If you’re searching for engaging and hands-on base ten activities for your first grade classroom, you’ll love our Place Value Stacking Cups. This interactive activity uses number-labeled cups and base ten block visuals to help students understand tens and ones in a way that’s both visual and tactile. Teaching place value doesn’t have to be boring — in fact, it can be stacked with fun!
Be sure to check out 20 Most Popular Place Value Games and Printables after you grab these stacking cups!
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Place Value Stacking Cups are a classroom activity designed to build foundational number sense. Students are given a set of paper cups labeled with different two-digit numbers. Using printable task cards with base ten block illustrations (representing tens and ones), students match the correct number to the image — then stack the corresponding cup in the correct position to match the picture.
I recommend using these cups to meet 1st grade math standard: 1.NBT.B.2: Understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens and ones and subsequent place value standards. The cups can also be used with kindergarten and early second grade.
This activity not only reinforces counting and number identification but also strengthens your students’ understanding of the base ten system. And let’s face it, anything involving stacking cups is an instant win in the classroom!
Simple setup, powerful learning.
Base ten activities are essential for developing number sense in the early grades, but they don’t have to be repetitive or worksheet-heavy. Our Place Value Stacking Cups bring a new level of excitement to place value practice and make math centers something your students look forward to.
Ready to stack up the learning? Grab your Place Value Stacking Cups below! Bundle to save.
If your students love Place Value Stacking Cups, don’t stop there. We’ve created a whole series of cup stacking resources that turn skill practice into exciting, interactive play:
Each one is designed with the same hands-on, stackable format that makes learning stick. Fun fact: the addition and subtraction sets use the SAME CUPS. So the prep is halved!
If you're looking for place value game printables, you've come to the right place! Place value is a foundational math concept that helps students understand how numbers work, and making it fun through games can significantly enhance comprehension and retention. All of these games will be base ten activities perfect for kindergarten and first grade that focus on tens, one, and sometimes hundreds.
In this post, we’ll cover:
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Place value refers to the value of each digit in a number based on its position. For example, in the number 3,482, the digit 3 represents 3,000 because it is in the thousands place, while the 8 represents 80 because it is in the tens place. Kids usually are introduced to place value in first grade.
Understanding place value helps children:
When we say "base ten activities" we mean that our number system is organized into groups of 10's and ones. As we get into higher numbers, they're still grouped into groups of 10, like ten 10's is one hundred. Kids are learning to manipulate our base ten number system when they learn place value.
Teaching place value should be hands-on, visual, and interactive. To really build number sense and engage children in learning, I recommend using any of the super fun place value game printables listed in this article.
Here are some tips to ensure success:
Place value is covered in several Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for mathematics. Some key standards include:
These standards emphasize understanding the structure of numbers and lay the groundwork for future math success. How? Well, if kids can break down larger numbers into their easier to manipulate parts, they're going to be able to do mental math of all kinds: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Place value knowledge allows us to build number sense strategies that go beyond the common arithmetic algorithm, so that kids can solve problems with more algebraic solutions. For example, we used to solve a problem like this 85+26 by stacking the numbers, adding the ones, carrying the ten, and then writing the number of tens and ones. This does use some place value knowledge. However, in today's world, kids are encourage to really break down the numbers. The ones in this math problem add up to 11 or 10+1. The tens add up to 100. We can easily solve the problem in our head of 100 + 10 + 1 = 11 with knowledge of place value!
Here’s a list of fun, teacher-approved, and printable place value games for first grade students using objects/manipulatives you most likely have around the house or classroom. Most of these games have printables that go with them, but some can be played with just materials and a white board! Many games can be played as early as kindergarten and late as second grade.
Our newest STEM cup stacking challenge featuring place value. These place value printables are a game kids BEG to play. All you need are paper cups, a few minutes to print your challenge sheets and write those numbers on your cups. Then you have instant differentiated place value games for a whole group of learners. This would be an epic math center game.
Looking for more math stacking cups? Look no further than our addition stacking cups, and subtraction stacking cups.
Print and laminate our super Kawaii place value mats and number flashcards. Each card has an order for a Kawaii food that the kids break down on their mat, like in the sample below.
These little 9 squares are a fun puzzle came that teach children to work with place value as they add and subtract to find the missing numbers. When I do these with our students, I always recommend they imagine they're looking at 9 squares of a hundreds chart. You can even make them into more shapes to increase difficulty.
Bust out those base ten blocks: hundreds, tens, and ones and have children build their own little monster. It can be a human, robot, animal, or totally new creation. After they build, they'll total all the blocks to find their monster's value. Grab your free download, original printable by forwardwithfun.com.
Download this printable place value hundred's chart from Tim's Printables. Choose a mystery number and write it down in a secret location. Have kids ask yes/no questions that involve place value to eliminate options until they've found the number.
