NCERT Maths Mela, Class 3, textbook pages 16–28

How to teach Class 3 Maths Chapter 3, Double Century, at home

Numbers to 200: estimating and counting, taught with things you already have at home: a 10-minute activity, a game for the week, a 5-day plan and the mistakes to watch for.

= 1461 hundred, 4 tens, 6 ones

NCERT Class 3 Maths Chapter 3 Double Century: what it teaches

Numbers now go past 100 to 200. Your child estimates how many things there are, then counts in hundreds, tens and ones to check. The chapter also tells the story of the ten digits and zero, invented in ancient India.

Why it matters later. Counting to 200 with hundreds, tens and ones is the base of the two House of Hundreds chapters and 3-digit sums in Give and Take.

See it: this chapter in pictures

guess first,then count in tens
Estimate first, then count to check.
3 tens and 2 ones32
Bundles of ten still work beyond 100: ten bundles make a hundred.
176186196+10+1010 more: the tens digit goes up by 1
10 more changes only the tens digit (unless it passes 9).

You need

  • about 200 matchsticks or ice-cream sticks
  • rubber bands
  • a bowl of seeds or rice
  • a 1–200 number chart (or two 1–100 charts)

Tonight’s 10 minutes

  1. Fill a small bowl with seeds. Guess how many, then count in tens to check.
  2. Bundle sticks: 10 sticks a bundle, 10 bundles a hundred. Show 146 as 1 hundred, 4 tens and 6 ones.
  3. Count on from 97 to 110 aloud, and back from 105 to 95.
  4. Play snakes and ladders on a numbered board and ask “Which number is 10 more? 10 less?”

Words to use

  • estimate
  • hundred
  • tens
  • ones
  • more than
  • less than
  • about

Watch for

  • Writing one hundred and six as 1006. Build it: 1 big bundle, no tens, 6 ones. Three places: 106.
  • Wild guesses when estimating. Count a small part (one handful), then use it to guess the whole.

What it sounds like at home

A short example of the conversation. Your words will differ; the questions are what matter.

YouGuess how many seeds in the bowl.

Your child100?

YouLet’s count in tens.

Your child10, 20… 140, and 7 more.

YouSo?

Your child147. I was 47 too few!

A game for this week: Guess the jar

  1. Fill a jar or bowl with seeds or beads.
  2. Everyone writes a guess.
  3. Count together in tens.
  4. Closest guess wins and explains how they guessed.

A 5-day plan, 10 minutes a day

  1. Day 1Guess and count seeds.
  2. Day 2Bundle sticks into hundreds.
  3. Day 3Count on past 100.
  4. Day 410 more and 10 less.
  5. Day 5Guess the jar game.

Everyday moments to practise

  • Pages in a thick storybook.
  • Seats in a school hall.
  • Counting in 10s on a car number plate.
  • Estimating people in a queue.

Quick check

Ask these at the end of the week. Tap to see the answer.

1 hundred, 3 tens and 5 ones make?

135.

What comes after 199?

200.

What is 10 more than 176?

186.

Ready for the next chapter when your child…

  • Counts and writes numbers to 200.
  • Shows a number with hundreds, tens and ones.
  • Makes a sensible estimate before counting.

Activities, wording and illustrations are Mathify Kids’ own, following the topics of NCERT’s Maths Mela (Class 3). See the full Class 3 parent guide for every chapter.

Questions parents ask

What does Double Century mean?

Two hundred. The chapter covers numbers up to 200.

How do I teach estimation?

Count a small part first, then use it to guess the whole.

Why does the book talk about the history of numbers?

To show that our ten-digit system with zero was an Indian invention.