Estimate and Count Jar

Your child guesses how many objects are in a clear jar, then empties it and counts them in groups to find out how close the guess was.

How to do it

1. Fill a clear jar or cup with countable objects such as dried beans, blocks, or bottle caps while your child watches.
2. Ask your child to look at the full jar and say a guess for how many are inside, and write the guess down.
3. Tip the objects out and help your child group them into tens, or into fives if that is easier.
4. Count the groups together to find the real total and write it next to the guess.
5. Talk about how close the guess was and whether it was higher or lower than the real number.

What you need

• Jar
• Small objects
• Paper and pencil

Make it yours

Younger, 5-6 years: Use fewer objects, around ten to twenty, and count one by one. Older, 8-10 years: Use more objects, guess first from a partly filled jar, then scale the guess up to the full jar. Child-hosted game: Let your child secretly fill their own jar with whatever they choose and run it as a guessing game for the family, collecting everyone's guesses and revealing the count as the host. Choosing the objects and hosting the reveal make it their own game rather than a set task. Siblings: Each child writes a secret guess, then all reveal before counting together.