Place Value Pirates: a place value game for kids
Count the gold, load the ship and crack the digit codes. A free place value game with base-ten blocks for grades 1 to 4.
🧒 Kids: count the big blocks first, then the rods, then the little cubes. Each rod is 10!
How to play Place Value Pirates
- Choose a game: Count the treasure, Load the ship, or Digit detective.
- Choose a level, from tens and ones up to thousands and tricky zeros.
- Count the blocks and tap the number, or use + and − to load the right blocks.
- In Digit detective, tap what the gold digit is worth, like 700 for the 7 in 3,742.
- After 10 chests, see your stars and practice any numbers you missed.
What your child practices
Place Value Pirates practices the idea that a digit’s value depends on its place. Ten ones make a ten, ten tens make a hundred, and ten hundreds make a thousand (2.NBT.A.1).
Load the ship works backwards: children read a number and build it, which shows that 352 is 3 hundreds, 5 tens and 2 ones. The wrong answers in the other games are the classic slips, like reversing digits or dropping a zero.
The four levels
| Level | Example | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Tens and ones | 47 = 4 tens and 7 ones | Grade 1 |
| Hundreds | 352 = 3 hundreds, 5 tens and 2 ones | Grade 2 |
| Thousands | 3,742, where the 7 is worth 700 | Grade 3 |
| Tricky zeros | 306 and 4,056 | Grades 2–4 |
You can link to a game and level by adding ?mode=1 to 3 and ?level=1 to 4 to the address.
Tips for parents
- Count the biggest blocks first, then count on: 100, 200, 210, 220, 221.
- Ask “How many tens are in this number?” as well as “What is the tens digit?”
- Build numbers at home with bundles of 10 straws or sticks.
- When a zero appears, ask what is missing from that place.
In the classroom
Use Load the ship on the projector: call out a number and let a child build it while the class checks. It fits lessons on place value and counting. For written practice, use the hundreds, tens and ones and tens and ones worksheets.
More place value: hundreds, tens and ones with pictures, place value practice, and three more place value games: Race, Match and Bingo.
More free math games
- Times Table Blaster: shoot the asteroid with the right product.
- Make 10 Pop: pop two bubbles that make 10.
- Fraction Frog: hop to fractions on a number line.
- Daily Number Puzzle: three new number puzzles every day.
- Clock Catch: read clocks and set the hands.
- Coin Shop: count coins, pay and make change.
- Alligator Snap: compare numbers with greater than and less than.
- Games by topic: addition · subtraction · multiplication · division · fractions · decimals · percents
Last reviewed
Questions parents ask
How do you play Place Value Pirates?
In Count the treasure, count the base-ten blocks and tap the number. In Load the ship, use + and − to build a number with blocks. In Digit detective, find what the gold digit is worth.
What grade is Place Value Pirates for?
Tens and ones suit grade 1 (1.NBT.B.2), hundreds suit grade 2 (2.NBT.A.1), and thousands and tricky zeros suit grades 3 and 4.
What are base-ten blocks?
Base-ten blocks show place value. A small cube is 1, a rod of ten cubes is 10 and a flat square of ten rods is 100. The treasure chest stands for 1,000.
Why do zeros in numbers confuse children?
A zero holds a place when there is nothing in it. In 306 there are 3 hundreds, 0 tens and 6 ones, so leaving out the zero gives 36. The Tricky zeros level practices exactly this.
Is Place Value Pirates free?
Yes. It is free in the browser, with no sign-up and no ads. Best scores are saved only on your device.