Our base-ten number system has a hundreds place: 10 tens make 1 hundred. A three-digit number like 347 means 3 hundreds, 4 tens, and 7 ones — a total of 300 + 40 + 7. Understanding the hundreds place extends the pattern students already know from tens and ones: each place is ten times the value of the place to its right.
Use base-ten flats (the hundreds block) alongside rods (tens) and units (ones) to build three-digit numbers physically. Count up by tens to see 10 tens become one flat. Emphasize the pattern: ones → tens → hundreds all follow the same rule of grouping by tens.
You already know that our number system groups things by tens. In the tens and ones places, 10 ones become 1 ten. The hundreds place continues this exact same pattern one step further: 10 tens become 1 hundred. If you line up ten rods of ten (tens blocks) in a row, they form a flat square — that flat is worth 100.
When you see a three-digit number like 347, each digit tells you something different. The 3 is in the hundreds place, so it means 3 hundreds = 300. The 4 is in the tens place, meaning 4 tens = 40. The 7 is in the ones place, meaning 7 ones = 7. Add them up: 300 + 40 + 7 = 347. This is called expanded form, and it shows the value each digit contributes.
Zero is an important character in three-digit numbers. In 307, the zero sits in the tens place as a placeholder — it means "there are no tens here." Without the zero, 307 would look like 37, which is a completely different number. The zero holds the place so the 3 stays in the hundreds spot and the 7 stays in the ones spot.
As you move on to larger numbers, this same pattern continues. The thousands place is ten times the hundreds place, just as the hundreds place is ten times the tens place. The whole system is built on a single repeating rule: group by tens, and each step left is ten times bigger.