Just like typical war, use a stack of playing cards but divide it into 4 equal piles instead of 2. Use numbers Ace (as one) through 10 only. Players sit across from each other. Each turn they pick 2 cards and make the largest number they can out of those numbers. The player with the largest number wins the round. For kids in 2nd grade or above, they can advance this place value game by having to choose 3 cards at a time!
You'll need 2-3 dice per child for this game. For 1-2 grade, use 2 dice. Kids will roll their dice and use the numbers to create a two or three digit number. First they'll write the number down, then they'll need to build it on their table with base ten blocks. Once they've completed all the spots, they win! If you don't have dice, they can also use UNO cards! Kids can record their numbers on a white board or make a quick list without needing to print anything!
Write the number 10 in a square and then draw 10 smaller squares next to it. Call out a number and have kids jump on the 10 and one's to represent that number. They can jump multiple times on the big ten to represent multiple tens. For example for 54, kids would jump on the 10 spot 5 times and then jump on 4 of the smaller squares to represent the ones.
This place value game by the Pedalogical Pickle is perfect for first and early second grade. I've seen a ton of place value bingos out there, but these cards show either a visual picture of tens and ones or say __ tens and __ ones. Perfect!
Chutes and Ladders is an excellent game for kindergarten through second grade because kids work with numbers 1-100, and they need to keep track of where they are on the board which is NOT linear.
In the place value game version of Chutes and Ladders, you spin the spinner, move up to your spot and then say out loud how many tens and ones make up that number. If the player cannot say the correct number of tens and ones, they need to go back to their original spot (unless they landed on a chute!)
Set up task cards around the room with different place value challenges. This FREE place value printable game by First Grade Bangs is so easy to prep. Print out the place value cards, tape them around the room, and have the kids each find and stand in front of one. They have a short time to write the number represented by the picture card and then you call out "Scoot!" When they hear that word, kids must move to another card spot where there is no other student standing while they write their next number.
Again you'll need this printable place value hundreds chart from Tim's Printables and one die (or two to make it go faster). This game can be played with tens and one blocks or with unifix cubes which will fit better.
I love playing "I have, Who has" games with my class, because the kids are all so locked in and have their focused faces on. I found this excellent base ten version by Primary Delight on TPT that is easy to make more difficult as the kids get better place value games. Give each kids 1 or more cards, and the starter asks "I have (the number on the top of the card)" then reads, "Who has (the number on the bottom of the card)?" To make it harder, give each kid more cards or time the class and beat your time!
Jaw dropping genius from in2teaching on TPT, with a printable battleship game that teaches place value. Seriously, kids don't even know they're learning. They're so caught up in the excitement of the game and only become place value masters as a byproduct of having fun.
All you need are flash cards for this STUDENT made game.
Again, all you need are flashcards for this classroom game, best played with groups of 5 or more. Tape a flashcard with a number from 10-99 on each students back. You can even use the cute kawaii food flashcards from game number two. Kids have to go around the room, asking one question of each other at a time. All questions must have to do with tens and ones until they accurately guess the number on their back.
Some questions that can be asked...
Reveal a number written on a white board (either in the tens or hundreds for older kids) and kids must build it faster than the other child using manipulatives. When playing with a whole class of kids, instead of facing off, there can be a timer (between 10-20 seconds) where the children have to build the number. Base ten blocks are excellent for this game, but you can also use straws in bundles of tens and single straws.
To place place value hangman game, you'll start off like you're playing regular hangman. Choose a number and write a _ for each missing digit. I recommend starting with no more than 3 spaces.
Kids will ask questions like "Is the ones digit more than 4?" If the answer to the question is yes, no body part is drawn on the "hangman." If the answer is no, a body part is drawn. Include a "clue box" to keep track of what is asked. For example, for the above question, the clue box would say "ones place >4." Continue asking questions till the number is guessed or the hangman is complete!
Kids build their names out of tens and ones blocks, then total them up to find their name's total worth-at least the worth of all those blocks! Kids will use their knowledge of tens and ones to calculate a large number, rather than adding up by ones. What's interesting is how kids will keep track of everything on their own. I give them post-its and nothing else. Will they organize it by letter and add up, or by tens and ones? It'll be fun to find out.
In this post we explored ones, tens, and finally the number 100 for the 100th day of our COVID quarantine. Before this, 100 seemed like such a big number, but after, my kiddo understood that 100 is just ten groups of 10. This epiphany is the basis of understanding place value.
Printable place value games are an excellent way to make math meaningful and enjoyable for young learners. Whether you're aligning with Common Core standards or just want to reinforce math skills at home or in class, these activities offer hands-on practice that kids love.
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