Many teachers wonder how do you teach place value in a fun way as we all know that understanding of place value in elementary school is essential and the best way to engage students is to make it fun!
Don’t worry, I got you covered!
Using hands-on activities, crafts, games and digital task cards when teaching your students about place value will help develop a solid conceptual understanding of place value.
And I have a mix of these math resources done for you that you can just buy and use it immediately.
In addition, I will also suggest some ways to practice place value for free.
What Is Place Value?
Place value is the numerical value determined by a digit’s position in a number.
For example, for a 7-digit number, 9 876 543, these are the place value:
- 9 is in the million place, with a place value of 9,000,000.
- 8 is in the hundred thousands place, with a place value of 800,000.
- 7 is in the ten thousands place, with a place value of 70,000.
- 5 is in the hundreds place, with a place value of 500.
- 4 is in the tens place, with a place value of 40.
- 1 is in the ones place, with a place value of 1.
In Singapore, students progressively study more complex place values each year, eventually reaching up to a million places.
For instance, in primary one, students grasp up to 2-digit place values. By primary 4, they delve into decimal place values like tenths, hundredths, and thousandths.
Moving to primary 5, students will extend the number system to millions, and read and write large numbers in millions and thousands up to 10 million.
How Do You Teach Place Value in a Fun Way?
I listed various teaching resources such as games, crafts, hands-on activities, and more to make place value lessons enjoyable and captivating! Check out these engaging and creative ways to teach your students place value.
Place Values Games
Greatest or Smallest Place Value Game
This game can be considered both an action and strategy game. There are different variations you can play with this.
Place Value: two to five-digit
Players: 2 to whole class as small groups
How To Play
Have players take turns getting numbers randomly.
The number of digits depends on the place values that you want to practice on. If you want students to practice up to 5-digit, give each player or team 5 chances.
If you prefer a more static way, try using an online random generator, throw a dice, spin a number, or number toss.
But if you want more action with some luck factor, consider bowling pin number toss, throw darts with 0-9 numbers on the dart board, or simply throwing paper in respective number containers. If possible, do make the largest and smallest digit, i.e. 0 and 9, harder to get.
Students will record the numbers picked or write the numbers on the whiteboard for everyone to see.
Then each player or team will arrange the digits to create a number with the greatest or smallest possible value.
Easy Level
All players use the same set of numbers picked. The first player or team who wrote down the greatest or smallest possible value with all the numbers wins.
Intermediate level
Each player or team gets their own set of numbers. The player or team who has the greatest or smallest possible value using all the numbers on hand gets to go to the second round.
Each round students will get a new set of numbers. The game continues until one player or team wins.
Place Value “I Spy” Game
Place Value: two to five-digit
Players: 2 to whole class
How To Play
Begin each statement with “I Spy with my little eye…”
Here are some examples
- Numbers that have 9 ones
- A 3-digit number with 2 in the hundreds place
Then your students can find the number using magazines, books, posters around the classroom that match what you are challenging them to “spy” and show you.
If you are planning to spy thousands and above place value, ensure that the number can be found. You may need to prepare some numbers and paste it around the classroom, making it like a scavenger hunt!
Place Value Scavenger Hunt
Place Value: two to seven-digit
Players: 1 to whole class
How To Play
- Students will solve the task card which brings them to the next task card.
- Students will write down the solution and the corresponding letters associated with each task card on the recording sheet.
- Once they’ve gotten all the 9 letters, they will unscramble them to reveal the mystery word – space related word.
Introduction
These 5 resources of mine are space themes which make them great for space holidays, i.e. International Day of Human Space Flight, Earth Day.
These place value games up to ten millions for kids are self-checking! Students follow a specific sequence and will loop around, so it doesn’t matter which task cards they begin with. This means less time spent on marking and more time to engage your students!
Your students can use these simple place value activities to practice 3 different skills and play scavenger hunts 3 times.
3 Differentiation Options for Two Digit Place Value
1) Identifying The Place And Value Of Digits
2) Write In Standard Form Based On Base Ten Blocks
3) Expanded Form & Standard Form
3 Differentiation Options for Three Digit Place Value
1) Identifying The Place And Value Of Digits
2) Write In Standard Form Based On Base Ten Blocks
3) Expanded Form & Standard Form
3 Differentiation Options for Four Digit Place Value
1) Identifying The Place And Value Of Digits
2) Write In Standard Form Based On Base Ten Blocks
3) Expanded Form & Standard Form
3 Differentiation Options for Five Digit Place Value
1) Identifying The Place And Value Of Digits
2) Expanded Form & Standard Form
3) Unit Form To Standard Form
3 Differentiation Options for Seven Digit Place Value
1) Identifying The Place And Value Of Digits
2) Expanded Form & Standard Form
3) Multiply By 10, 100, 1000
Key Features For Each Resource:
- 9 questions per set
- 27 questions in total
- 3 Recording Sheets
- Mystery Words – Space theme
- Answer Key
- Singapore Primary 1 – 5 | 1st to 5th Grade
You can save 20% with the bundle! So why wait, click on the image below and buy now!
Place Value – Fulfill the Condition Game
Place Value: two and above
Players: 2 to 4 teams
How To Play
Before the game kicks off, decide whether you’re diving into a specific place value, like 2-digit numbers, or mixing it up with 3-digit and 4-digit numbers.
