Engaging Basketball Activities for Place Value

Every March, I like to incorporate fun basketball math games into my lessons in the spirit of the big basketball tournament. I like to host my own “March MATHness” tournament in the classroom, which is a total hit with my students. If you’re looking for some fun basketball math activities for place value, read on to learn how to play one of my favorite games and grab it for FREE! It’s called, Shooting for Place Value!

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Practicing with Activities for Place Value

Place value is one of the first math skills that 2nd grade students learn at the beginning of the year. However, just because it’s one of the first units taught doesn’t mean you can’t review and practice it all year long. In fact, you should! 2nd grade students are continually building on their place value skills throughout the year. 

The best way to practice place value is to use engaging, hands-on learning games that get your students up and moving.

Shooting for Place Value is the perfect game for reinforcing the concept of place value and helping your students deepen their understanding of it. Plus, it’s the perfect basketball-themed way to work place value into your March math lesson plans.

You can grab this activity for FREE by filling out the form below and having it delivered straight to your inbox!

Shooting For Place Value Basketball Math Game

Shooting for Place Value is a fun basketball math game that gets your students out of their seats and actively learning. It’s also easy to differentiate, as students can practice ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands, or scale it back to stop at hundreds or even tens depending on the level of your students.

This basketball math game would be a great addition to your math stations, as you can easily tailor the activity to your students by simply adding or removing a basket.

What You Need to Play the Shooting for Place Value Basketball Math Game

This activity for place value is super simple to set up and only requires a few basic supplies that you probably already have in your classroom. 

You’ll need:

1. 2-4 baskets, buckets, or small trash cans (depending on the level of your students).
2. 10 bean bags, socks, or something soft to toss. 
3. Basketball place value posters. Grab them for FREE by clicking HERE.
4. FREE Shooting for Place Value recording sheet.
5. Optional: Dry erase boards and markers.

How To Set Up the Shooting for Place Value Basketball Math Game

To set up this basketball with math game, first, label each basket with a thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones basketball place value poster. 

If you are working on place value to the thousands, you need 4 baskets. If you are working on place value to the hundreds, you need three baskets. If you are reviewing two digits, you only need two baskets.

Next, line up the baskets beside each other. If it’s a nice day, take this basketball math game outside for some fresh air! If you’re like me, you are itching to get outside by the time March rolls around! Just make sure you have enough space to spread the baskets out. 

Lastly, create a line on the floor or sidewalk for students to stand behind and put 10 bean bags in a pile by the starting line.

Now, you’re ready to play!

How to Play The Basketball With Math Place Value Game

To play, students will take turns standing on the line and tossing all 10 of their bean bags into the baskets. The goal is to get as many bean bags into the baskets as possible. 

Once they’ve tossed all the bean bags, they will write the number they created based on the number of bean bags in each basket on their Shooting for Place Value recording sheet or on their whiteboard. 

For example, if a student gets 3 bags in the hundreds basket, 4 in the tens, 2 in the ones, and misses with the other bean bag, they will create the number 342. 

You can also have students practice place value in different ways, such as recording their numbers in number form, expanded form, word form, etc.

If the number they create is larger than 500, have them color in a basketball goal on the recording sheet. Once they reach 10 goals, they win!

While the other students are waiting, they can record each student’s number on a whiteboard for extra practice. When the teacher gives a signal, they can show their answers and see if they are correct.

Once that student’s turn is over, the game repeats with the next student.

Let me know in the comments if you try this FREE Shooting for Place Value game in your classroom!