When teaching place value, a good visual can make a huge difference. That’s why we’ve created this printable place value game.
This colorful printable is a great way to teach place value to your elementary math students. You can download it as-is to use as a worksheet. However we recommend turning it into a game by combining it with a weekly pill box. We’re calling this game Place Value Shake-Up.
You can download the printable in color here. It’s also available in black and white . Take a look at the video to see how we made the game and get the instructions below.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xSmlO1zI8Y[/embedyt]
Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!
What You Need
- Pill box
- 10-sided dice
- Tape or glue
- Place value printable
What to Do
Step 1
Cut out the individual place value markers from our printable.
Step 2
Attach the place value markers onto your pill box using glue, tape, or your other favorite adhesive. Make sure they are really on there. You don’t want them flying off when it’s time to shake.
Step 3
Add your 10-sided dice. We like using these dice because it makes for a better and more accurate math experience, but 6-sided dice will work, too.
Step 4
Make sure the lids are secure and then shake! After students finish shaking, have them open the lids and write down their results on a piece of paper.
This is a great way to practice place value at a math center or in small groups. However, if you want to turn it into a classroom game, here are a couple of ideas.
Place Value Games
First, divide your students into four or five different teams and then give them a goal to reach. For instance, maybe you’re challenging them to reach 20 million. For this game, students will take turns shaking the pill box. Each time they get a new number, have them keep a running total. Groups should keep going until they hit 20 million. Along the way, make sure they are reading the numbers out loud to the group so they are really practicing identifying and saying each place value spot.
Another idea for a game is to turn this into a memory matching game. For this one, you can lose the pill box. Just cut out two copies of the value markers from the printable and write down a number on each one. You’ll want to make sure your numbers match. So if you have a 7 on the hundreds spot on one marker, you should have a 7 on the matching marker. Once you have all the places marked, turn them face down and let students play! As they find matches, make sure they put them in the correct order. This is a good matching skills game that allows students to learn place value at the same time.
Download the printable in color.
Download the printable in black and white.
What are your ideas for practicing place value? Do you have a favorite printable you love to use? Come and share with other teachers on our WeAreTeachers Chat group on Facebook.
Plus, a way to practice math using ping-pong balls.
