Decimals Teaching Resources
Browse decimal worksheets, math center activities, engaging games and more fun ways to bring this concept to life in your elementary classroom.
This teaching resource collection was created by the teachers on the Teach Starter team and includes activities to help students learn to convert fractions into decimals and vice versa, as well as printables that will help them learn how to read and write decimals using place value and the decimal point, how to round decimals and more!
Build students' understanding of using decimals in money and measurement with curriculum-aligned teaching resources so you can meet Common Core and state standards.
New to this concept in the math classroom, or just looking for some fresh ideas for teaching about decimals? Explore a primer from the teachers on the Teach Starter team!
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 — the 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 them to simplify numbers, making them easier to work with! This comes in handy 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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Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages Vocabulary Poster
A poster to help students learn the vocabulary associated with fractions, decimals, and percentages.
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Number Talks - Decimal Representation Task Cards
Explore representations of decimals with your students using this set of 28 number talks task cards.
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Operations with Decimals Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to add, subtract, multiply and divide using decimal numbers with this comprehensive teaching presentation perfect for upper elementary math lessons.
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Fraction, Decimal and Percentage Match-Up Game
Get students converting fractions, decimals and percentages with this hands-on maths game perfect for math centers.
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Comparing and Ordering Decimals Interactive Activity
Get students to compare and order decimals this grocery-themed interactive digital resource, perfect for lesson introductions and wrap-ups.
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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 math centers.
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Representing Decimals – Interactive Picture Reveal
Use this decimal game for 4th grade to teach your students all the ways that decimals can be visually represented.
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Dividing Decimals by Whole Numbers Worksheet Pack
Download these dividing decimals by whole numbers worksheets to provide your students with practice using visual models and the standard algorithm.
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Rounding Numbers With Decimals – Teaching Slides and Worksheet for 5th Grade
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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Estimating Sums and Differences With Decimals Worksheet for 5th Grade
Teach your students how to estimate decimal sums and differences with this 5th-grade math worksheet.
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Rounding Decimals Worksheet Set for 5th Grade
Guide your students to round numbers to the nearest whole, tenth, hundredth and thousandth with this worksheet set designed for 5th-grade students.
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Coffee Shop Calculations – Estimation With Decimals Task Cards
Download this set of 24 task cards to help your students practice estimating decimal sums and differences with benchmark numbers.
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Decimal Designs – Differentiated Decimal Rounding Worksheet for 5th Grade
Guide your students to round decimals to different places and create a beautiful design with this differentiated worksheet for 5th grade.
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Subtracting Decimals With Base-10 Blocks – Teaching Slides for 5th Grade
Teach your students how to use base-10 blocks to model decimal subtraction problems with this set of teaching slides.
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Decimals on a Number Line (Tenths and Hundredths) Slide Deck
Teach your students how to identify, order, and label decimals on a number line with an interactive teaching presentation.
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Fraction Representations Posters - Whole, Halves, Thirds, Fourths, and Fifths
A set of posters showing the different representations of benchmark fractions.
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Decimals on Number Lines - Task Cards
Sharpen your students’ abilities to identify decimals on a number line with a set of task cards.
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Diving Into Decimals – Google Slides Interactive Activity
Use this interactive activity to take a deep dive into decimals while improving skills with decimal operations and place value concepts.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals Word Problems Worksheet
Practice solving word problems by adding and subtracting decimals to the thousandths place with this worksheet.
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Place Value Chart – Printable Banner
Use this printable place value chart filled with different ways to represent a number in your classroom.
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Dividing Decimals Bingo
Master the ability to divide with decimals by playing a whole-class bingo game.
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Dividing Decimals Match-Up Activity
Divide decimals and find the correct quotient with this match-up activity.
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Dividing Decimals Task Cards
Sharpen decimal division skills with this set of 24 task cards.
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Estimating Decimal Sums and Differences – Math Mazes
Practice estimating solutions to decimal addition and subtraction equations with this set of math mazes.
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Multiplying Decimals Math Mazes
Complete decimal multiplication problems while finding your way through this set of three math mazes.
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Expanded Notation Puzzles - Decimals
Practice expanded notation using decimals and whole numbers with this set of 28 puzzle pieces.
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Relating Decimals and Fractions Worksheet
Practice matching fractions with a denominator of 10 and 100 to decimals and vice versa.
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Comparing and Ordering Decimals Task Cards
Have students practice comparing and ordering decimals to the thousandths place with this set of 16 task cards.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals – Differentiated Mystery Image Worksheets
Have students practice adding and subtracting decimals with this mystery image worksheet.
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Decimal Place Value – Digital and Printable Worksheet
Get students analyzing decimal place value positions with this “This or That?” worksheet.
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Multiplying Decimals – Interactive Picture Reveal (Halloween)
Sharpen computation skills by multiplying decimals with an interactive Halloween picture reveal.
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Addition and Subtraction with Decimals – Task Cards
Practice adding and subtracting multi-digit decimals with this set of 16 task cards.