Decimals Teaching Resources
Browse decimal worksheets, games and more Australian curriculum V9 resources created by primary teachers for your primary classroom!
Explore editable resources you can easily differentiate for individual learners plus maths rotations activities and engaging games to help students learn how to read and write decimals using place value and the decimal point, how to convert a decimal to a fraction and more.
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 — a 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 your students to simplify numbers, making them easier to work with!
This will be useful 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.
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Patterns in Place Value Worksheet
Use this place value worksheet to get your students analysing decimal place value in numbers.
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Fractions and Decimals Matching Game
Practise matching equivalent fractions and decimals with this set of 15 cards that focus on tenths and hundredths place values.
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Rounding Numbers With Decimals Teaching Slides and Worksheet
Teach your students how to round to the nearest whole number, tenth and hundredth with this set of teaching slides and accompanying worksheet.
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Maths Mazes (Equivalent Fractions, Decimals and Percentages)
Determine equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages in this puzzling maths maze.
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Comparing and Ordering Decimals Task Cards
Have students practise comparing and ordering decimals to the thousandths place with this set of 16 task cards.
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I Have, Who Has? Game - Fraction, Decimal and Percentage Equivalence
Reinforce students' understanding of fraction, decimal and percentage equivalence with a whole-class game.
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Converting Fractions and Decimals Interactive Game
Use this set of interactive slides to practise converting, ordering and solving problems with fractions and decimals.
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Decimal Patterns Maths Mazes
Find your way through this set of maths mazes by determining the addition or subtraction pattern in a sequence of decimal numbers.
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Decimal Operations Worksheet
Get students applying the four operations to decimal numbers with this set of two maths worksheets.
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Patterns in Place Value Teaching Slides
Strengthen student understanding of decimal place value and the relationship between place value positions with this instructional slide deck.
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Decimals on Number Lines Bump Game for Year 5
Review how to identify and place decimals on a number line with a set of printable maths games.
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Comparing Fractions, Decimals and Percentages – Worksheet
Strengthen student understanding of how to compare fractions, decimals and percentages with this worksheet.
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Calculating Discounts and Sale Price Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to calculate discounts and sale prices using fractions and decimals with this comprehensive teaching presentation.
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Decimal Exit Tickets (Place Value, Rounding, Ordering and Computation)
Assess student understanding of decimal place value, rounding, ordering and computation with this set of 21 exit tickets.
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Rounding Decimals Worksheet Set
Practise rounding numbers to the nearest whole, tenth, hundredth and thousandth with this worksheet set.
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Decimal War Card Game
Get your students comparing decimals with this fun card game for two players.
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Decimal Place Value Game – Find A Decimal Who...
Explore decimal place value with your students using an interactive whole-class game.
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Compare and Order Decimals Teaching Slides
Teach your students to compare and order decimals with this 19-slide instructional slide deck.
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Converting Decimals, Fractions and Percentages – Worksheet
Strengthen your students’ understanding of how to convert a percent to a decimal and a fraction with this worksheet.
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Fractions, Decimals and Percentages – Task Cards
Practise converting percentages into decimals and fractions with this set of 24 task cards.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals Year 6 Worksheet
Practise adding and subtracting decimals to the hundredths place with this worksheet.
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Representing Hundredths Worksheet
Have students demonstrate their understanding of hundredths with this simple one-page worksheet.
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Comparing and Ordering Decimals Posters
Display different strategies for comparing and ordering decimals with this set of posters.
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Mega Matcher (Fractions, Decimals and Percentages) Year 6 Interactive Game
Match equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages with this interactive activity with a code cracking twist.
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Fraction, Decimal and Percentage Match-Up Game
Get students converting fractions, decimals and percentages with this hands-on maths game aligned with the upper primary maths curriculum.
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Decimal Place Value – Digital and Printable Worksheet
Get students analysing decimal place value positions with this “This or That?” worksheet.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals Worksheet
Add and subtract decimals with a number line worksheet.
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Addition and Subtraction with Decimals – Task Cards
Practise adding and subtracting multi-digit decimals with this set of 16 task cards.
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Place Value Chart - Thousandths Place
A blank place value chart to use when exploring decimal numbers.
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Representing Tenths Worksheet
Have students demonstrate their understanding of tenths with this simple one-page worksheet.
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Representing Decimals with Visual Models Task Cards
Explore visual representations of decimals with your students using this set of 24 task cards perfect for maths rotations.
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Comparing Decimals with Visual Models Task Cards
Get students comparing and ordering decimals using visual models with this set of 24 task cards perfect for maths rotations.