My son is one of the most avid LEGO enthusiasts I have ever met. Recently, I harnessed his enthusiasm by using LEGO bricks to teach him everything from math to reading to science. Today I am going to show you how to use LEGO math to teach place value.

If you are wondering how to teach place value, using LEGO bricks is a fantastic hands-on way to try! LEGO math plus a place value chart is engaging and fun!

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Place Value Activities

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My five-year-old is very bright, with math being one of his very strong subjects. However, he was having a difficult time grasping the idea of place value.

No matter what I tried to draw for him on paper or explain to him in words, he just couldn’t understand what I meant when I said something like, “Eighteen is one ten and eight ones,” or, “Twenty-two is two tens and two ones.” He just looked at me like I was crazy. It was too abstract.

I had an idea to try some LEGO math games since he loves LEGO so much. I pulled out the LEGO bricks and our place value chart and showed him. Suddenly the idea of place value became concrete and he understood it perfectly. Now he can add two-digit numbers together with ease after this one simple lesson. Using LEGO math worked a miracle!

If you are wondering how to teach place value, using LEGO bricks is a fantastic hands-on way to try! LEGO math plus a place value chart is engaging and fun!

How to Teach Place Value Using LEGO Bricks

All you need to do is designate one column as your “10’s” and the other column as your “1’s”. Choose a number on your flip chart and then arrange your LEGO bricks to reflect that number. Easy! Take turns choosing numbers and arranging them with LEGO bricks. Turn it into a game! Have fun with it.

Add LEGO math games to your list of place value activities for kids! If you are struggling to know how to teach place value give this hands-on approach a try and watch LEGO bricks work their magic!


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