Read and draw
Count the blocks in a picture and write the number, then go the other way: draw a number with squares, sticks and dots. On the answer key the blocks are drawn in blue.
Start over?
Teaching guide: base ten blocks in Grades 1 to 3
Base ten blocks make the decimal system visible: 10 cubes make a rod and 10 rods make a flat. This free base ten blocks worksheet generator puts the manipulative on paper: pictures of flats, rods and cubes to read, draw, regroup, compare, add and subtract, with the answer key ready. Choose the exercise and the level and every worksheet is different.
Student worksheet 
Answer key Regrouping
10 cubes = 1 rod and 10 rods = 1 flat. Pictures with 14 cubes or 12 rods to regroup and, at level 3, two exchanges in a row: the idea behind carrying and borrowing.
Comparing
Two pictures to compare with <, > or =. Some pairs have more blocks in the smaller number (29 and 31), so children learn to look at the rods before the cubes.
Adding and subtracting with blocks
Join two pictures and exchange when there are 10 cubes or more; take a number away, breaking up a rod or a flat when there are not enough. The answer key draws the exchange and crosses out the blocks taken away.
One number, several ways
34 is 3 rods and 4 cubes, but also 2 rods and 14 cubes. Showing a number in two or three ways prepares subtraction with regrouping and mental maths.
A worked answer key
Every answer is computed from the blocks drawn: the counts, the number, the exchanges, the sign and the result, with the chain of exchanges written out.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Base Ten Blocks Worksheets
Which grades are these worksheets for?
Grades 1 and 2 (Years 2 and 3), and Grade 3 at level 3. Level 1 works to 99 with rods and cubes, level 2 reaches 999 with flats (or regroups in addition and subtraction) and level 3 uses pictures that are not regrouped, two exchanges and numbers with zeros.
How should children draw the blocks?
Quickly: a square for each flat, a stick for each rod and a small square or a dot for each cube. The key on the worksheet reminds them. The answer key draws the full blocks.
What does exchanging mean?
Swapping 10 cubes for 1 rod (or 10 rods for 1 flat) without changing the number. It is what carrying means in addition; in subtraction it goes the other way: a rod is broken up into 10 cubes.
How is this different from the place value worksheets?
The place value generator has one exercise to count blocks and moves on to place value charts, expanded form and numbers in words up to a million. This generator works the manipulative in depth: exchanges, comparisons, addition and subtraction with blocks and numbers shown in several ways.
What comes after the blocks?
Once children are confident with exchanges they can move on to column addition and subtraction, mental maths and comparing numbers without pictures. The hundred chart also helps them see the tens.
How do I print the answer key?
Press Print and choose Answer key (or Worksheet and answer key). You can mix exercises from other maths generators on the same worksheet.
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