Place value can be one of the more challenging, but basic concepts for kids to understand, which is why it's important to introduce it in order from concrete to abstract - and in a variety of fun ways.
Place value games are games that introduce and/or reinforce a child's understanding that a digit's place in a number affects its value. For example, the digit "2" in the number 325 represents 20, not 2.
Playing educational games is the most effective way to help students understand how to arrive at the correct answer. Interactive games are great for reinforcing a child's knowledge of the place-value concept and hands-on place value activities are great for independent learning.
Here are some fun and creative place value games that will help students enhance their math skills to understand this concept in a meaningful way and make learning place value a less confusing concept.
1. Place Value Pirates
Place Value Pirates is a fun activity that is great for 1st grade math on into the 2nd grade. This free printable activity can be played independently or as different variations of interactive games.
Learn more: Math Geek Mama
2. Place Value Stomping Game
This is a fun and easy-to-set-up place value game for kids that involves their whole bodies. This DIY game is adaptable to different learning levels, which is great.
Active math games are great for getting students up and moving.
Learn more: Creekside Learning
3. Learning Place Value with Beads
This is a fun place value game that can be played alone or in pairs. Students can take turns rolling a ten-sided die and then adding beads to gain a deeper understanding of 10 ones being the same as a single unit of 10.
Learn more: Mrs. T’s First Grade Class
4. Three Little Pigs Place Value Game
Making house from base-10 blocks is a creative math game that plays off the classic children's tale, The Three Little Pigs. In addition to learning place value, students also learn about even and odd numbers.
Learn more: The Lemonade Stand Teacher
5. Roll the Dice
Rolling dice onto a page of place value graphics is a fun and easy way for kids to learn place values. This is a perfect game for reinforcing math concepts after a child has worked with hands-on materials, like tangible base-10 blocks.
Learn more: Lory’s 2nd Grade Skills
6. Place Value Marshmallow Towers
What could be a more fun place value game for kids than one involving marshmallows and Fruit Loops?
Learn more: Gingersnap Treats for Teachers
7. Place Value Pizzaria
Using a pie graph (pizza pie, in this case) you can teach children that numbers can have multiple representations. This is a fun game that can be adapted to all levels of learning.
Learn more: 2nd Grade Ponderings
8. Place Value Sliders
Place value sliders are a fun way to supplement place value textbook learning for kids. This place value game can be laminated and enjoyed again and again.
Learn more: The Teaching Nest
9. Place Value Board Game
This is a fun and interactive place value game for kids. Using task cards and a game board, a child's understanding of place values is reinforced.
Learn more: The Measured Mom
10. The Dot Game
The Dot Game is one of the fun kindergarten math games that can be introduced after a child has worked extensively with mathematic manipulatives. This material uses a place-value chart for kids to practice dynamic and static math equations.
Learn more: Wonderful Montessori
11. Composition of Quantities
Montessori math materials are perfect for preschool math activities. Composing quantities using golden beads, children learn how individual digits come together to back base-10 blocks.
Those base-10 blocks can then be manipulated to form a hundreds digit.
Learn more: Carrots are Orange
12. Circular Tray Place Value Game
Using math manipulatives, number cards, and an inexpensive circular tray, you can create a variety of place value games for kids.
Learn more: Where the Magic Happens Teaching
13. Fishing for Place Values
Fishing for Place Values is a place value game that has kids fish for base ten blocks and tally up the product of their catch.
Learn more: Teach Starter
14. Cup Stacking
This is such a simple, but creative place value game. In this cup-stacking place value game, students build pyramids to earn points while learning about place values.
Learn more: Runde’s Room
15. Building Numbers
Hands-on lessons to introduce the place-value concept are important. In this building numbers game, students get a chance to construct quantities from number cards.
Learn more: The Kindergarten Smorgasboard
16. Place Value Pasta
Learning about place value by using colored pasta is one of the most fun preschool math activities. Manipulating fun-colored pasta noodles is a great way to help kids form an understanding of this all-important concept.
Learn more: Playground Park Bench
17. Place Value Scavenger Hunt
With a place value scavenger hunt, kids have to search around the room for numbers. They can use magazines, books, newspapers, or anything else they can find.
