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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Double Digit Numbers Mystery Worksheet
Explore double digit place value with this fun clue based mystery worksheet for your students.
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Missing Numbers in Expanded Form Worksheet
Practice converting double digit numbers into their expanded form with this easy to use student worksheet.
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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 practicing their knowledge of converting standard form numbers to expanded form with this engaging interactive activity.
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Matching Expanded and Standard 2-Digit Number Cards
Explore double digit numbers in standard and expanded form with this sorting activity for your math groups.
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2-Digit Numbers Interactive Activity
Explore double digit numbers in a variety of different scenarios with this engaging interactive activity for your classroom.
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Reading and Writing Double Digit Numbers Flipbook
Engage students in learning to read and write double digit numbers with this flipbook.
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Reading and Writing 2-Digit Numbers Worksheet
Practice converting 2-digit expanded form numbers into their standard form with this worksheet.
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Two-Digit Expanded Form Race-Themed Worksheet
Race through identifying the standard form of 2-digit numbers in expanded form with this fun race-themed worksheet.
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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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Comparing Numbers Christmas Game
Have some Christmas math fun with an interactive, self-checking comparing numbers game.
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Place Value Paper Turkey Craft
Make a flock of silly turkey crafts and review place value concepts with a printable Place Value Turkey Template!
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Expanded Form Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to represent numbers in expanded form with this set of engaging teaching slides.
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Expanded Form Interactive Task Cards
Explore expanding numbers with your students using these interactive task cards, reviewing numbers in expanded form and place value charts.
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Expanded Form Worksheet Pack
Practice expanding 2-digit to 6-digit numbers with this set of 5 worksheets.
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I Have Who Has Expanded Form Game
Explore numbers up to 6-digits with this fun whole class place value game of 'I have, Who Has?'
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Decomposing 3-Digit Numbers Matching Activity
Help children decompose 3-digit numbers by identifying the place value of hundreds, tens, and ones with this matching activity.
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3-Digit Place Value Mini-Book
Explore place value in 3-digit numbers with this place value mini-book.
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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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Writing Numbers in Expanded Form Interactive Activity
Help students master reading and writing numbers up to 6 digits with this expanded form interactive activity.
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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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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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Thousands Place Value Number Expander Template
Explore expanding 4 digit numbers with your students using this number expander template.
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Hundreds Place Value Number Expander Template
Reinforce place value and writing 3-digit numbers in expanded form with your students.
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2-Digit and 3-Digit Expanded Form Interactive Activity
Use this interactive activity with your students to practice expanded form through to the hundreds place.
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Rounding to 10, 100, and 1,000 Worksheet - Halloween Color-By-Number
Round each number to the place of the underlined digit with a fun Halloween color-by-number 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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I Have, Who Has – Rounding to 500,000
Use this engaging math game to practice rounding numbers through 500,000 with your students.
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Base-10 Blocks - Pictorial Model Cards
A set of base-10 block cards to compose and decompose numbers, including decimals.
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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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Place Value Charts — Printable Math Mats
Practice place value concepts, addition, and subtraction with a printable set of free place value charts.