Place value: 3-digit numbers
Worksheet + game · PDF · free
Three-digit numbers add hundreds: hundreds, tens, and ones. In 306, the 3 is three hundreds (300), the 0 holds the tens place with zero tens, and the 6 is six ones. Zero as a placeholder is essential — 306 is not 36. Use a place-value chart and base-ten flats for hundreds. Partition numbers: 306 = 300 + 0 + 6, or 306 = 300 + 6. This supports comparing numbers, rounding, and column addition. Link back to two-digit work: 306 is thirty tens and six ones if you regroup, but standard form keeps hundreds clear.
Worked example
For 306, place 3 hundreds flats, 0 tens rods, and 6 ones cubes on the chart. Say 'three hundred and six', not 'three zero six'. 300 + 6 = 306.
Watch for this
Dropping the zero and reading 306 as 36, or writing three hundred six as 360, shows the tens placeholder is not understood. Point to the empty tens column and say 'zero tens here on purpose.'
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Same facts, played
A short game that drills the same idea after the page is printed.