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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Exploring 3-Digit Place Value PowerPoint
Explore place value concepts related to 3-digit numbers with an engaging, interactive teaching slide deck.
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Building 2-Digit Numbers Dice Game
Teach your students about place value in two-digit numbers with this engaging dice game featuring Base 10 blocks.
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Which Is More? Counting Card Game
Compare and order collections up to 20 with this set of counting cards.
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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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4-Digit Pizza Interactive Activity
Use this interactive game to enhance students' proficiency in writing and representing 4-digit numbers.
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Missing Numbers in Expanded Form Worksheet
Practise converting double digit numbers into their expanded form with this easy to use student worksheet.
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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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Roll and Expand Numbers Worksheet Pack
Explore place value with you rstudents using this set of levelled expanding numbers worksheets.
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4-Digit Expanded Form Worksheet
Help students grasp the concept of expanding 4-digit numbers up to 2,000 with this 1-page worksheet.
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3-Digit Number Forms Worksheet
Help students practise their knowledge of 3-digit numbers with this place value worksheet that covers MAB blocks, standard form, and expanded form.
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Rounding Rainbow Classroom Poster & Differentiated Worksheet Pack
Download a set of differentiated rounding worksheets and accompanying poster for your maths classroom.
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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 Bingo — Using a Vertical Number Line
Review how to round numbers to the nearest ten, hundred, thousand, and ten thousand with a vertical number line Bingo game.
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Worksheet Set — Rounding Using a Vertical Number Line
Use a vertical number line to round whole numbers to the tens, hundreds, and thousands place with a pack of differentiated rounding worksheets.
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Place Value Penguin - Spreadsheet Pixel Art Activity
Practise identifying numbers in word form, expanded form, and standard form with a fun spreadsheet pixel art activity.
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Tens Frames Counting Flowers Task Cards
Step up your students’ place value skills with a set of spring-themed task cards.
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Comparing Three-digit Numbers – Worksheet
Practise comparing three-digit numbers with this hands-on worksheet.
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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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Place Value War - Number Game
A fun 3-digit place value game for students to play in the classroom.
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3-Digit Roll It, Make It, Expand It! - Place Value Worksheet
A worksheet for students to use when learning about the place value of three-digit numbers.
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3-Digit Number of the Day Worksheet
A 3-digit place value worksheet to represent the number of the day in different ways.
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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.
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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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Percy's Place Value Puzzle
A worksheet to use to consolidate student understanding of place value to the thousands.
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Money Place Value Chart Activity Set
‘Bank’ on this money place value chart activity set to make teaching decimal concepts a breeze!
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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 Games for 4th Graders — Race Up the Rounding Ladder!
Challenge your students with one of our many rounding games for 4th graders — Race Up the Rounding Ladder!
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Rounding PPT — "Rounding With Reasoning"
Use this engaging rounding PPT to teach your students to round with reasoning — not rules!
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Rounding Numbers PPT — Rounding Roller Coaster Method
Present this roller coaster-themed rounding numbers PPT to your students to teach or review how to round large numbers.
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Number Order Puzzles (Ordering Numbers to 1200)
Give your students these number order puzzles for a fun way to sharpen their skills in ordering numbers up to 1200.
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Number Ordering Game (Numbers 1 - 10)
Play this number ordering game for a fun way to increase student skill in ordering numbers 1 - 10.
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Sequencing Activities — Numbers 1-9 Sausage Dog
Use our sequencing activities like this sausage dog to help your students practise ordering the numbers 1 - 9.