Roll It! Rounding Game

place value

Mar 12

Because it's the beginning of the year, I'm all about creating math games that can be used to reinforce place value and operations skills. My two most recent games on this blog, Place Value Top Up and Place Value Yahtzee, have already been extremely popular with teachers. If you haven't checked them out for your math centers, be sure to do so after reading this post!

The free place value game that I have for you today focuses on rounding. Once again, I've included game boards for three different versions (rounding 3-digit numbers to tens, rounding 5-digit numbers to thousands, and rounding 3-digit decimals to hundredths) so that you can choose the level that works best for your classroom.

Materials needed:

Roll It! Rounding Game Boards (see below)
Dice (the number of dice needed depends on the game level being used)
- Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Ten = 3 dice
- Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Thousand = 5 dice
- Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Hundredth = 3 dice
Cup for holding the dice
Small counters or beads
- Personally, I use the cheap "glass" beads that you can buy at the Dollar Store.

Setting up the game:

1. Click here to download the Roll It! Rounding Game Boards.

Choose the game board that's best for your class!

2. Determine which level you'd like your students to play. Each page in the download is a different level. There are two of the same game board on each page.

3. Print the game board page. You'll need one game board (1/2 page) for each 2-player game. I recommend that you laminate the game board so that you can use it over and over again.

4. Grab the correct number of dice for the level your students will play (see "Materials needed" above).

5. Grab some small counters for each player. Each player needs a different color.

Playing the game:

Object of the game: To be the first player to make a line of four in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) on the game board.

Number of players: 2

1. To decide who goes first, each player rolls one of the dice. The player with the highest roll goes first.

2. On your turn, roll all of the dice. I like to have my students roll the dice into a small plastic container so that the dice don't roll onto the floor.

3. Use all of the dice that you just rolled to create a number. You may place the dice in any order to create the number. For example, if you rolled 4, 1, and 6, you may create 416, 461, 146, 164, 614, or 641.

If playing "Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Ten," you'll create a 3-digit number.
If playing "Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Thousand," you'll create a 5-digit number.
If playing "Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Hundredth," you'll create a 3-digit decimal by placing a decimal point in front of all 3 digits (i.e. no whole numbers).

4. Depending on the game that you are playing, round the number that you created to the nearest ten/thousand/hundredth. Then, place one of your counters on top of that number on the game board. If your opponent's counter is already on that number, you may not place your counter on the game board.

Some examples: