Rounding to the Nearest Ten for Kids: The 5 or More Rule (Grade 3 Math)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. Today we are learning about rounding. Rounding means changing a number to the nearest ten or hundred, to make it easier to work with.

Let's round forty seven to the nearest ten. Forty seven sits between forty and fifty. Which one is it closer to? Look at the number line. Forty seven is much closer to fifty. So forty seven rounds to fifty.

Now forty three. It is between forty and fifty too, but this time it is closer to forty. So forty three rounds down to forty.

Here is the rule so you do not need a number line every time. Look at the ones digit. If it is five or more, round up. If it is four or less, round down. Five, six, seven, eight, nine go up. Zero, one, two, three, four go down.

What about exactly in the middle, like sixty five? Five is the middle, and the rule says five or more rounds up. So sixty five rounds to seventy.

The same rule works for hundreds. To round to the nearest hundred, look at the tens digit. Three hundred and eighty two: the tens digit is eight, so round up to four hundred. Three hundred and twenty: tens digit two, round down to three hundred.

Now it's your turn. Round seventy six to the nearest ten. Pause and think. The ones digit is six, that is five or more, so round up. Seventy six rounds to eighty.

Great job! Remember, find the two tens it sits between, then look at the ones digit: five or more rounds up, four or less rounds down. Practice rounding in the Math Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!