Roll to a Ten Game Place Value Game

📝 This post, Roll to a Ten: A Beginning Place Value Game, was originally published in 2013 and has been updated with new information and resources.

It’s that time of the year again– time to begin teaching PLACE VALUE! One of the best ways to build understanding of place value is to give students plenty of hands-on practice with base-ten blocks. 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 teaching place value because it empowers students to unlock the mystery of big numbers. Once they understand that a ten is simply a group of ten ones, everything starts to click.

Today was our first day using place value manipulatives (base ten blocks with ones and tens only), and I put together this simple game to help my students understand the value of a one, the value of a ten, and how to trade ten ones for one ten.

Roll to a Ten: A Beginning Place Value Game

Materials

✔️ one die
✔️ Base ten blocks: ones and tens only
✔️ UPDATED FREE Toll to a Ten Game Mat

How to Play

📝 This game can be played independently or with a partner.

🎲 Player 1 rolls the die and places that many ones in the ones place on the game mat.

🎲 Player 2, then rolls the die and adds his roll to the mat.

🎲 Whenever a player has ten or more ones, they “swipe away” ten cubes and trade them for one ten, placing the ten in the tens column.

For example, if there are already 8 ones on the mat and the next player rolls a 4, they place 2 ones in the ten frame and the remaining 2 ones in the box labeled Place Extras Here. After trading the ten ones for one ten, the extra ones are moved back into the ones place and play continues.

🎲 Continue playing until someone makes one ten. Once students become comfortable with the game, challenge them to play to 50 or even 100!

💡 Teacher Tip: Keep a close eye on students the first few times they play. This game lays the foundation for using base ten blocks correctly and understanding regrouping. A quick check-in while students are playing helps prevent bad habits from forming and builds a much stronger understanding of place value.

💚 Grab the FREE Roll to a Ten Game Place Value Game on TPT here.

Wrapping Up

Roll to a Ten is one of my favorite beginning place value games because it gives students repeated, hands-on practice trading ten ones for one ten. Once they understand that concept, they are ready to tackle larger numbers with confidence.

💚 I’d love to know—what are your favorite ways to introduce place value? Share your ideas in the comments below!

Looking for More Place Activities?

Place Value Activities for Kids

Place Value Flip Book

Place Counting Strips