Estimating Gold Coins Activity

Estimating numbers and quantity is a tricky skill for kids to master. It is important not just to focus on counting. Ask children to estimate how many objects they can see. Check by counting and then compare the difference.

For this activity:

Choose objects that are quite large. Children need to be able to see the objects clearly but they must be displayed in a way that it is not easy to explicitly count them.
This activity works well with gold coins or candy canes in a glass jar.
Ask your child to estimate how many objects are in the jar.
Once they have estimated, take the objects out and count them.
Use a number line to find the difference between the estimate and the actual number. How close was their estimate?