Rounding to 10, 100 and 1,000: what children learn
Rounding means replacing a number with a nearby 'friendly' number that is easier to work with. Year 4 pupils learn to round any number to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000. For example, 4,567 rounded to the nearest 100 is 4,600.
Rounding is used for estimating and checking answers, and for describing numbers in everyday life ('about 300 people'). In this quiz race, numbers go up to 9,999. The wrong answers include rounding in the wrong direction and rounding to the wrong place, the two most common slips.
This topic covers the Year 4 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Number – number and place value): pupils should be taught to “round any number to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000”. Year 4 pupils are usually aged 8–9.
For families following US standards, the closest Common Core standard is 4.NBT.A.3, which is taught in Grade 4.
How to play
Answer 10 questions before the clock runs out. Tap an answer, or press 1 to 4. Each game has 10 multiple-choice questions and a 120-second timer. A wrong answer shows the correct one before moving on. You earn up to three stars depending on your score.
Step by step
- Find the place you are rounding to. For the nearest 100, look at the hundreds digit. In 4,567 it is 5.
- Look at the digit to its right. For the nearest 100, the deciding digit is the tens digit. In 4,567 it is 6.
- Round up for 5 or more, down for 4 or less. 6 is 5 or more, so round up: the hundreds digit becomes 6 and the digits to the right become 0. 4,567 → 4,600.
- Halfway rounds up. A number exactly halfway, such as 650 to the nearest 100, rounds up to 700. This is the convention used in UK schools.
Worked examples
Example 1: Round 845 to the nearest 10.
Working: The ones digit is 5, so round up to the next ten.
Answer: 850
Example 2: Round 3,449 to the nearest 1,000.
Working: The hundreds digit is 4, so round down. (Do not round in two steps: 3,449 → 3,450 → 3,500 → 4,000 is wrong.)
Answer: 3,000
Example 3: Round 7,960 to the nearest 100.
Working: The tens digit is 6, so round up. 79 hundreds become 80 hundreds.
Answer: 8,000
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Using the wrong deciding digit. Underline the place you are rounding to and circle the digit immediately to its right.
- Rounding in several steps (3,449 → 3,450 → 3,500 → 4,000). Only ever look at one digit: the one to the right of the rounding place.
- Forgetting to carry: 7,960 to the nearest 100 written as 7,1000. Think of the two multiples it lies between: 7,900 and 8,000. Which is nearer?
Activities to try at home
- Round prices in the supermarket to the nearest pound to estimate the total bill.
- Round distances on road signs or journey times to the nearest 10.
- Use rounding to check homework answers: does the answer seem about right?
Ideas for the classroom
- Draw a number line between two multiples and mark the halfway point before rounding.
- Give a rounded number and ask which numbers could round to it (for example, everything from 4,550 to 4,649 rounds to 4,600).
- Link rounding to measuring: round lengths to the nearest centimetre or 10 cm.
Printable worksheet
The printable worksheet uses the same question generator as the game, so it practises exactly the same skills. It comes with a separate answer sheet on the second page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser's print menu.
Frequently asked questions
Does 5 round up or down?
Up. A number exactly halfway between two multiples rounds up, so 45 rounds to 50 and 650 rounds to 700.
What is the difference between rounding and estimating?
Rounding is a precise rule for replacing a number with a nearby multiple. Estimating uses rounding to get a rough answer to a calculation.
What comes next?
In Year 5, pupils round numbers up to 1,000,000 to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000. In Year 4 they also start rounding decimals with one decimal place to the nearest whole number.