Place Value Counting Strips

📝 This post, Place Value Counting Strips, was originally published in 2014 and has been updated with new information and resources.

Have you ever heard of Place Value Counting Strips? I had never heard of them until a colleague recently introduced me to them. The minute she showed them to me, I knew I had to make my own version for my classroom. It is a great tool for both struggling learners and those who need a challenge.

Why is Place Value Important?

Place value is one of the most foundational math concepts students learn. Understanding that the position of a digit determines its value is essential for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and beyond. The more hands-on and visual the practice, the better!

Place Value Counting Strips

How do Place Value Counting Strips Help?

Place Value counting strips support students in various ways.

📝 They are concrete and visual representations of numbers.
📝 They help students understand that numbers are made of tens and ones (and higher).
📝 They allow students to compose and decompose numbers.
📝 They allow students to see numbers change as they add or subtract.
📝 They build a strong foundation for addition and subtraction with regrouping!

What’s Included?

The place value counting strips product has two components. The first is the place value counting strips themselves, and the second is a ‘work mat’ for students who need extra support. 

There are 3 versions of counting strips — ones and tens, ones/tens/hundreds, and ones/tens/hundreds/thousands. Choose the version that best fits your individual students!

 This newly updated work mat is where students place the base ten blocks before recording the numbers on their place value counting strip. This offers extra support for students who are still trying to understand the basics of place value.

How to Use the Place Value Strips

Materials Needed
✔️place value counting strips template (see product here)
✔️ pencil
✔️ scissors
✔️ glue
✔️ base ten blocks (ones, tens, hundreds)

📝 Remind students that you can only place ONE DIGIT in each box! This is important!!
📝Not all students will need the base ten blocks to complete this activity. Using the blocks provides students with visual support and allows them to manipulate numbers as they go.
📝 Continue to check in with students as they reach 9, 19, 29, etc., to be sure they are understanding the trade and how to record it properly.

Choose which strips you will be using and print one copy of the page with the base ten blocks on it, and plenty of expansion pages (blank). As students complete one page, they cut out a blank page and glue it together to continue working.

✏️ Students begin by taking one cube and placing it in front of them, then write “1” in the first space in the ones column.  They now have 1 one or 1.

✏️  They then add a second cube and write “2” in the ones column underneath the “1.” They now have 2 ones or 2.

✏️ Students continue adding a cube and recording it in the ones column until they get to 9. 

✏️  This is where things can get tricky for some students.  They will try to add another one to their pile, but realize …but realize that they cannot write “10” in a single box — and that’s when the real learning happens!

✏️  When 9 is reached, students quickly realize they cannot write the number “10” in the spot below the 9 because they can only have one digit in a box.  So they trade the 10 ones they have for a ten, then write a  “1” in the tens column and a “0” in the ones column.  They now have 1 ten and 0 ones or 10. 

✏️  Students continue to build numbers this way, this way until they have reached an agreed upon stopping point- whether it is a time limit or until they reach a certain number. 

Tips for Success

📝 Model the numbers 1-11 before students set off to work on their own.
📝 Be sure to give the correct template to each student. Beginning students should use only the tens and ones template, while students who are ready for more can use the ones, tens, and hundreds template.
📝 Allow students to work in partners. They serve as a check for each other and simply make it more fun. Just be sure both students are doing their part!
📝 Check in! Check in! Check in! It is easy to learn bad habits if not checked right away!

Be warned! Some students LOVE this activity so much and want to see how high they can count. I even had a few kids who had so many papers glued together that they stretched all the way down the hallway!

Extra Support Activity Mat

In the directions above, I  had students pick a cube and place it in front of them, and they had no problem keeping track of their pieces and knowing when it was time to trade to a 10 or 100. Other students are absolutely not ready for this and benefit greatly from additional support. I created the activity mat specifically for those students. Note that the activity mat is only for trading ones and tens. If a student can count higher, the activity mat really shouldn’t be needed. 

Here is how it works.

Instead of placing the place value blocks on the table while working, students use this mat. They add the ones as they go to the mat and record it on the mat. When they reach 10 ones, the visual on the mat reminds them to make a trade for 10 and record it properly on their page.

Download the Place Value Counting Strips Activity Mat for free here!

Place Value Counting Strips are one of those tools that, once you try them, you will never go back! Simple, hands-on, and incredibly effective for all learners.  

To view the full product, click here:

Looking for More Place Value Ideas?

Place Value Pocket

Place Value Primer

Place Value Robots