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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4-Digit Number Riddles Cut and Paste
Use these 4-digit number worksheets to help students practice matching numbers up to 10,000 with their word and expanded forms.
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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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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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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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Thanksgiving Place Value Worksheets for 2nd Grade
Match number, word, and expanded forms of numbers with a fun set of printable Thanksgiving Math worksheets for second grade.
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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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Thanksgiving Color By Number Worksheet - 2nd Grade Place Value
Have some Thanksgiving Math fun with a printable Thanksgiving Color By Number worksheet to practice standard, expanded, word, and base ten forms.
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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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Place Value Paper Turkey Craft
Make a flock of silly turkey crafts and review place value concepts with a printable Place Value Turkey Template!
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Expanded Form Teaching Slides
Teach your students about how to represent numbers in expanded form with this set of engaging teaching slides.
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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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Expanded Form Interactive Task Cards
Explore expanding numbers with your students using these interactive task cards, reviewing numbers in expanded form and place value charts.
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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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Thousands Place Value Number Expander Template
Explore expanding 4 digit numbers with your students using this number expander template.
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The Case of the Missing Football – Estimating Products Escape Activity for 4th Grade
Uncover the identity of the thief who stole the football with a printable estimating products escape room activity.
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Caterpillar Ordering Numbers Worksheet - Dot Day Math Activity
Practice number sequencing and add to your collection of Dot Day activities with a printable caterpillar number-ordering worksheet.
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Rounding to the Nearest 10 Worksheet
Teach your students to round to the nearest 10 with this printable math worksheet designed for 3rd and 4th grade students.
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Exploring 2-Digit Place Value - Teaching Slides
Explore 2-digit numbers using place value strategies with an interactive teaching presentation.
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Ten More, Ten Less Within 100 - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Practice adding and subtracting 10 from given numbers within 100 in this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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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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Math Graphic Organizers - Printable Work Mats
Practice working on specific math concepts with our set of 5 printable math graphic organizers.
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Tens and Ones 2-Digit Place Value Mat
Build two-digit numbers and improve place value skills with a printable tens and ones math mat.
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Rounding Numbers on a Number Line Teaching Slides
Teach students how to round to the nearest ten and hundred with an interactive, explicit instructional teaching presentation.
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Bingo Cards - Rounding Numbers 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
Practice rounding to the nearest ten and hundred on a vertical number line with this set of 36 match-up cards.
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Two Step Word Problems on a Number Line - Place Value Activity
Differentiate place value concepts for 1st and 2nd grade students with a pair of 2-Digit Number Line Task Card Sets.
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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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Sequencing Integers – Task Cards
Demonstrate an understanding of positive and negative numbers by ordering integers with this set of 24 task cards.
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Rounding Numbers - Instructional Slide Deck
Teach the basics of rounding numbers with this engaging and animated PowerPoint.
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Rounding Match-Up Activity
Practice rounding decimals and whole numbers with this match-up activity.
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Number Forms Worksheet
Help students practice recognizing and writing numbers in word form and expanded form with this worksheet.
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Math Mazes (Place Value)
Determine the correct paths through each maze using knowledge of place value.