching Resources
Browse place value charts, printable worksheets, games and more teaching resources created by teachers, for teachers like you.
This collection of curriculum-aligned and editable 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 math 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?
In math, 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, 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 math 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 3,245:
- 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 = 3,245.
Why Is Place Value Important?
Place value is an important concept for elementary 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 math 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 math concept is the place value chart! This visual teaching tool can be used to represent and organize numbers based on their value and position in a given number.
How to Use a Place Value Chart
A place value chart is typically divided into columns representing the different powers of 10 in our number system. Each column is labeled 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 corresponding 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.
Students can place a particular number in their place value chart, determine its value, and then figure out two-digit, three-digit, four-digit, and larger numbers.
To read a place value chart, students work their way left or right. For example, if you start from the "ones" place, you can go left one space to the "tens" place, then on to the "hundreds" place and so on. As students enter the intermediate grades, they begin to learn about numbers to the right of the decimal point (tenths, hundredths, thousandths, etc.).
Place Value vs. Face Value
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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Rounding Games for 4th Graders — Race Up the Rounding Ladder!
Challenge your students with one of our many rounding games for 4th graders — Race Up the Rounding Ladder!
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Easter Escape Room - 2nd Grade Math Review Game
Use this Easter Escape Room Game for 2nd graders to review place value, number sense, counting money, and other second grade math concepts.
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Multiplying by Powers of 10 Worksheet Set
Use our multiplying by powers of 10 worksheet set to give your students practice multiplying whole numbers by 10, 100, and 1,000.
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4-Digit Numbers Worksheet
Practice reading and writing 4-digit numbers using expanded form with this printable PDF worksheet.
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Place Value Color by Number Worksheets
Share these place value color by number worksheets with your students for a fun way to review place value up to the hundred thousands place.
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Place Value Pizza - Math Craft
Demonstrate understanding of the different ways to model three-digit numbers with a fun Place Value Pizza math craft activity.
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Rounding to the Nearest 100 Worksheet
Help your students find the correct bone for each dog by rounding to the nearest hundreds place with this math worksheet designed for 3rd and 4th-grade students.
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Place Value Work Mat
Practice place value concepts with this work mat for students.
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Which Is More? Counting Card Game
Compare and order numbers to 20 with this set of counting cards.
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3-Digit Numbers Interactive Activity
Practice knowledge of 3-digit numbers with this interactive activity exploring standard form, expanded form, word form and base ten form.
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2-Digit Numbers in Expanded Form Worksheet
Explore two-digit numbers in standard form and expanded form with this set of two cut-and-paste style worksheets.
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5th Grade Math Review – Test Prep Packet
Encourage your students to work through 8 pages of 5th-grade math problems while charting their progress to measure their success.
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Three and Four-Digit Place Value Memory Game
Practice matching numbers in standard form, expanded form, and word form with this memory-style place value game.
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6-Digit Number of the Day Worksheet
A 6-digit place value worksheet to represent the number of the day in different ways.
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Multiplying and Dividing by Powers of 10 Anchor Chart Set
Display our multiplying and dividing by powers of 10 anchor chart set in your classroom for an easy reference for students learning operations with powers of 10.
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Number Grid Game — Interactive Activity
Share this number grid game with your students to give them practice adding and subtracting ten and one from a given number.
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Decimal Place Value Chart
Provide your students with our decimal place value chart to make comparing and ordering decimals a breeze!
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Rounding Whole Numbers Worksheets
Share these rounding whole numbers worksheets with your students so they can cut-and-paste their way to understanding rounding.
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Rounding on a Number Line Worksheet Set
Use our rounding on a number line worksheet set to give your students practice using a number line to round numbers up to the hundred thousands place.
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Rounding Anchor Chart — Rounding Roller Coaster!
Hang our rounding anchor chart in your classroom for a fun reminder of how to round numbers — roller coaster style!
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Number Maze Worksheets (Ordering Numbers to 120)
Share these number maze worksheets with your students for a fun way to practice ordering numbers to 120 from least to greatest.
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Ordering Numbers Cut-and-Paste Worksheets
Give students our ordering numbers cut and paste worksheets for a fun way to practice ordering numbers 1 through 100.
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Number Ordering Worksheets (Dot-to-Dot)
Share these dot-to-dot number ordering worksheets with your students to give them an engaging way to practice ordering two and three digit numbers.
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Order Numbers From Least to Greatest Task Cards (Numbers 1 - 20)
Order numbers from least to greatest with these task cards for numbers 1 - 20.
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4-Digit Mystery Numbers Interactive Activity
Explore 4-digit numbers with this fun mystery-themed interactive activity .
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4-Digit Pizza Interactive Activity
Use this interactive game to enhance students' proficiency in writing and representing 4-digit numbers.
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Rounding to the Nearest 10 Worksheet
Teach your students to round to the nearest 10 with this printable math worksheet designed for 3rd and 4th grade students.
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Bingo Cards - Rounding Numbers Using a Vertical Number Line
Review how to round numbers to the nearest ten, hundred, thousand, and ten thousand with a vertical number line Bingo game.
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Rounding to the Nearest Ten, Hundred, and Thousand - Worksheet
Review rounding concepts with a worksheet covering rounding to the nearest ten, hundred, and thousand.
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Rounding Worksheets - Cut and Paste
Provide your students with engaging practice to help them understand rounding with a set of differentiated worksheets.
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Rounding Whole Numbers – Riddle Worksheets
Integrate riddles and math with this set of rounding worksheets.
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Number Forms Assessment
Test your students' skills with recognizing and writing numbers in word form and expanded form with this quick formative assessment.