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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Expanded Form Teaching Slides
Teach your students about how to represent numbers in expanded form with this set of engaging teaching slides.
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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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Place Value to the Thousands Place - Maths Mats
Practise place value concepts, addition and subtraction with a printable set of place value charts.
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Rounding Numbers Cut and Paste - Worksheets
Provide your students with engaging practise to help them understand rounding with a set of differentiated rounding worksheets.
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Two-Digit Number Line - Differentiated Place Value Activities
Practise place value concepts, addition and subtraction, and using a number line with a differentiated place value activity.
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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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0-9 Digit Cards
A set of 0-9 digit cards to be used for numeracy games in the classroom.
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Numeral Expander - Tens of Thousands
A numeral expander template to use when exploring five-digit numbers.
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Rounding Numbers Game (Whole Numbers)
Play our engaging rounding numbers game in your classroom to give your students practise rounding whole numbers.
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Rounding Poster and Worksheet Set (Rounding Rock)
Display this rounding poster of the “Rounding Rock” in your classroom to encourage your students to rock out rounding!
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Ordering Large Numbers Sorting Activity
Practise ordering large numbers with this easy-to-prepare sorting activity.
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Expanded Notation Poster
Explore the world of expanded notation with a printable classroom poster that easily explains the concept for students!
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3-Digit Numbers Interactive Activity
Practise knowledge of 3-digit numbers with this interactive activity exploring standard form, expanded form, word form and base ten form.
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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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Writing Numbers in Expanded Form Board Game
Help students practise writing numbers in expanded form with this fun and engaging gameboard and cards.
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Goal Getters- Rounding to the Nearest Ten Worksheets
Score a goal and master rounding numbers on a number line with a soccer-themed rounding to the nearest ten worksheet.
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Expanded Notation Dominoes (4-Digit Numbers)
Use this set of dominoes when learning how to match 4-digit numbers written in standard form and expanded form.
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5-Digit Place Value - Assessment
An open-ended worksheet to use when assessing your students' knowledge of place value to the tens of thousands.
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4-Digit Place Value Card Game - Flip It!
A fun game for students to play in small groups to consolidate their understanding of place value to thousands.
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Dividing by Powers of 10 Worksheet Set
Utilise this dividing by powers of 10 worksheet set to give your students practise dividing whole numbers by 10, 100 and 1000.
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MAB Blocks Place Value Chart
Utilise this MAB blocks place value chart for decimals to introduce decimal place values with an engaging, hands-on approach.
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Rounding With a Number Line Teaching Slides (Large Numbers)
Teach rounding with a number line using this set of teaching slides featuring numbers up the hundred thousands.
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Caterpillar Worksheets on Ordering Numbers
Share these caterpillar worksheets on ordering numbers with your students to help them master sequencing numbers.
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Place Value Spin Activity
Practise identifying the number of 'tens' and 'ones' in two-digit numbers with this fun spin activity.
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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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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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Flip, Draw, Expand! - Place Value Worksheet (5-Digit Numbers)
A worksheet to use when consolidating understanding of place value to tens of thousands.
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5-Digit Number of the Day Worksheet
A 5-digit place value worksheet to represent the number of the day in different ways.
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Expanded Notation Dominoes (3-Digit Numbers)
Use this set of dominoes when learning how to match 3-digit numbers written in standard form and expanded form.
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Counting Collections in the Hundreds PowerPoint
A 15 page editable PowerPoint to use in the classroom when exploring efficient ways of counting collections in the hundreds.
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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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2-Digit Place Value Card Game - Flip It!
A fun game for students to play in small groups to consolidate their understanding of place value to hundreds.