Decimals and fractions. They are so much fun to learn, and there are so many ways to explore them.

In this digital activity, kids get to focus on decimals and placing decimals on a number line.

These types of activities help children visualize decimals and how they relate to other numbers. It will also help them learn the difference between hundredths and tenths. Placing decimals on a number line has so many benefits.

Note: This is a guest post from Rachel of You’ve Got This Math.

Decimals on a Number Line Digital Activity: Prep-Work

I love Google Slides. If you are trying to lower the cost of printing tons of pages or just need a low prep way to teach a lesson or explore a math concept, utilizing Google Slides is a great option.

There is really only one or two steps and then you’ll have these slides ready to go.

First, you must save your own copy in your personal Google Drive account.

When you download the pdf file, it will include a link to the slides. It should prompt you to make a copy before doing anything else, but if not, make a copy for yourself so you can then share it with students.

Next, if you are working with more than one student, you will want to save a copy for them, or use Google Classroom to assign the sets.

After that, you just have to explain the concept (and maybe do an example together) and then letting your kiddos explore decimals on a number line.

Placing Tenths on the Number Line:

So let’s jump in and give this a try.

In our first example, you can see that we start with one-tenth and end with 1. We can quickly see that we are moving up the number line in increments of one-tenth.

One-tenth (0.1), two-tenths (0.2), three-tenths (0.3) — and the three-tenths is the number that I need to drag down unto the number line. So it will go on the third line.

Placing Hundredths on the Number Line:

Now we change things up a bit. This slide has a few more empty spaces, and you’ll notice that the students are given six-tenths and seven-tenths. This means that the number we are adding to the number line will have a digit in the hundredths place. You can think of the seven-tenths as the same as seventy-hundredths. Therefore the .69 goes one line before the .7.

Now, this final slide we will look at today has children placing tenths on the line when a hundredth has been given. We see that we are given a three-tenths and forty-nine hundredths.

This tells us that we are moving up in increments of one-hundredth.

This means that counting on from 0.3 would be thirty-one hundredths, then thirty-two hundredths, and so on.

But you may notice that our kiddos are asked to put a four-tenths on the number line. Well, four-tenths is equal to forty hundredths. So once they reach forty hundredths, this is where the four-tenths goes. What a great visual for helping children see that these two numbers are equal.

Looking for printable, hands on lessons to add & subtract decimals? Grab my complete Add & Subtract Decimals Resource Collection!

I hope this activity helps you while teaching your children, and also develops a deeper understanding in your children.

{Click HERE to go to my shop and grab the download with a link to the Decimals on a Number Line Digital Activity on Google Slides!}

Rachel is a homeschool mom to four little ones, ages 2 to 6. She is a former public elementary teacher, and has recently begun blogging at her page You’ve Got This. You can also find her on Facebook and Pinterest.

The post Decimals on a Number Line: DIGITAL Activity for Kids appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

My kids always get excited when they see me buy a big ol’ bag of Skittles candy. Why? Because they know it means we’re gearing up for some Skittles math! Although I have shared lots of Skittles math ideas in the past, especially for our little math learners, today I want to share some simple Skittles place value mats so older kids can get in on the fun too. That’s right, math with candy is fun! These place value activities help kids make sense of large numbers, as well as decimal values using Skittles candy. Learn more and grab the free set for yourself below!

*Please Note: This post contains affiliate links which support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure here.*

Materials Needed for Skittles Place Value Practice:

• Fun size bag of Skittles for each student (or a small handful)
• Skittles Place Value Mat of your choice for each student (included in the download)
• “My Skittles Number” place value practice worksheet for each student (included in the download)
• Pencil to record answers

Exploring Large Numbers with Skittles Candy:

The first set of pages focuses on large numbers to the ten thousands place.

To use, each color of Skittles candy represents a different place value. Kids take their handful of candies and sort them on their mat.

These then form a large number, based on how many they have for each place.

Using that value formed by the assortment of Skittles candy pieces, they can complete the “My Skittles Number” worksheet.

They then explore more than/less than questions based on the number they created with their Skittles.

If you’re kids are struggling to visualize or understand the questions, provide additional Skittles candies so that they can add or take away from their mat to see the new number.

