Free Printable Place Value of Whole Numbers Worksheets for Year 3

In 3rd grade, students begin to apply their place value knowledge to solve problems. The main new skill is rounding two- and three-digit whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100. They also use place value understanding to perform multi-digit addition and subtraction.

Connect rounding to a number line. To round 173 to the nearest ten, have students identify which two tens it falls between (170 and 180) and then determine which it is closer to. This visual approach reinforces the value of the digits and makes the process less abstract.

Practice problems focus on applying place value concepts. This includes rounding numbers to the nearest 10 and 100, comparing multi-digit numbers, and solving word problems that require place value understanding for addition or subtraction.

A frequent error is looking at the wrong digit to make a decision. For example, when rounding 238 to the nearest hundred, a student might incorrectly look at the 8 in the ones place instead of the 3 in the tens place.

These resources are available as printable PDFs, perfect for offline practice that can help reduce student screen time. After students complete the paper worksheet, you can use the Wayground for Teachers app to quickly scan and grade their submissions using the provided answer key.

For students needing support, you can use Wayground's worksheet editor to increase the font size or apply a dyslexia-friendly font for better readability. For an extra challenge, you can create an alternate version of the worksheet with larger numbers or more complex, multi-step rounding problems.

Common Core (3.NBT.A.1) directly addresses using place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100. This skill is foundational for estimation strategies and for developing the number sense required for multiplication and division later in the year.