1st Grade Place Value: Tens and Ones Worksheet

Seeing why digits mean what they mean

A two-digit number isn’t just two digits side by side — the 3 in 34 means three tens, not three. Base-ten blocks make that visible: a tens rod is literally ten units stuck together. When children count the rods by ten and then add the loose ones, the meaning of the tens place becomes obvious.

How to use it

Have your child count the tall rods first — 10, 20, 30 — then count on the ones. Saying “thirty… thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four” connects the blocks to the spoken number and the written numeral. This habit also heads off digit reversals like writing 43 for 34. Next comes hundreds, tens, and ones in second grade.