How To Help Young Children Make Numbers Meaningful With Place Value Activities

11/9/2025

Do you remember when your kids first started learning to count? At that stage, it was all about saying the numbers in order, “one, two, three…” but they didn't really understand what those numbers meant yet. The same thing can happen later when we start working with bigger numbers. Children might be able to read and write them, but that doesn’t mean they truly understand what each digit represents.

That’s where activities that focus on representing numbers in different ways make all the difference. When children learn to represent a number using standard notation, base ten blocks, expanded notation, and number words, they begin to see how all the pieces fit together. These experiences build a strong foundation for number sense, which carries over into every area of math.

Hands On Place Value Practice

Base ten blocks are one of the best tools for helping children visualize what a number is really made of. When they build 243, they can see that it’s 2 hundreds, 4 tens, and 3 ones. That’s when the concept of place value begins to click. The position of each digit really does matter!

You can also give them extra practice at home or in independent centers with my Base Ten Blocks Printable And Portable For Place Value Activities And Games, a printable version that’s perfect when real manipulatives aren’t available.

My Place Value Games and Activities for Representing Numbers in Different Ways includes hands-on tasks that kids can use to build, write, and compare numbers using base ten blocks, expanded notation, and number words. It works beautifully for centers or small group instruction.

To learn more about this resource, check out this blog post. It includes a video that explains how to use it.

Representing Numbers Through the Seasons

Keeping math centers fresh is easy when you tie in a seasonal theme. A small visual change can make the same skill feel brand new!

In the fall, Place Value Turkeys Task Cards: Working With Expanded Notation help children break numbers into hundreds, tens, and ones while having fun with a Thanksgiving theme.

When winter rolls around, try Snowflake Place Value Activities for a cool way to review number forms. Kids love seeing numbers represented in snowflake models as they build, write, and expand them.

Then, as the holidays approach, the Holiday Lights Place Value Task Cards bring a little sparkle to your math centers while reinforcing standard and expanded notation.

place value activities for different seasons

Connecting Number Words, Symbols, and Models

Reading and writing number words can be tricky for young learners. Matching “thirty-five” to 35, or writing it after building it with base ten blocks, helps them make those important connections between what they see, say, and write.

You can mix and match your resources to include number words in small group lessons, task card rotations, or quick warm-ups. The more ways children see numbers represented, the stronger their overall understanding becomes.

My Numbers and Number Words 1–100 Holidays and Seasons Bundle provides seasonal activities for every time of year, giving kids repeated exposure to number words and symbols in fun, meaningful ways.

Encouraging Number Sense Every Day

Developing number sense is a gradual process built through daily exploration and meaningful practice. The more opportunities children have to represent numbers in many ways, using manipulatives, task cards, games, and themed activities, the deeper their understanding grows.

When they realize that numbers can be written, built, read, and expanded in many ways, they stop memorizing and start understanding. That’s when the real learning happens.

Here's a list of my resources, all in one place, to support your place value lessons:
Place Value Games and Activities for Representing Numbers in Different Ways
Place Value Turkeys Task Cards: Working With Expanded Notation
Snowflake Place Value Activities
Holiday Lights Place Value Task Cards
Numbers and Number Words 1–100 Holidays and Seasons Bundle
Portable Base Ten Blocks
Themed Place Value Practice