Rounding Practice
Pick a place value, generate a number, try it yourself, then reveal the step-by-step reasoning. Great for grades 3–5.
The one rule for rounding
Rounding always comes down to a single decision. Find the digit in the place you are rounding to — the tens, hundreds or thousands — then look at the one digit immediately to its right. That neighbour decides everything:
- Find the digit in the rounding place.
- Peek right at the single digit next to it.
- 5 or more → round up (add one to the rounding digit). 4 or less → round down (leave it alone).
- Zero out every digit to the right. Done.
Example: 3,847 to the nearest hundred → the hundreds digit is 8, the tens digit is 4, and 4 < 5, so we round down: 3,800.
Frequently asked questions
How do I round to the nearest ten, hundred or thousand?
Look at the single digit to the right of the place you're rounding to. 5 or more rounds up, 4 or less rounds down, then set everything to the right to zero.
Do you round up on a 5?
Yes — the standard school rule is round-half-up, so a 5 in the deciding spot rounds up. 250 → 300 to the nearest hundred; 45 → 50 to the nearest ten.
How should I practice?
Start with the nearest ten, then work up to hundreds and thousands. This page gives unlimited fresh numbers and a printable set of 12 with an answer key.
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