Place Value is the value of each digit in a number and understanding that the value of a digit can change depending on where it is (its place) in the number. For example, in the number 672 the value of the 6 is 600, the 7 is 70 and the 2 is 2. However, in the number 267, the digit 2 is now 200, the 6 is 60 and the 7 is 7 ones.
This page aims to provide you with all the Year 3 Place Value National Curriculum objectives, along with some guidance for each objective and a range of games and activities that can be used to meet the learning objective in a play-based way.
| National Curriculum Objective | Things to think about … | Playful Learning Games |
| Count from 0 in multiples of 4, 8, 50 and 100 | Children should be able to count forwards and backwards from 0 in 4s, 8s, 50s and 100s. They will also continue to count in multiples of 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s. Children should start to see patterns in numbers. | Broom Dash True or False Multiples |
| Find 10 or 100 more or less than a given number | From year 2, children are used to finding 1 more and 1 less than a given number. Children will need lots of practise in crossing a boundary, e.g. 10 more than 197 is 207. Ensure children practise finding 1, 10 or 100 more than a starting number and not add 1, 10 and then 100. | Multiples of 10 Bowling More or Less Jump |
| Recognise the place value of each digit in a 3-digit number (100s, 10s, 1s) | Ensure children understand that the position of the digit in a number tells us the value of that digit. Experiment with moving the same digit into different places to compare its value. Discuss that we call zero a ‘place holder’ and that is can be placed into any position in a number if it has no value. | Build the Number Place Value Counters |
| Compare and order numbers up to 1,000 | For this objective, children will compare numbers using use the vocabulary more, less, fewer, more than, less than, equal to, equivalent, and the same value as when comparing numbers. They must be able to use the more than (>), less than (<) and equals (=) symbols to compare numbers. Children will also learn to put a selection of numbers between 0 and 1000 in order from smallest to largest or largest to smallest. | Comparing Numbers Splat Biggest Number |
| Identify and represent numbers using different representations Estimate numbers using different representations | Children will use numbers, words, a range of manipulatives, drawings, diagrams, pictures, and symbols to represent numbers. Children will have already represented numbers to 100 in Year 2 but will need to recap this before moving onto representing numbers to 1000. Ensure children have a good understanding of number lines and be able to use them. Teach children that number lines can have different intervals. Children will need support in working out what the number between divisions on a number line could be. | Number Match Find the missing number |
| Read and write numbers up to 1,000 in numerals and in words | Children need to be able to look at numbers and write that in words and also to read numbers written in words and write it in numerals. | Place Value Counters Reading and Writing Numbers Pairs |
| Solve number problems and practical problems involving these ideas. | For all of the objective above, children should be exposed to problem solving and reasoning questions. Ensure children are given full access to a range of resources to use when solving these types of problems. | Place Value Problems (links to other sites) |