How to play Place Value Builder

  1. Choose a level, then press Start game.
  2. Read the number at the top, for example Build 347.
  3. Press plus to add a block to a column, and minus to take one away.
  4. Press Check. If a column is wrong, the game tells you which one, and you can fix it.
  5. On the Read the blocks level, count the blocks and pick the number they make.

For parents and teachers

Place value is the idea that the 3 in 347 means three hundreds, not three. Building the number from blocks makes that visible: three flats, four rods, seven cubes. Numbers with a zero in them, like 405, are where children most often slip, so spend time on the With zeros level once the others come easily. Say the number in parts as your child builds it: four hundred, no tens, five ones.