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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3-Digit Place Value Cover Up Game
Engage students in understanding place value to the hundreds with this place value card game.
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2 Digit Place Value Puzzles
Teach students the different representations of 2-digit numbers with this place value puzzle.
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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 intearctive activity.
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Roll and Expand Numbers Worksheet Pack
Explore place value with your students using this set of leveled expanding numbers worksheets.
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The Case of the Missing Football – Estimating Products Escape Activity for 4th Grade
Uncover the identity of the thief who stole the football with a printable estimating products escape room activity.
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100 More and Less Worksheets - Cut and Paste
Use an understanding of place value to determine a number 100 more or less than a number with a pair of cut-and-paste math worksheets.
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Exploring 2-Digit Place Value - Teaching Slides
Explore 2-digit numbers using place value strategies with an interactive teaching presentation.
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Tens and Ones 2-Digit Place Value Mat
Build two-digit numbers and improve place value skills with a printable tens and ones math mat.
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Rounding Numbers on a Number Line Teaching Slides
Teach students how to round to the nearest ten and hundred with an interactive, explicit instructional teaching presentation.
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Rounding Whole Numbers – Worksheet
Use understanding of place value to round whole numbers to a given place with this printable math worksheet.
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Expanded Form Dominoes (2-Digit Numbers)
Use this set of dominoes when learning how to match 2-digit numbers written in standard form and expanded form.
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Halloween Count and Compare Worksheet
Have a spooktacular time practicing number comparisons with a count and compare Halloween math worksheet.
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Number Hunt Description Cards
A set of 32 task cards that have students use their knowledge of place value to find specific numbers.
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Comparing Three-Digit Numbers Task Cards
Practice comparing 3-digit numbers with the symbols , and = with this set of 20 task cards.
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Expanded Notation Puzzles - Whole Numbers
Practice whole number expanded notation with this 28-piece matching puzzle.
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Number Talks - Near, Far, and in Between Task Cards
Build number sense skills with this set of 24 task cards.
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Number Talks - Comparing 2-Digit Numbers Task Cards
Practice comparing 2-digit numbers with this set of 24 task cards.
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Number Talks - 2-Digit Place Value Task Cards
Build number sense skills up to 120 with this set of 32 place value task cards.
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Number Forms Worksheet
A fill-in-the-blank worksheet for your students to practice putting 3-digit numbers in standard form, expanded form, and written form.
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Place Value Work Mat
Practice place value concepts with this work mat for students.
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Flip, Draw, Expand! - Place Value Worksheet (2-Digit Numbers)
A worksheet to use when reviewing 2-digit place value.
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Place Value Bulletin Board
Unlock place value understanding with this bulletin board for back-to-school that can remain on the wall all year long!
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4-Digit Expanded Form Worksheet
Practice using expanded form up to the thousands place with this 1-page worksheet.
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Positive and Negative Numbers - Worksheet
A set of worksheets to use when learning about positive and negative numbers.
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Two-Digit Place Value Bingo Game (Digits and Base-10 Blocks)
32 bingo cards using place value up to 99.
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3-Digit Place Value Scavenger Hunt Worksheet
A fun, scavenger-hunt style worksheet to use in the classroom when exploring 3-digit place value.
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Place Value War - Number Game
A fun 3-digit place value game for students to play in the classroom.
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5-Digit Place Value - Assessment
Assess your students' knowledge of place value to the ten thousands place with this open-ended worksheet.
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Place Value Charts
Practice place value knowledge up to 6 digits with these blank place value charts.
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2-Digit Number of the Day Worksheet
A 2-digit place value worksheet to represent the number of the day in different ways.
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Math Bulletin Board Activities - Display Pack
Implement daily math review easily using our Math Bulletin Board Activities Display.
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Dividing and Multiplying by Powers of 10 Game
Play this dividing and multiplying by powers of 10 game to give students practice multiplying and dividing whole numbers by 10, 100, and 1,000.