Place Value Teaching Resources
Browse place value charts, printable worksheets, games and more teaching resources created by teachers, for teachers like you.
This collection of curriculum-aligned and editable 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 math 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?
In math, 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, 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 math 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 3,245:
- 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 = 3,245.
Why Is Place Value Important?
Place value is an important concept for elementary 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 math 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 math concept is the place value chart! This visual teaching tool can be used to represent and organize numbers based on their value and position in a given number.
How to Use a Place Value Chart
A place value chart is typically divided into columns representing the different powers of 10 in our number system. Each column is labeled 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 corresponding 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.
Students can place a particular number in their place value chart, determine its value, and then figure out two-digit, three-digit, four-digit, and larger numbers.
To read a place value chart, students work their way left or right. For example, if you start from the "ones" place, you can go left one space to the "tens" place, then on to the "hundreds" place and so on. As students enter the intermediate grades, they begin to learn about numbers to the right of the decimal point (tenths, hundredths, thousandths, etc.).
Place Value vs. Face Value
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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Representing Two-Digit Numbers - Place Value Worksheet
A set of worksheets for students to use when learning about place value and the different way two-digit numbers can be represented.
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Rounding Whole Numbers Worksheets
Share these rounding whole numbers worksheets with your students so they can cut-and-paste their way to understanding rounding.
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Santa's Mix-Up - Place Value & Expanded Form Math Worksheets
Add some Christmas spirit to your place value lesson plans with printable Christmas place value worksheets for 2nd graders.
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Ordering Numbers Worksheets — Dot Day Caterpillar
Share these ordering numbers worksheets with your students to help them master sequencing numbers.
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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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Expanded Notation Classroom Poster
Explore the world of expanded notation with a printable classroom poster that easily explains the concept for students!
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4-Digit Numbers Worksheet
Practice reading and writing 4-digit numbers with this printable PDF worksheet.
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Interactive Rounding Game — "Four Corners"
Play this interactive rounding game with your class or assign it to individual students for a fun way to practice rounding whole numbers.
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Hundreds Place Value Number Expander Template
A resource to help reinforce place value and writing 3-digit numbers in expanded form.
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How to Write 2-Digit and 3-Digit Numbers Worksheet
Explore how to represent number values in standard form, word form, expanded form, and picture form with this multipurpose place value worksheet.
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Roll It, Make It, Expand It! - Place Value Worksheet
A worksheet for students to use when learning to write two-digit numbers in expanded form.
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Sequence Puzzle for Numbers 1 - 10 — Gingerbread Man
Share this sequence puzzle with your students for a fun way to practice ordering the numbers 1 - 10.
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Order Numbers From Least to Greatest Task Cards (Numbers 1 - 20)
Order numbers from least to greatest with these task cards for numbers 1 - 20.
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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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Comparing Numbers Christmas Game
Have some Christmas math fun with an interactive, self-checking comparing numbers game.
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2-Digit Number of the Day - Spiral Review
Review a variety of second-grade math concepts with a Number of the Day slide deck and recording sheet.
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Place Value Charts — Printable Math Mats
Practice place value concepts, addition, and subtraction with a printable set of free place value charts.
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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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Place Value Cards - 10,000; 1,000; 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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5-Digit Place Value Math Game - I Have, Who Has?
Use a 5-Digit Place Value Math game to engage your students and practice identifying and reading five digit numbers.
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Rounding Activity (Warm-Up Teaching Slides)
Use this digital rounding activity to review rounding numbers to the tens, hundreds, and thousands place.
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Ordering Large Numbers Worksheet Set
Share this ordering large numbers worksheet set with your students to evaluate their skill in ordering numbers from the thousands to the millions.
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Place Value Bingo Game Numbers Up to 1,000,000
Practice place value knowledge in numbers up to 1,000,000 with this set of bingo cards.
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Place Value Castle Activity
Help students consolidate their understanding of hundreds, tens and ones with this fun place value castle activity.
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5th Grade - Decimal Place Value Assessment
Assess your students' skills with decimals and place value using a printable 5th Grade Decimal Place Value Test.
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Daily Spiral Math Worksheet (3-4)
Review a variety of place value and number sense standards with a daily spiral math review worksheet.
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3-Digit Interactive Clip Cards
Practice knowledge of 3-Digit numbers with this interactive clip card resource.
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Christmas Color By Number - One More or Less
Practice finding numbers that are one more and one less than with a printable Christmas color-by-number worksheet.
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Place Value Worksheets for 2nd Grade - Thanksgiving Math Mazes
Save the turkey and match numbers, words, and expanded forms of numbers with a fun set of printable 2nd-grade Thanksgiving Math maze worksheets.
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Missing Numbers in Expanded Form Worksheet
Practice converting double digit numbers into their expanded form with this easy to use student worksheet.
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Expanded Form Match Up Puzzles
Practice matching standard numbers to their expanded form with your students using this fun, hands-on number puzzle.
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Find a Friend Expanded Form Worksheet
Explore expanding 2-digit to 6-digit numbers with your students with this expanding form active worksheet.