Rounding Whole Numbers Teaching Resources
Make rounding whole numbers fun and engaging this school year with the help of printable worksheets, fun games, interactive activities and more teacher-created resources designed to teach students how to round to the nearest number.
Aligned with the Australian maths curriculum (including v 9.0!), the resources in this collection were all designed by our expert maths teachers with your lesson plans and your students in mind. That means you can spend less time creating resources about how to round numbers and more time doing what you really love — teaching!
Explore task cards, Google Slides templates and more ways to teach kids how to estimate, how to put their place value knowledge into practice and how to easily find the closest whole number using practical strategies instead of flashy maths 'tricks.'
Are you new to teaching about rounding in maths classes? Or maybe you're just looking for some handy tips and information? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a handy definition of round numbers to share with your students.
What Is a Round Number? A Kid-Friendly Definition
If you're teaching students how to round whole numbers, it helps to start by explaining the meaning of round numbers. Here's a handy definition you can use to introduce your lesson:
A round number is any number that is a multiple of 10 or ends in a zero. Round numbers are helpful when we are making estimations or performing maths operations because they make calculations easier.
Examples of round numbers include 10, 20, 100 and 1000. Each of these numbers is divisible by 10, and each one ends in a zero.
What Is Rounding a Number? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Once students know what a round number is, it's often easier to explain the meaning of rounding a number.
After all, this maths strategy involves simplifying numbers to make them easier to work with.
Rounding a number means to make a number simpler — sometimes making it bigger or smaller — by changing the value to the nearest round number.
For example, if we are rounding the number 38 to the nearest round number, we would change it to 40.
How to Round to the Nearest Whole Number
When we round numbers, we lean into our understanding of place value to work out which number to round to. Sometimes, we round up, which means we choose a number that is higher in value than our starting number.
Sometimes, we round down, which means we round to a number that is lower in value than our starting number.
Either way, we always need to look at the digit to the right of the place value we want to round to. If we want to round to the nearest ten, we look at the ones digit. If we want to round to the nearest hundred, we look at the digit in the tens place, and so on.
In this fun rounding activity, students draw lines between numbered dog and bones with numbers on them.
How to Tell When to Round Down
How do you know if you should be rounding down? This is fairly simple!
If the digit to the right of the place value we want to round to is 4 or less, we round the number down.
For example:
- If you want to round the number 114 to the nearest hundred, the answer will be 100. This is because we looked to 1 — the digit to the right of the hundreds place.
- If you want to round the number 23 to the nearest ten, the answer will be 23. In this case, we looked to 3 as it was the digit to the right of the tens place.
How to Tell When to Round Up
When does rounding numbers require us to increase the value of a number?
If the digit to the right of the place value we want to round to is 5 or greater, we round the number up.
- For example, if you were to round 27 to the nearest tens place, you would end up with 30. This is because 7 is the number to the right of the tens place, and it is greater than 5.
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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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Rounding Numbers – Teaching Slides
Teach the basics of rounding numbers with this engaging animated PowerPoint.
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Rounding on a Number Line Worksheet Set
Use our rounding on a number line worksheet set to give your students practise using a number line to round numbers up to the hundred thousands place.
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4-Digit Place Value Game - Interactive Activity
Consolidate knowledge of Year 3 place value concepts with an interactive 4-Digit Place Value Game.
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Rounding to the Nearest 100 Worksheet
Help your students find the correct bone for each dog by rounding to the nearest hundreds place with this maths worksheet designed for year 2 and 3 students.
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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.
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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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4-Digit Place Value Game - Race Up the Rounding Ladder
Challenge your students to have some competitive fun with this partner-based rounding game.
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Rounding Numbers Teaching Slides
Teach students how to round to the nearest ten and hundred with an interactive, explicit instructional teaching presentation.
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Rounding Anchor Chart — Rounding Roller Coaster!
Hang our rounding anchor chart in your classroom for a fun reminder of how to round numbers — roller coaster style!
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Rounding to the Nearest 10 Worksheet
Teach your students to round to the nearest 10 with this printable maths worksheet designed for year 1 and 2 students.
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Rounding to the Nearest Ten, Hundred and Thousand Worksheet
Review rounding concepts with a worksheet covering rounding to the nearest ten, hundred, and thousand.
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Rounding Whole Numbers Word Problem Worksheet
Explore understanding of place value to round whole numbers to a given place with this printable maths worksheet.
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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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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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Rounding 6 Digit Numbers Game — Interactive Picture Reveal
Invite your students to play this rounding 6 digit numbers game to review rounding whole numbers up to the hundred thousands place.
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Rounding Whole Numbers Game — Create-Your-Own!
Share this "create-your-own" rounding whole numbers game with your students to give them practise rounding numbers up to the hundred thousands place.
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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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Rounding to 10, 100, and 1000 Worksheet — Halloween Colour-By-Number
Round each number to the place of the underlined digit with a fun Halloween colour-by-number worksheet.
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Rounding Whole Numbers Word Problem & Error Analysis Worksheet
Print a maths worksheet with variety of rounding word problems and error analysis challenges.
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Rounding Task Cards
Use place value knowledge to round numbers to the nearest ten through to the nearest hundred thousand with this set of 20 task cards.
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Rounding on Number Lines Interactive Mystery Picture Activity
Karate chop those rounding standards with a fun Rounding on a Number Line Mystery Reveal activity.
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I Have, Who Has – Rounding to 500 000
Use this engaging maths game to practise rounding numbers through 500 000 with your students.
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Rounding Task Cards (Numbers to 100 000)
Use place value knowledge and vertical number lines to round numbers up through the hundred thousands place with a set of 24 task cards.
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Rounding Numbers to the Thousands Place Task Cards
Teach students to round numbers up through the thousands place with a set of 24 task cards.
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Vertical Number Line - Rounding Worksheets
Use a vertical number line to round whole numbers to a given place with a set of rounding worksheets.
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Rockin' Rounding Interactive Activity for Year 5
Round numbers to different place values with a interactive activity designed for year five students.
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Rounding Whole Numbers – Riddle Worksheets
Integrate riddles and maths with this set of rounding worksheets.
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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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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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Rounding Numbers on Vertical Number Lines Matching Activity
Practise rounding to the nearest ten and hundred on a vertical number line with this set of 36 match-up cards.
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Rounding Numbers – Match-up Activity
Practise rounding decimals and whole numbers with this match-up activity.