Year 1 Place Value Activities

Build Number Confidence with Eight Fun Year 1 Place Value Activities

Introduce young learners to the world of place value with this comprehensive resource featuring eight hands-on activities that help Year 1 students understand numbers to 20, develop counting skills, and build a strong foundation for future maths learning.

Eight Complete Activities Included:

1. Writing Numbers: Develop correct number formation and recognition as children practice writing numerals from 0 to 20, building confidence and fluency with number symbols
2. 100 Buttons: A tactile counting activity using buttons or counters to explore numbers, develop one-to-one correspondence, and understand quantity in a hands-on, engaging way
3. Dough Ball Counting: Get creative with playdough! Children make and count dough balls, combining fine motor skill development with number sense and counting practice
4. Number Frame: Use ten frames and twenty frames to visualize numbers, understand part-whole relationships, and develop subitizing skills—seeing quantity without counting
5. Number Lines: Explore number sequences and positioning on number lines, helping children understand number order and develop mental calculation strategies
6. Teen Numbers: Focus specifically on the tricky teen numbers (11-19), understanding that these are made of ten and some ones—a crucial place value concept
7. One More, One Less: Develop number relationships by finding one more and one less than any given number, building mental maths fluency and number sense
8. Number Recognition Game: Make learning fun with an engaging game that reinforces number recognition, helping children become quick and confident at identifying numerals

Why Teachers Choose This Resource:

• Curriculum-Aligned: Fully supports Year 1 Maths objectives for place value in the National Curriculum of England
• Hands-On Learning: Concrete, practical activities that make abstract number concepts tangible for young learners
• Ready to Use: Complete lesson plans with learning objectives, resources needed, and clear step-by-step instructions
• Multi-Sensory Approach: Activities engage visual, tactile, and kinaesthetic learners through varied methods
• Builds Confidence: Progressive activities ensure all children can succeed and develop positive attitudes towards maths
• Differentiation Built-In: Activities easily adapted for different abilities within Year 1

Perfect For:

• Year 1 Maths place value lessons
• Key Stage 1 number and place value teaching
• Homeschool maths curriculum
• Reception/Year 1 transition activities
• Intervention groups needing number reinforcement
• Building foundations for addition and subtraction

Learning Outcomes:

Through these activities, children will count to and across 100 forwards and backwards from any number, read and write numbers from 1 to 20 in numerals and words, identify and represent numbers using objects and pictorial representations including the number line, and understand one more and one less—all key Year 1 objectives.

What Makes This Resource Special:

These activities use the concrete-pictorial-abstract approach, starting with physical objects children can touch and manipulate before moving to visual representations and finally abstract number work. This ensures deep understanding rather than rote learning, giving children the solid foundation they need for all future maths.

Set your Year 1 students up for maths success! These engaging place value activities transform number learning from abstract and confusing into concrete and enjoyable, helping every child develop the number confidence and understanding that will support them throughout their education.