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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Number Talks – Decimal Operations Task Cards
Explore decimal operations with your students using this set of 26 number talk task cards.
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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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Fractions and Decimals Assessment
Assess students' knowledge of various decimals and percentages concepts with this four-page worksheet.
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Compare and Order Decimals – 5th Grade Math Worksheet
Build decimal place value understanding with a printable worksheet for comparing and ordering decimals.
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Fraction, Decimal and Percentage Match-Up Game
Get students converting fractions, decimals and percentages with this hands-on maths game perfect for math centers.
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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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Rounding Numbers With Decimals – Teaching Slides and Worksheet for 5th Grade
Teach your students how to round to the nearest whole number, tenth and hundredth with this set of teaching slides and accompanying worksheet.
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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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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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Rounding Decimals Number Search Worksheets for 5th Grade
Encourage your 5th-grade students to practice rounding decimals to the nearest whole number, tenth and hundredth with this set of number search worksheets.
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Coffee Shop Calculations – Estimation With Decimals Task Cards
Download this set of 24 task cards to help your students practice estimating decimal sums and differences with benchmark numbers.
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Decimal Designs – Differentiated Decimal Rounding Worksheet for 5th Grade
Guide your students to round decimals to different places and create a beautiful design with this differentiated worksheet for 5th grade.
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It's a Match! – Rounding With Decimals Puzzle
Practice rounding decimals up to the thousandths place with 34 puzzle pair matching pieces.
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Subtracting Decimals With Base-10 Blocks – Teaching Slides for 5th Grade
Teach your students how to use base-10 blocks to model decimal subtraction problems with this set of teaching slides.
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Comparing Decimals – Bump Game
Compare decimals through the thousandths place with a comparing decimals game designed for 5th-grade students.
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Decimals on a Number Line (Tenths and Hundredths) Slide Deck
Teach your students how to identify, order, and label decimals on a number line with an interactive teaching presentation.
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Fraction Representations Posters - Whole, Halves, Thirds, Fourths, and Fifths
A set of posters showing the different representations of benchmark fractions.
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Decimals to the Tenths - Number Line Worksheets
Practice identifying decimals on number lines with a number line worksheet.
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Comparing Decimals – Color by Number Worksheet
Compare decimals and create a beautiful stained-glass picture with this color-by-number worksheet.
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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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Subtracting Decimals with Base-Ten Blocks – Board Game
Use this board game to encourage friendly competition while practicing how to subtract decimals with visual models.
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Decimal Subtraction with Base-Ten Blocks — Differentiated 5th Grade Worksheets
Use these worksheets when teaching your students how to model subtracting decimals with base-10 blocks.
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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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Dividing Decimals Bingo
Master the ability to divide with decimals by playing a whole-class bingo game.
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Dividing Decimals Match-Up Activity
Divide decimals and find the correct quotient with this match-up activity.
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Converting Decimals, Fractions, and Percentages – Worksheet
Strengthen your students’ understanding of how to convert a percent to a decimal and a fraction with this worksheet.
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Decimal Number Patterns – Differentiated Worksheets
Practice determining a pattern and next value in a numerical sequence of decimals to the hundredths place.
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Estimating Decimal Sums and Differences – Math Mazes
Practice estimating solutions to decimal addition and subtraction equations with this set of math mazes.
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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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Multiplying Decimals Math Mazes
Complete decimal multiplication problems while finding your way through this set of three math mazes.
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Expanded Notation Puzzles - Decimals
Practice expanded notation using decimals and whole numbers with this set of 28 puzzle pieces.