How To Make Place Value Cups in 3 Steps

Learning place value can be a difficult task for younger students because the concept is difficult to realize without physical manipulatives. Base ten blocks work great for smaller numbers, but I have found that Place Value Cups work really well for larger numbers. As you turn the cups, it forces you to regroup or add another cup once that value has reached ten.

Assembling the cups may take a bit of time, but there are only three steps, and I think that the slower approach helps them wrap their mind around the concept of regrouping.

Step 1 

Use six cups (or however may align with the place value that you are studying) and write the base unit on the bottom of each cup. 

Step 2 

Tilt the cup on its side and write 0-9 along the lip of the cup. This can be in ascending or descending order, it doesn't matter as long as it is the same for all of the students. 

Step 3 

Write the appropriate amount of zeros for each place value. 

Tips

I have my students write the numbers in two colors. 0-4 in blue, 5-9 in orange. This will give them a color cue when it comes to rounding.

These cups are perfect for using to decompose numbers and to help with expanded form. I love using these cups because they are relatively cheap and give the kids a hands-on activity to help cement the concept in their minds. And as a bonus, once the unit is over, everyone has a bunch of backup water cups.