Once that’s settled, jot down 5 to 10 conditions on the whiteboard.
Here are some examples of the conditions:
- A number with a 9 in the tens place.
- A number with a 4 or 1 in the hundreds place.
- A number with a digit less than 4 in the ones place.
- Any number that is more than 123.
- Any number (you may write any number)
Now, call out or pick a random number that meets at least two conditions.
Players record numbers in the designated row corresponding to fulfilled conditions. Once noted, they can’t shuffle the numbers. The team with the most filled-in numbers wins the game.
Printable Board Games
Place Value: thousandths to ten thousand
Players: 2 to 4
Introduction
Ten Times Greater Place Value Games – Decimal & Whole Number Place Value Games has 10 different board games. They are NO PREP and easy to use.
Here’s the 10 Types Of Games for multiplying by 10 for both decimal and whole number
- TIC TAC TOE
- 10X BUMPY TIC TAC TOE
- TRAP THE BASKETBALL!
- COVER IT! – 10X GREATER
- SPIN FOUR-IN-A-ROW
- FOUR-IN-A-ROW
- FIVE-IN-A-ROW – 10X GREATER
- ROLL & RACE TO THE GOAL
- SQUARES – 10X GREATER
- 10 TIMES GREATER BOARD GAME
Guess The Number
This game is similar to the party game Who Am I.
Place Value: two to five-digit
Players: 2 to 6
How To Play
- You will need to write the numbers on small pieces of paper or memo paper in advance.
- Let players hold the paper at the forehead level or stick on their forehead without looking at it.
- Through yes or no questions (or place value questions), players take turns trying to guess the number on their paper. For example, ‘Is the place value in the ones larger than 5?’
- The first player to correctly guess their assigned number wins the game.
Place Value Bingo Game – Up To Million
Get ready for some bingo fun! Boost your math center with these place value bingo cards.
They’re perfect for reinforcing numbers up to ten million as a group setting especially in a sunny day or during summer time.
Grab your place value bingo cards now!
Place Values Hands On Activities and Crafts
Place Value Pictures
Ask students to use the base ten blocks manipulatives to create an art piece. You can designate a picture or let them use their imagination.
Alternatively, if you don’t have or not enough, use printable template instead and let students cut out the number of base ten blocks manipulatives that they want. Then they can glue and paste them on a piece of paper to create their art work permanently.
Finally, ask them to calculate the number of ‘hundreds’, tens’, and ‘ones’ they have used to create their art piece and record it in the place value table.
To give them a sense of achievement, give out awards for the most creative, the greatest value, or the smallest value.
Place Value Crafts – Firefly Crafts
These firefly craft kits offer both Color and Black & White templates, complete with clear assembly instructions accompanied by helpful images. With a total of 24 pages of templates, you’ll have plenty of options to bring your own unique firefly creation to life.
There are 2 main place value questions types:
- 5 Place Value Forms
- 10 more 10 less, 100 more 100 less
But there are templates without the questions which makes it useful for you to come up with your own questions. This math craft can be used for other subjects, topics, grade levels etc.
Furthermore, there are many ways you can use this firefly craftivity.
- Coloring and drawing
- Bulletin boards
- Door and hallway decorations
- Small group station
- Pair it with a worksheet, activity, or book
- Sub Plans
- Math centers/stations
- Theme: Insect, spring, summer
- Study on the letter f
Place Values Video
Students are always more engaged with animation as they are stimulated with music and visuals.
Educational Video
Place Values For Kids | Ones, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands
Place Value Song
- Place Value Song For Kids | Ones, Tens, & Hundreds | 1st – 3rd Grade
- Place Value Song For Kids | Up To The Millions | 3rd – 5th Grade
Animated Picture Books Read Aloud
One such picture book that you can watch is Place Value By David Adler.
Place Values Digital Task Cards
Here are some more of our practical two digit place value activities:
- Place Value for Second Grade – bundle of 5 decks 3 digits place value
- Place Value to Hundred
Place Value Camping Theme Worksheets
Place value to 10 000 worksheets are of camping theme. This makes it perfect if your students love camping or outdoors. They also make it great as part of summer packet or for camping transformation rooms.
These 20 differentiated worksheets have 10 different types of worksheets. With a variety of worksheets, not only will students be exposed to different types of questions, they will also be engaged!
Furthermore, these no prep printables have a digital option (Easel by TPT) too. This means you can assign online homework if required. No more worries that they lost the papers!
Final Thoughts
Did you find the perfect place value activity for your classroom? Have you decided how do you teach place value in a fun way? Remember, you can make teaching easier by purchasing math resources.
If you also enjoy no prep place value worksheets, you can print them for students to use at home or work on in the classroom!
If you know you will need a variety of place value resources of different digits, grab the Place Value Mega Bundle at 30% off!
The best deal is if I ever add any more new place value resources, they will be added to this bundle, which means you can get them at NO EXTRA COST!
The price of the bundle will increase but if you buy it before that, you can get the new resource for FREE.
So why wait? Grab it now!
Related Read: How To Teach Rounding Numbers To 3rd & 4th Grade Students In 5 Easy Ways