Decimal Place Value with Skittles:

The next two place value mats in the download focus on decimal values. The first includes decimals to the hundredths place, while the second includes decimal values to the thousandths place.

They use the mat in the same way: sorting their Skittles by color, and using those colors to represent each place value.

There is then a “My Skittles Number” for each different mat.

Again, if kids are struggling to make sense of the decimal parts, let them add or remove Skittles from their mat to visualize how their number changes when tenths or hundredths are added, for instance.

I hope this provides a fun and unique way to see numbers and practice operations using place value.

If you’re interested in more Skittles math fun in grades 3-5, you might like my complete collection:

• Learn more about hands on Skittles Math HERE | Grades 3-5
• Learn more about the Candy Math BUNDLE HERE | Includes Skittles Math + Chocolate bar fractions for Grades 3-5

Do you need Skittles math for younger grades? Try these FREE activities:

• Skittles Count & Graph
• Skittles Count & Compare
• Skittles Pattern Cards

Grab the Skittles math place value mats from my shop using the link below!

{Click HERE  to go to my shop to grab the FREE Skittles Math Place Value Mats!}

The post {FREE} Skittles Math: Place Value Mats appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

*Please Note: This post contains affiliate links which support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure here.*

This is a guest post from Rachel of You’ve Got This Math.

Compare Decimals Cut & Paste Prep:

I love cut and paste activities. Why? Because the children get to do all the work, not me! And this activity is no exception.

• First, print off one copy per student for pages 3, 5, and 7. You will only need to print off one page per two students for pages 4, 6, and 8.
• Next, provide some glue and scissors.

Now it is time to compare decimals.

How to Compare Decimals

As always, before you begin an activity that is more of an assessment, it is essential that children play with decimals first. Here are a few ways to help children visualize decimals so that they can correctly compare them.

Compare with Base Ten Blocks

Base ten blocks are so easy to use, yet pack a powerful punch when it is time to help children compare decimals. The beauty of base ten blocks is that you can change which block equals one, and now it works for decimals.

Normally, a cube equals one, but if you say the flat equals one-tenth, then the long equals one-hundredth, and the cubes equal one-thousandths.

Let’s try it out.

If I’m comparing 0.446 and 0.46 I would want to build each number. We begin by looking at the first digit which is a four in the tenths place. So I’ll get out four flats.

Next, we move to the second digit, a four in the hundredths place. This means I need four longs.

Finally, we make six-thousandths using six cubes.

Now we want to make the .46. We do this by using four flats to show four-tenths, and six longs to show six hundredths.

And now it is easy to see that .46 is larger than .446.

With these base ten blocks in front of me, it is easy to see that 5.2 is greater than 5.02.

Compare Using Decimal Grids

Do you have a child that likes coloring? Then this method is for them.

For this method, you just provide a 10 by 10 grid and have them color it in to represent the decimal.

Let’s use this to compare 0.03 and 0.3.

We begin by coloring in the three out of the hundred squares – three hundredths.

Next, we color in 3 tenths. That is three ten columns (or thirty out of one hundred).

And when that is done, it’s very clear that 0.03 is less than 0.3.

Compare on a Number Line

Finally, we can compare decimals using a number line. I love number lines because so much number sense is used. So let’s use it is compare 0.210 and 0.22

First, we have to figure out what to start and end our number line with. Since we are comparing numbers that both have two tenths, we can start with two-tenths and end with three-tenths.

Now we want to make our increments go up by hundredths.

And finally, we put our two numbers we are comparing on the number line.

Once again it is easy to see that 0.210 is less than 0.22.

If your children need more help representing decimals with any of these methods, these task cards may help. 

Compare Decimals Cut and Paste Activity

Once children have a good understanding of comparing decimals, it is time for this simple activity.

All our kiddos need to do is solve each expression and then glue it on the chart under the correct wording.

So 0.03 < 0.3 would be placed in the less than column, while 5.2 > 5.02 would end up in the greater than column.

Enjoy comparing decimals!

{Click HERE to go to my shop and grab the FREE Compare Decimals Cut & Paste Sort}

Need more review of decimal operations? You might also like this simple set of maze practice pages! This includes practice with decimal addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and rounding.

