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 4 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 in multiples of 6, 7, 9, 25 and 1,000 | Children should be able to count forwards and backwards from 0 in multiples of 6, 7, 9, 25, and 1000, including all the multiples they have learned in previous years. Children should start to see patterns in numbers. | Clock Multiples Broom Dash |
| Find 1,000 more or less than a given number | From year 3, children are used to finding 1, 10 or 100 more and less than a given number. Children are taught to count up or down in 1000s, starting from any number from 0 to 10,000. For example: 365, 1365, 2365, 3365. It’s important to recap finding 1, 10 and 100 more or less than a given number before introducing finding 1000 more or less. Base 10, place value counters and regular counters are a good resource to use for this learning objective. | Biggest Number More or Less Jump |
| Count backwards through 0 to include negative numbers | This is the first introduction to negative numbers so lots of visuals of where negative numbers are found would work well. Children will be expected to include negative numbers as they count forwards and backwards. | Start at Zero The Heat is On |
| Recognise the place value of each digit in a four-digit number (1,000s, 100s, 10s, and 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. Children will be expected to know how many thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones there are in any four-digit number. | Build the Number Place Value Dice |
| Order and compare numbers beyond 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 beyond 1000 in order from smallest to largest or largest to smallest. | Missing Numbers 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 1000 in Year 3 but will need to recap this before moving onto numbers beyond 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 Magic Numbers |
| Round any number to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000 | This is the first time that children are introduced to rouding. They will learn to round numbers up or down to the nearest 10, 100, or 1000, starting with rounding to the nearest 10. Start by focussing on 2 digit numbers and then move to 3 digits and beyond. Number lines are a good resource to use when rounding. | Rounding Cups Rounding Shove Ha’Penny |
| Solve number and practical problems that involve all of the above and with increasingly large positive numbers. | 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 websites) |
| Read Roman numerals to 100 (I to C) and know that over time, the numeral system changed to include the concept of 0 and place value. | Children are introduced to Roman numerals from 1 to 100 (or I to C) for the first time. They will learn how and why our number system has changed over time. Children will explore the similarities and differences between the Roman number system and our number system, including understanding that the Roman system does not have a zero and does not use placeholders. | Roman Numerals Nine Men’s Morris Playdoh Roman Numerals |