Learn more: Runde’s Room
18. Place Value Toss Game
This is a fun 2 player place value game that can be set up inexpensively, using mostly items you likely already have on hand. There are also some creative variations of this game to try.
Learn more: Learning Ideas Grades K-8
19. Place Value Math Circle
A great way to teach kids place value is to get them moving around and using their bodies. A Place Value Math Circle is a great way to do this.
Learn more: Runde’s Room
20. Place Value Snake
Making a snake from cardboard to teach children about place values is easy and fun. All it takes is a strip of paper and a marker. For younger children, you can make it more interesting by adding features of a real snake.
Learn more: E is for Explore
21. I Have..Who Has?
The I Have...Who Has? game is very simple and fun. It gets kids interacting with each other while reinforcing their understanding of place values.
Learn more: Teacher Mama
22. Finding Place Value in Nature
Finding place value in nature is great for the playground environment at school or for homeschooling parents, as it's highly adaptable to the child's immediate surroundings.
It also teaches students that math concepts can be found anywhere and everywhere.
Learn more: Gryphon House
23. Place Value Flip Book
When students are first introduced to digit values, they are typically confined to working with one or two-digit numbers. When written numbers are combined with hands-on materials, though, there's no need to limit the size of the numbers.
A Place Value Flip Book lets young students have the chance to work with very large numbers, which is always exciting.
Learn more: Education.com
24. Base Ten Counters
Teaching children that different items can be used as math manipulatives helps develop their mathematical minds so they can see math everywhere they look.
Learn more: Entirely at Home
25. Last Number Standing
This is a great place value game that gets kids up from their desks and having fun. The teacher calls out place value amounts until there is only one student left standing - incredibly fun.
Learn more: Primary Theme Park
26. Place Value Snacks
Snack time is a great opportunity to work in place value games. Using mini marshmallows as units, pretzel sticks as tens, and soda crackers as 100s you can create a fun place value game.
Learn more: Amy Lemons
27. Place Value Ice Cream Match
This is a great place value game for when the weather is warm. It can be introduced in a summer-themed learning unit or as a stand-alone activity.
Learn more: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
28. Montessori Stamp Cards
Montessori math is an effective method that focuses heavily on incorporating the decimal system and place value work throughout the activities. These stamp cards are a fun take on traditional Montessori materials.
Learn more: Dingoden
29. Place Value Robot
This is a fun way for kids to play with the concept of place value. Students get to construct a robot while learning about units, tens, and hundreds.
Learn more: No Time for Flashcards
30. Tens and Ones Bingo
This is a fun place value game that is great for the classroom, as it can be played in large groups. It comes with a variety of calling cards that can be used for different age groups.
Learn more: Down Under Teacher
31. Don't Spill the Beans
Don't Spill the Beans is a fantastic way to introduce the concept of place value. It uses beans as the manipulative, which is great for developing fine motor skills, as well.
Learn more: Kindergarten Crayons
32. Apple Picking Place Value
Learning place value through real-life experiences is unique and exciting for kids. This apple picking game/place-value chart is wonderful for the Fall season when students are returning to school, to reinforce their understanding of place value.
Learn more: Waldorf Moraine
33. Mystery Puzzles
This series of fun puzzle games is a fun, hands-on take on some of the online base ten learning games.
Learn more: The Moffatt Girls
34. Owl Spinner
These owl spinners have students spin both the dials and record the numbers in a grid. This game is great for students who have worked with manipulatives and are ready to move into more abstraction.
Learn more: The Moffatt Girls
35. Place Value Super Powers
Living in the era of technology has its benefits. When students have worked with base-ten manipulatives, Primary Theme Park has a fun place value game that will help them cement their understanding of place values.
Learn more: Primary Theme Park
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you teach place value in a fun way?
There are so many fun ways to teach place value. Introducing place value using colorful manipulatives gets kids interested in learning more about it.
Why do students struggle with place value?
Students, especially young students, struggle with place value because it's a bit of an abstract concept. When it's introduced in concrete ways, though, children struggle less with it.
How do you introduce place value?
Place value should be introduced early on in a child's academic career and in a hands-on, fun way. Place value games are a great way to accomplish this.
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