Decimal Place Value

The decimal place value is used to name a part of a whole or a part of a collection. This is most commonly found in units of money.

For example, one dollar and twenty-three cents is shown as 1.23.

In that example, the 3 represents 3 one-hundredths of a dollar (three pennies) and the 2 represents 2 tenths of a dollar (a dime).

For this lesson, we will be working with base ten blocks. If you've already worked on my lessons covering place value, then you're already familiar with place value blocks. If you haven't had a chance to check that lesson out yet, here's a quick example.

In the picture below, the large block (which signifies a whole unit) represents a collection of smaller blocks (each individual representing a one hundredth). For decimals, we will have the entire block equal a whole (in other words, if the entire block were colored in, it would equal the whole number 1).

Notice how the block is divided into ten columns and ten rows. A full column of ten individual blocks equals one tenth or 0.1. See the example below for a visual explanation. The highlighted area shows a part of the collection, in this case, 0.2 or 2 Tenths of the whole.

As you progress into further divisions of the whole, you get in to hundredths, thousandths, and so on. In this lesson, we won't move beyond the hundredths position.

This example, shows the next division of decimal points. Highlighted here you see 26 hundredths of the collection. There are two columns of ten highlighted blocks and six blocks of the next tenth. Therefore, this block shows .26 hundredths.

Decimal Place Value Worksheets

I know that was kind of a quick over-view of decimals and place value, but your child should be able to use that information to complete the worksheets below.

If you find that he or she is struggling with the information, be sure to check out the related pages below for more help with decimals and place value.

The worksheets are pretty straightforward and simple. On each page there are six different blocks that look like the ones above. Each block has a certain portion shaded. Write the shaded portion on the line provided.

Update: I've recently added four new decimal place value worksheets that build off of the previous two papers. I've added more problems to each handout and colored in the tops and sides where necessary because it bothered me. :)