Looking for a hands-on, interactive way to build your students' number sense? Our Spin a Number: 2 & 3 Digit Numbers activity is perfect for exploring place value and deepening understanding of how numbers are built from hundreds, tens and ones!

This activity invites students to spin for digits and construct 2 or 3-digit numbers by identifying and recording place value. It’s a fantastic way to reinforce the concept that the same digit has a different value depending on its position. This simple yet effective task is a must-have in any numeracy rotation.

Best of all, this game is completely flexible—use it during warm-ups, small group instruction, or independent work. With minimal prep required, it’s an easy go-to for consolidating understanding of expanded form, partitioning, and number construction.

Key Learning Outcomes

• ✅ Identify the place value of digits in 2- and 3-digit numbers
• ✅ Understand the value of digits based on their position (hundreds, tens, ones)
• ✅ Compose and decompose numbers using expanded form
• ✅ Strengthen fluency with number construction and mental computation

What’s Included

• 3 spinners: Hundreds, Tens, Ones
• Recording sheets with spaces for ‘Spin It’, ‘Value It’ and ‘Write It’
• Colour and black & white printing options
• Optional version with 2-digit focus for differentiation

Materials Needed

• Printed spinner templates (or plastic spinners if you have them)
• Paper clips and split pins to create DIY spinners
• Pencils, whiteboards or laminated recording sheets for reuse
• Optional: number lines or place value charts for support

How to Use

1. Students spin the Hundreds, Tens and Ones spinners one at a time
2. They record each digit’s value (e.g., 200 for 2 on the Hundreds spinner)
3. Once all three values are recorded, they add them together and write the full number in the ‘Write It’ box
4. Repeat to create multiple numbers and explore patterns or comparisons

Ideas for Classroom Use

• 💡 Include as a rotation during numeracy blocks
• 💡 Use as a warm-up or early finisher activity to reinforce place value
• 💡 Have students compare their created numbers using greater than/less than symbols

Top Teacher Tips

• 💛 If you don’t have plastic spinners, a paper clip and split pin work brilliantly!
• 💛 Laminate recording sheets for repeated use with whiteboard markers
• 💛 Extend by asking students to write their numbers in word form or expanded notation

This resource is a simple yet powerful way to explore number construction and place value through play and interaction. Your students will be spinning with confidence in no time!