Give each student a pile of same items. For example, you could use a pile of marbles, blocks, crayons or felt cut-outs. Explain to the children that individually the items are in groups of one. Instruct the children to separate their pile of items into groups of 10, so that each pile represents 10 items. If you have enough items available, instruct the students to group the piles of tens into piles of hundreds. This will allow you to teach them how to describe a total number using both hundreds and tens.
Have two students stand side by side at the back of the classroom. Arrange the desks so that there is a clear aisle from the back of the classroom to the front. Write a three-digit number on the chalkboard. Ask questions that require the students to identify the place values. For example, ask what number is in the hundreds place. Each student who correctly answers a question first gets to take a giant step forward. Keep writing new numbers and asking new questions until one student reaches the board and wins.
Poker chips are a way to teach place values because reach color is designed to represent different values. Give students poker chips in three different colors. One color to represent 1, one color to represent 10, and one color to represent 100.
Write out a three-digit number on the board. Have the students create the number in poker chips at his or her desk. For example, let's say blue chips represent 1s, yellow chips represent 10s and red chips represent 100s. If you write 357 on the board, the students should line up three red chips, five yellow chips and seven blue chips. When the students are finished, they can raise their hands. Walk around to make sure they each have the correct answer before moving on.
Have each student write five math riddles involving place values on five individual index cards, along with the answer to their own riddle. For example, one riddle might be: I am five tens less than 492, what number am I? Although the number seems big, calculating the answer requires basic math skills and a knowledge of place values.
When all the students are finished, collect the cards and shuffle them. Have three students at a time sit at the front of the class. Present a riddle to the three students. The first one with the right answer gets one point. The first student to reach five points wins the game. After each game, select three new students until every student has had an opportunity to play.