Do your kids struggle with saying big numbers? Try this nifty trick and your kids will crush 5,6, & 7 figure numbers. This activity will make learning fun and teaching numeracy easy!
Saying really big numbers can be difficult for kids, especially numbers with 5 or more digits.
Students that find saying big numbers difficult don’t realise that numbers are said in groups or ‘families’ of three (ones, thousands and millions) and that the comma or space in numbers represent a place value word.
How To Say Big Numbers
You probably have Kids in you classroom that say big numbers in a string without using any place value markers. They may say “seven, one, three, two, six, five” instead of seven hundred and thirteen thousand two hundred and sixty five.
These are the kids that need a bit of help with saying big numbers!
Help your students become confident at saying big numbers with this cool trick! Scroll to the end of the post for your FREE printables and be sure to visit our Teacher Worksheets page for more Freebies!
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Saying Big Numbers Using Colour Coding
Latest research into learning maths, by Professor Jo Boaler, emphasises the importance of students not learning maths through memorization. We agree!!! Kids who rely on memory for their math understanding are on shaky ground, because the memory can FAIL!
In her books Mindset Mathematics Boaler shows that students will do better in maths if they are given the opportunity to visualize, play and investigate the maths concepts they are learning. Like in the Chinese proverb…
She talks about how colour-coding can help students visualise number patterns which helps them to connect everything together and build a deep understanding of mathematical concepts.
So we have taken her expert advice to help with teaching numbers.
Nifty Trick For Saying Big Numbers
This nifty trick, using colour-coding, will help your student to visualise and connect numerals to number names and place value.
It’s a great activity to use in your math rotations, or as a warm up. Your kids will think it’s FUN and will love using coloured pens and highlighters to help them learn how to say large numbers.
To go with this big numbers activity we made a free fun comma game numbers printable that’s really nifty for teaching how to say numbers.
Use it to get the kids started and then get the them to create their own versions! (It’s at the end of the post)
How To Say Big Numbers
Comma or NO Comma?
Many countries use a comma to separate numbers but some, including Australia, are no longer using the comma, they just leave a space between the numbers.
It worth a discussion so that students don’t think the comma in numbers is the same as the comma in writing! I mention both ways so that students can understand place value in a range of contexts and don’t get stumped if they see it a different way.
Read more about gaps and commas in numbers in this article.
How To Teach Big Numbers
Fun Comma Games
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- Start by writing a 3 digit number in black pen, missing out the comma.
- Use the prompt: “The name of the comma in this 3 digit number is ‘Thousand’ “, use this to help you read the place value of any big numbers.
- Go back to the original number and add the comma using a different colour, in this case we used pink.
- The next step is to model to the students how to read the number from left to right. “Say the name of the number in front of the comma.” In this case it’s one, write this down in words under the digit, using black pen to match the colours
- Next point to the comma and say the name of the comma, “Thousand”, writing this down at the same time.
- Continue modelling how to say the number names of the rest of the digits in the number. In this case they are zeros so they are not said… an interesting discussion to also have with the students.
- Now run it altogether writing it down as you go.
- Now, build larger numbers in the tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands.
Prompt:
- “The name of the pink comma is ‘thousand’.”
- “Read the number in front of the comma (10).”
- “Say the name of the comma (thousand)
9. Repeat the process for 100,000.
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Dice Game For Saying Big Numbers
The next step for your students is to practice until they become fluent and confident.
We made a fun place value dice game which we use with think boards to get your kids practicing saying big numbers.
To make using dice fun and less hectic we found a great little hack on Pinterest using a medicine/pill box.
With a few tweaks we adjusted to help kids to say big numbers using colour coding.
Click the image for the instructions for the Place Value Dice Activity
Teaching Big Numbers & Place Value Resources
- Here Is the Link To The Saying Big Numbers Posters FREEBIE
- Colour Coding Dice Instructions & Free Maths Think Board Templates
- Teaching Place Value – Free Unit Plan from AMSi Schools on Place Value PDF
- Junior Learning Place Value Dominoes
- EAI Education EAI Education Place Value Expanded Notation Strips – Ones to Millions: Demonstration
- EAI Education QuietShape Foam Place Value Disks Thousandths to Millions: Set of 300
- EAI Education Math Stacks Place Value to Millions Grades 3-5
Click Image to Get your FREE Saying Big Numbers Posters
Place Value Folder Template & Dice Activity
Teaching Algebra in Primary School
How do I get the freebies? I keep going to the site but don’t know what to click on. I purchased items so how do I get these?
Hi Hazel, Please check your junk email folder your order links will be in your email.
Please contact us using email at Aplusteachingresources@outlook.com
for support. Thanks
Hi Hazel, the Freebie is at the end of the post under resources
Great article
Thanks, It is such a cool trick to help students learn how to read and say big numbers!
[…] and have fun building place value understandings and will improve their ability to recognise and, say BIG numbers. We used a dollar shop pill box and combined it with some educational research by Jo Boaler and […]