Buy Decimal Maze Challenges

You’ve Got This,

Rachel

Rachel is a homeschool mom to four little ones, ages 2 to 6. She is a former public elementary teacher, and has recently begun blogging at her page You’ve Got This. You can also find her on Facebook and Pinterest.

The post Compare Decimals Cut & Paste Sort {FREE!} appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

It is always exciting when we start a new math unit! There is something invigorating about knowing we have completed a chapter, and that its time to learn something new. This new unit introduces my oldest to two new concepts: large numbers up to a million, and understanding decimals. We have had a blast reading about, exploring, and playing games with large numbers and now it is about time to move onto decimals. Like any new concept, it is important to help children model it in order to understand. We will be starting off with a game using a 100 grid, and then moving on to this decimals on a number line game.

Both games are great for teaching modeling decimals and ordering decimals. And they don’t require a lot of prep work.

*Please Note: This post contains affiliate links which help support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure policy here.*

This is a guest post from Rachel at You’ve Got This.

Prep Work for Decimals on a Number Line Game:

1. First, print off two game boards and one set of decimals (included in the download below) on cardstock paper
2. Laminate the game boards and then glue into a file folder or provide a divider for the two players
3. Cut out the decimal cards
4. Provide dry erase markers for each student

How to Play this Decimals Game:

This game is similar to Battleship. The goal is to correctly guess the other player’s decimal value.

To begin, each player draws a decimal card and writes that number on the first number line.

Player one guesses a decimal number between the numbers 0 and 1 to try and determine the other player’s decimal value. Player one then writes the number they guessed on the second number line. (This will help them keep track of their guesses).

Player two writes that number on their first number line and informs player one if the number is larger or smaller than the number they drew.

It’s then player two’s turn. In the same way, they guess a number and write it on their second number line.

Player one then writes the number guessed on their first number line and informs player two if the number is larger or smaller than their decimal.

Players continue to take turns guessing numbers until someone guesses the other player’s decimal.

The first player to guess the correct decimal wins.

Then you can erase your game boards, draw new numbers and play again!

What’s Included in the Decimal Game Download:

This packet includes 4 game boards and corresponding decimal cards.

First Game Board

The first game board has a number line that is labeled with a zero and a one. In between those numbers, the line is divided into nine equal parts, making it easy to move up by tenths. The decimal cards only go to the tenths place value.

This is a great place to start as it is easy to count by tenths using the increments on the number line.

Second Game Board

This game board is exactly the same as the first one, but the decimal cards now are in the hundredths.

A little more thinking is required with this game board, as children must recognize that a number like .23 will be in between .2 and .3.

Third Game Board

Game board three has a new twist to it. There are only three lines in between the one and the zero, and it is a great way to help children connect fractions and decimals.

If children are familiar with fractions and number lines they may quickly recognize that there are four equal parts. And if they recognize that, they will know that the first line is 1/4, the next is 1/2 and the third one is 3/4.

The decimal cards for this game include fourths, such as .25, .5, and .75…allowing for connections to be made between fractions and decimals. Some children may figure this out on their own, and others may need your support in making this connection.

Fourth Game Board

The final game board only has a line for zero, one-half, and one. This really forces students to figure out exactly where their decimals will go, and order them with less support than before.

If your students are ready, have them write the decimal and fraction on their number line to help reinforce a correct ordering of fractions and decimals.

Playing with math games builds connections and is a great way to practice a certain skill over and over.

And best of all, it’s math practice in a fun, non-threatening environment, where kids can feel at ease making mistakes and learning from them.

I hope that your children enjoy their math time with this decimals on a number line game.

Ready to work on adding & subtracting decimals? Explore multiple strategies, play fun games and make sense of decimal values with the Add & Subtract Decimals Resource Collection.

Buy the Complete Decimal Resource HERE

You’ve Got This.

{Click HERE to go to my shop and grab the Decimals on a Number Line Game!}

Want more practice with decimals and mental math? Try this fun card game to work on adding decimals to 1.

Rachel is a homeschool mom to four little ones, ages 2 to 6. She is a former public elementary teacher, and has recently begun blogging at her page You’ve Got This. You can also find her on Facebook and Pinterest.

The post Decimals on a Number Line Game that Kids LOVE! appeared first on Math Geek Mama.