Place value for kids: ones, tens, hundreds and beyond
Place value means a digit is worth more or less depending on where it stands. In 352, the 3 means 3 hundreds (300), the 5 means 5 tens (50) and the 2 means 2 ones.
Children build this idea year by year: tens and ones in Classes 1 and 2, hundreds in Class 3, thousands in Class 4 and the Indian place value chart up to one lakh in Class 5.
Class 1: Numbers up to 99
Learn to count, read, write and compare numbers up to 99 with tens and ones.
- Tens and ones: Group objects into bundles of ten and leftover ones. Children make bundles of sticks, count tens and ones, and record as '3 tens and 4 ones'.
- Counting in tens: Count forward and backward in tens from any multiple of ten up to 90. Children use bundles of ten and a number line to see the pattern.
Class 2: Numbers up to 100
Learn about numbers up to 100: tens and ones, comparing, ordering, and odd-even!
- Tens and Ones: Group objects into tens and ones to count up to 100. Use bundles of 10 straws and loose ones. Represent numbers with base-10 blocks and a place value chart (T O).
- Expanded Form and Place Value: Write a two-digit number as the sum of its tens and ones (47 = 40 + 7). State the value of each digit.
Class 3: Numbers up to 999
Build, read, write and compare numbers up to 999 with hundreds, tens and ones.
- Making a hundred: Ten tens make one hundred. Children bundle ten ten-rods into one hundred-block, count 10, 20 ... 100, and see 100 written.
- Hundreds, tens and ones: Build and name three-digit numbers from hundred-blocks, ten-rods and unit cubes, and record them in a place value chart (H T O).
- Expanded form and place value: Split a three-digit number into hundreds + tens + ones (482 = 400 + 80 + 2) and tell the value of each digit.
Class 4: Numbers up to 9999
Build, read, write, compare and round numbers up to 9999 with thousands, hundreds, tens and ones.
- Making a thousand: Ten hundreds make one thousand. Children bundle ten hundred-blocks into one thousand-cube, count 100, 200 ... 1000, and see 1000 written.
- Thousands, hundreds, tens and ones: Build and name four-digit numbers from thousand-cubes, hundred-blocks, ten-rods and unit cubes, and record them in a place value chart (Th H T O).
- Expanded form and place value: Split a four-digit number into thousands + hundreds + tens + ones (4823 = 4000 + 800 + 20 + 3) and tell the value of each digit.
Class 5: Numbers up to One Lakh
Read, write, compare and round numbers up to 1,00,000 with Indian commas.
- Indian place value chart: Introduce the Indian place value chart up to lakhs. Children learn the periods (ones, thousands, lakhs) and the places within each period. They read and write numbers up to 1,00,000 with commas.
- Expanded form and place value: Split a number up to 1,00,000 into its place value parts and tell the value of each digit. Convert expanded form back to standard form.
How to practise at home
- Bundle sticks or straws in tens with a rubber band; ten bundles of ten make a hundred.
- Use ₹1, ₹10 and ₹100 notes or coins to show ones, tens and hundreds.
- Ask “What is the 4 worth in 347?” (40), not only “Which digit is in the tens place?”
- Watch zero: in 305 there are no tens, and the 0 keeps the tens place empty.
Common mistakes to watch for
- A bundle of 10 sticks is counted as 1, not 10.
- Count the sticks inside the bundle: 1, 2, 3 ... 10. The bundle is ten.
- Counting in tens means adding 1 to the tens digit: 30, 40, 50 is wrong because 30+10=40, not 30+1.
- When we count in tens, the ones digit stays 0. 30, 40, 50, 60.
- 47 is 'four and seven' instead of 'forty-seven'.
- Use the place value chart: 4 tens means 40, so 4 tens and 7 ones is forty-seven.
- The value of the digit 4 in 47 is 4, not 40.
- Use blocks: 4 ten-rods are 40. So the 4 is worth 40.
- 100 is 'ten and zero and zero', three separate things rather than one hundred.
- Bundle ten tens and count the bundle as 'one hundred'. Say '1 hundred, 0 tens, 0 ones'.
- Zero in the middle can be dropped: 306 is written as 36.
- Use the H T O chart; every column needs a digit. 0 tens still needs a 0.
- 1000 is 'one and zero and zero and zero', four separate things rather than one thousand.
- Bundle ten hundreds and count the bundle as 'one thousand'. Say '1 thousand, 0 hundreds, 0 tens, 0 ones'.
- Zero in the middle can be dropped: 3067 is written as 367.
- Use the Th H T O chart; every column needs a digit. 0 hundreds still needs a 0.
- Commas are placed every three digits from the right (international system), so 100000 is written as 100,000.
- In the Indian system, we group the last three digits (hundreds, tens, ones), then the next two (thousands, ten-thousands), then the next (lakhs). So 1,00,000.
- The place value of a digit is the digit itself: in 45,678 the 5 is worth 5.
- Point to the 5 in the thousands column. It stands for 5,000.
Try this at home
- Class 1: Bundle 34 sticks: make 3 bundles of 10, 4 sticks are loose → '3 tens and 4 ones'
- Class 1: Count forward in tens from 10
- Class 2: Group a set of objects into tens and ones and count
- Class 2: Write expanded form for a given number
- Class 3: Bundle 10 ten-rods into a hundred-block and record 100
- Class 3: Blocks to number: 2 hundred-blocks, 4 ten-rods, 7 cubes → 247
- Class 4: Bundle 10 hundred-blocks into a thousand-cube and record 1000
- Class 4: Blocks to number: 2 thousand-cubes, 4 hundred-blocks, 7 ten-rods, 3 cubes → 2473
- Class 5: Place a number in the chart and read it
- Class 5: Number → expanded form with place value chart
Quick questions to ask aloud
Let your child answer before you open the answer.
- Riya has 2 bundles of 10 sticks and 3 loose sticks. How many tens does she have? (2 / 3 / 23)
Show answer
Each bundle is one ten. Riya has 2 bundles, so she has 2 tens. - Riya has 3 bundles of 10 straws and 5 loose straws. How many straws does she have? (35 / 53 / 8)
Show answer
3 bundles of 10 is 30. 30 and 5 more is 35. - How many tens make one hundred? (10 / 100 / 1)
Show answer
Count the ten-rods: 10, 20, 30 ... 100. Ten tens make one hundred. - How many hundreds make one thousand? (10 / 100 / 1)
Show answer
Count the hundred-blocks: 100, 200, 300 ... 1000. Ten hundreds make one thousand. - How is 1,00,000 read in the Indian system? (One lakh / One hundred thousand / Ten thousand / One thousand)
Show answer
One lakh. In the Indian system, 1,00,000 is called one lakh.
More help
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between place value and face value?
Face value is the digit itself. Place value is what the digit is worth where it stands. In 352, the face value of 5 is 5 and its place value is 50.
How do I explain place value to my child?
Use bundles: ten loose sticks make one bundle of ten, and ten bundles make one hundred. Then write the number and match each digit to its bundles.
In which class do children learn place value?
Class 1: Numbers up to 99; Class 2: Numbers up to 100; Class 3: Numbers up to 999; Class 4: Numbers up to 9999; Class 5: Numbers up to One Lakh. Each of these units is free on MangoMindz.
Is there a free app to practise place value?
Yes. MangoMindz is free and has no ads. Every unit listed here (Classes 1–5) has picture lessons read aloud, quick checks and a quiz, and parents can follow progress on a PIN-protected dashboard. No credit card is needed.