Layered Place Value Cards: Ones, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands

This resource is designed to reinforce a deeper understanding of place value and the Base 10 system. By layering cards to create multi-digit numbers, students will build a visual representation of the number. They will quickly see how each digit is assigned a value based on its place in the larger number. For example, in the number 537, they can see that the ‘5’ in the hundreds column is actually ‘500.’ These cards are also great for teaching expanded form! You can easily take 537 apart to see three separate cards: 500, 30, and 7. In my own classroom, I used these cards to display the number of days of school along with straws.

I have included cards for ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands. Each card has the full number (i.e. 80 or 700) in the upper left corner so it can be seen when layered.

Print each value of card on a different color (i.e. ones on yellow, tens on blue, hundreds on green, and thousands on orange) to further distinguish place value. Cut out the cards and have fun exploring the Base 10 system!

Happy Teaching!