FREEBIE! Roll to a Ten

A Beginning Place Value Game

It’s that time of the year again– time to begin teaching PLACE VALUE! If you have been reading BMTM for a while, you will have noticed quite a few posts about teaching place value because it is one of my favorite math concepts to teach. I love it because it empowers students to unlock the mystery of big numbers. Today was our first day with place value manipulatives (ones and tens) and I put together this game to help my students understand the value of a one, a ten and how to trade ones for tens. Here is how the game works:

Roll to a Ten: A Beginning Place Value Game

Players: This game can be played by individuals or in pairs.

Materials: Provide students with a plate or tray of ones and tens. You will need at least 9 tens and 15 ones.

Players also need one die.

A Game Mat

(To download game, simply click the image above or download at our Teachers Pay Teachers Store)

How to Play: P1 (player one) rolls the die and places that many ones on the game mat (see photo below). P2 (player 2), then rolls and adds his ones to the mat. When ten ones have been added to the board, the player “swipes” away the ten cubes and trades it for one ten. Any additional ones from previous rolls are then brought down to the ten frame and used in the next round. For example, if there are already 8 ones on the mat and the player rolls a 4, she places 2 ones in the ten frame, and puts the remaining two in the box labeled “place extras here.” After the ones have been swiped away and traded for a ten, the remaining ones from the “place extras here” box are put in the ten frame above.

How long does play last?: The game can stop when one ten is made or when 9 are made. For students who are ready, they can continue the game and trade ten tens for a flat or a hundred.

Graphics Courtesy of:

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