Decimals Teaching Resources
Browse decimal worksheets, math center activities, engaging games and more fun ways to bring this concept to life in your elementary classroom.
This teaching resource collection was created by the teachers on the Teach Starter team and includes activities to help students learn to convert fractions into decimals and vice versa, as well as printables that will help them learn how to read and write decimals using place value and the decimal point, how to round decimals and more!
Build students' understanding of using decimals in money and measurement with curriculum-aligned teaching resources so you can meet Common Core and state standards.
New to this concept in the math classroom, or just looking for some fresh ideas for teaching about decimals? Explore a primer from the teachers on the Teach Starter team!
What Are Decimals? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Explaining decimals to your class? Here's a kid-friendly definition that will help!
A decimal is a special way to write parts of a whole number. Decimals are a lot like fractions, but instead of using numbers like 1/2 or 1/4, we use a dot called a decimal point to separate the whole number part from the part that is less than one.
The number before the decimal tells you how many wholes you have, and the digits after the decimal point tell you how many groups of one-tenth, one-hundredth or one-thousandth you have.
One of the most common places students will encounter decimals in real life is when using money — the dollar is a whole number, while cents are a part of the whole and are typically represented beyond a decimal point.
How Do You Turn a Decimal Into a Fraction and Vice Versa?
Turning decimals into fractions and doing the reverse are both important skills for students to develop. Here are simple processes for doing just that!
How to Turn a Decimal Into a Fraction
- Write down the digits in the decimal over its place value.
- For example, if you have the decimal 0.75 (seventy-five hundredths), you would write it as 75/100.
- Simplify the fraction by finding the greatest common factor (GCF) of the numerator and denominator and dividing both by it.
- In the example above, the GCF of 75 and 100 is 25, so dividing both by 25 gives you the simplified fraction 3/4. This means 0.75 as a fraction is 3/4.
How to Turn a Fraction Into a Decimal
To turn a fraction into a decimal, your students will need to divide the numerator (top number) by the denominator (bottom number).
- Divide the numerator by the denominator.
- If the numerator does not divide evenly by the denominator, add zeroes to the dividend to continue the division to as many decimal places as needed or desired. Don't forget to add a decimal point after the digit found in the denominator!
- Round the decimal to the desired number of decimal places, if necessary.
How Do You Round Decimals?
Another skill students need to learn is the process of rounding decimals to the nearest whole number or to a specific decimal place. This will allow them to simplify numbers, making them easier to work with! This comes in handy when doing things such as rounding to the nearest dollar amount when working with money.
Rounding can also be used to get a general sense of a number without worrying about the exact value, which can be helpful in certain situations, such as estimating a budget or measurement.
To round a decimal to the nearest whole number, you need to look at the digit to the right of the decimal point.
- If that digit is 5 or greater, you round up to the next whole number.
- If that digit is 4 or less, you round down to the current whole number.
For example, let's say you want to round the decimal 3.7 to the nearest whole number. The digit to the right of the decimal point is 7, which is 5 or greater, so you round up to 4.
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5th Grade - Decimal Place Value Assessment
Assess your students' skills with decimals and place value using a printable 5th Grade Decimal Place Value Test.
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Decimal Exit Tickets for 5th Grade (Place Value, Rounding, Ordering and Computation)
Assess student understanding of 5th grade decimal standards with this set of 21 exit tickets.
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Base-10 Blocks - Pictorial Model Cards
A set of base-10 block cards to compose and decompose numbers, including decimals.
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Fractions, Decimals and Percentages Worksheets
Use these fractions, decimals and percentages worksheets in your upper elementary classroom for independent practice or as an assessment activity.
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Place Value Chart with Decimals
Display this place value anchor chart in your classroom to remind your students of place value from millions to millionths.
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Estimation With Decimal Multiplication Matching Game
Guide your students to estimate products with decimals by using this 36-card matching game.
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Dividing Decimals Math Mazes
Review how to divide a decimal by a decimal and a whole number with this set of math mazes.
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Patterns in Place Value Teaching Slides
Strengthen student understanding of decimal place value and the relationship between place value positions with this instructional slide deck.
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Daily Decimals – Worksheet
Model decimals in various ways and use estimation skills to complete decimal calculations.
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Comparing and Ordering Decimals Task Cards
Have students practice comparing and ordering decimals to the thousandths place with this set of 16 task cards.
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Place Value Banner - Billions to Thousandths
A banner that displays extended place value.
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Place Value Chart – Printable Banner
Use this printable place value chart filled with different ways to represent a number in your classroom.
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Rounding Numbers – Math Mazes
Round numbers to various places while finding your way through this set of 5 math mazes.
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5th Grade Place Value Assessment
Assess student understanding of place value, rounding, and comparing decimals with this math assessment.
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Operations with Decimals Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to add, subtract, multiply and divide using decimal numbers with this comprehensive teaching presentation perfect for upper elementary math lessons.
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Math Investigation - Decimals and Percentages
Get your students connecting their math knowledge to the real world with this decimals and percentages party planning project.
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Comparing Decimals with Visual Models Task Cards
Get students comparing and ordering decimals using visual models with this set of 24 task cards perfect for math centers.
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Representing Decimals – Interactive Picture Reveal
Use this decimal game for 4th grade to teach your students all the ways that decimals can be visually represented.
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Estimating Decimal Sums and Differences Task Cards
Challenge your students to use rounding and benchmark values to estimate sums and differences of decimals with this set of 24 task cards.
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Top Secret Scavenger Hunt – Estimating Decimal Sums and Differences
Join the decimal scavenger hunt adventure! Download our printable scavenger hunt and guide your students to sharpen their estimation skills by using decimal benchmark values when finding sums and differences.
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Roll and Round Dice Game
Help your student refine their rounding skills with this set of 7 printable math games.
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Estimating Products With Decimals – Task Cards for 5th Grade
Challenge your students to estimate before multiplying decimals with this set of 24 task cards.
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Rounding Decimals Worksheet Set for 5th Grade
Guide your students to round numbers to the nearest whole, tenth, hundredth and thousandth with this worksheet set designed for 5th-grade students.
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Comparing and Ordering Decimals Anchor Charts
Display different strategies for comparing and ordering decimals with this set of posters.
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Multiplying with Decimals – Differentiated Worksheets
Strengthen computation skills with this set of decimal multiplication worksheets.
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Rounding Decimals – Mystery Picture Worksheet
Round decimals to the nearest whole, tenth, hundredth, and thousandth while revealing a mystery image with this color-by-number worksheet.
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Rockin' Rounding – Google Slides Interactive Activity
Round numbers to different place values with a Google Interactive activity designed for fourth and fifth-grade students.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals with Base-10 Blocks – Worksheet
Use this worksheet when teaching your students how to model adding and subtracting decimals with base-10 blocks.
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5th Grade Decimal Operations Assessment
Assess student understanding of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals with this math assessment.
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Patterns in Place Value Worksheet
Use this place value worksheet to get your students analyzing decimal place value in numbers.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals – Differentiated Mystery Image Worksheets
Have students practice adding and subtracting decimals with this mystery image worksheet.
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Fractions and Decimals Matching Game
Practice matching equivalent fractions and decimals with this set of 15 cards that focus on tenths and hundredths place values.