Place Value Teaching Resources
Browse place value charts, printable worksheets, games and more teaching resources aligned to the Australian curriculum.
This collection of 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 maths 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? A Kid-Friendly Definition
When it comes time to teach place value, it helps to have a simple definition to use to introduce this core maths concept to your class. Here's how we explain the meaning to our students:
In maths, 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 (also referred to as the Hindu-Arabic 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 maths 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 3245:
- 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 = 3245.
Why Is Place Value Important?
Place value is an important concept for primary 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 maths 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 maths concept is the place value chart! This visual teaching tool can be used to represent and organise numbers based on their value and position in a given number.
A place value chart is typically divided into columns representing the different powers of 10 in our number system. Each column is labelled 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 of which corresponds 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.
Place Value vs. Face Value — What's the Difference?
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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Santa's Mix-Up - Place Value & Expanded Form Maths Worksheets
Add some Christmas spirit to your place value lesson plans with printable Christmas place value worksheets for Year 2 and 3.
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Build a Board Game – Maths STEM Project
Improve maths skills and spark creativity by having students plan, design, and create their own maths-based board games.
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Rounding Numbers Activity (Escape Room)
Play our rounding numbers activity in your classroom to engage students as they practise and extend their rounding and critical thinking skills.
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Christmas Colour By Number - One More or Less
Practise finding numbers that are one more and one less than with a printable Christmas colour-by-number worksheet.
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Number of the Day Worksheet
Explore 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6-digit numbers using this number of the day worksheet with your students.
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Comparing and Ordering Numbers Game — Escape the Robot Invasion!
Play our comparing and ordering numbers game with your students to engage and educate at the same time.
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Place Value Colour by Number Worksheets
Share these place value colour by number worksheets with your students for a fun way to review place value up to the hundred thousands place.
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Comparing Numbers Christmas Game
Have some Christmas maths fun with an interactive, self-checking comparing numbers game.
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Number and Place Value Worksheets - Year 2
14 number worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Place Value Bingo Game Numbers Up to 10 000
Practise place value knowledge in numbers up to 10 000 with this set of bingo cards.
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Place Value Wall Display
A place value wall display for the classroom.
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Place Value Banner - Billions to Thousandths
A banner that displays extended place value.
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4-Digit Numbers Worksheet
Practise reading and writing 4-digit numbers using expanded form with this printable PDF worksheet.
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Place Value Bingo Game – Numbers 0–1000
Thirty-two different bingo cards using place value to 1000.
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Decimal Place Value Worksheets
Use these decimal place value worksheets to help your students analyse patterns in decimal place values out to the thousandths place.
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Number Ordering Worksheet Set (Dot-to-Dot)
Share these dot-to-dot number ordering worksheet sets with your students to give them an engaging way to practise ordering two and three-digit numbers.
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Place Value Poster Set — Whole Numbers
Display this colourful place value poster set in your classroom to remind your students of place values to the millions and billions.
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Maths Mazes (Place Value)
Determine the correct paths through each maze using knowledge of place value.
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Place Value Chart with Decimals
Display this place value chart in your classroom to remind your students of place value from millions to millionths.
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Maths Maze Worksheet Set (Ordering Numbers to 20)
Share this maths maze worksheet set with your students to give them practise ordering numbers from least to greatest.
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Multiplying and Dividing by Powers of 10 Worksheet Set
Share this multiplying and dividing by powers of 10 worksheet set to help your students learn how to multiply and divide whole numbers by 10, 100 and 1000.
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Decimal and Place Value Chart
Provide your students with our decimal and place value chart to make comparing and ordering decimals a breeze!
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Place Value Cards - 10 000, 1000, 100, 10, 1
Explore and expand 4 and 5-digit numbers with a set pf printable place value cards and suggested activities for small group instruction.
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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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Printable Maths Mats - Graphic Organisers
Practice working on specific math concepts with our set of 5 printable math graphic organisers.
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Rounding Numbers – Maths Mazes
Round numbers to various places while finding your way through this set of 5 maths mazes.
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Number Talks - Place Value Task Cards
Build number sense skills in 3-digit skills with this set of 24 task cards.
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Place Value Charts
Practise place value knowledge up to 6 digits with these blank place value charts.
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Place Value Bingo Game Numbers Up to 1 000 000
Practise place value knowledge in numbers up to 1 000 000 with this set of bingo cards.
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Daily Spiral Maths Worksheet (3-4)
Review a variety of place value and number sense standards with a daily spiral maths review worksheet.
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Expanded Form Worksheet Pack
Practise expanding 2-digit to 6-digit numbers with this set of 5 worksheets.
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Roll and Round Dice Game Set of 7 Rounding Games
Help your student refine their rounding skills with this set of 7 printable maths games.