🎛️ Place Value Builder

About this tool

Place Value Builder lets students build any number from 2 to 5 digits by turning each digit up or down. As they change a digit, the number, its name in words and its expanded form all update together, so students can see how changing one digit changes the value of the whole number.

Best for: Years 2 to 4

How to use it

1. Choose how many digits to work with.
2. Use the arrows (or click the top or bottom half of a digit) to change it.
3. Watch the number in words and the expanded form update.
4. Switch between 123 form (300 + 50 + 2) and words form (3 hundreds + 5 tens + 2 ones).

Teaching tips

• Ask "What happens to the number if I make the tens digit one bigger?" before clicking, then check.
• Set a digit to zero and talk about why the zero is still needed as a placeholder.
• Hover over a place value in the expanded form to light up the matching digit.
• Use Random number for quick warm-ups: students say the number and its expanded form before you reveal it.