Place Value Made Fun with Base Ten Block Robots

Place Value Robots Activity

📝 This post, Place Value Robots, was originally published in 2017 and has been updated with new information and resources.

This may be one of the biggest hits in my classroom—every year! Place Value Robots gives students a chance to practice place value while also being creative, which is one of the things I love most about this activity.

Students use base ten blocks to create a robot, dinosaur, person, or just about any creature they can imagine. Then they determine the value of their creation and represent that number in expanded notation.

I especially like this activity because it is easy to differentiate. Students who are still developing their understanding of place value can work with smaller numbers, while students who are ready for a challenge can create larger numbers or work with additional place values.

💚 Grab the FREE Place Value Robots Activity on TpT

What You Need

You only need a few materials:

✔️ black construction paper (or another dark color)
✔️ glue
✔️ scissors
✔️ FREE Place Value Robot templates

To prepare, print the Robot Place Value Activity Templates and expanded notation page. I always print a few extra copies just in case someone needs them!

Directions for the Place Value Robots

Have students use the base ten block pieces to create a place value creature. It can be a robot, dinosaur, person, animal—anything they can imagine!

There is just one important rule: students may not use more than 9 of any one base ten block.

Before students begin, talk about why this rule matters. What happens when we have 10 ones? What about 10 tens? This is a great opportunity to reinforce the idea that 10 of one place can be regrouped as 1 of the next place.

Once students have finished creating their creature, have them glue the pieces onto the dark construction paper.

Next, students determine the value of their creation and complete the expanded notation page. Glue the completed page alongside the creature.

Extend the Place Value Learning

Once everyone has finished, bring the class together to share and compare their creations.

Which place value creature has the greatest value? Which has the least? Do any of the creatures have the same value even though they look completely different?

This activity also works really well as an informal assessment. As students create, count, and record their numbers, you can quickly see who understands the value of each base ten block, who understands expanded notation, and who may need a little more support.

After we finished sharing and discussing our creations, I hung them on the bulletin board outside our classroom. They were a huge hit with parents and other teachers who walked by!