Guessing and Counting

Estimation is a valuable skill in our world. We use it more often than we may realize. Contractors frequently use estimates, and I, personally, use my own "guesstimate" system to remain within budget while grocery shopping. 

Young children must be introduced to any math concept they will be expected to to understand - at a level that they can understand.
We placed six blocks around Sisi so the children could see about how much of her body those six blocks covered. The children were encouraged to guess how many blocks it would take to go all the way around her body. We decided that since we already used six blocks, our guesses would have to be a number higher than six.

For some children this is fairly easy; for others, this can be a difficult concept. When working with a difficult problem, we must decide what is known. 
For this problem, we know two things. 
1.) We know that our guess must be a number. We want to know how many blocks it will take. 
2.) We also know that it will take more than six blocks to go all the way around Sisi.

Any guess that is within our knowns is praised as a good guess.  

For the next guessing activity, the children drew a long line on butcher paper and guessed how many crayons it would take to cover the whole line. 
It's important for children to have many different experiences with each new concept we are introducing. 

Estimation has a great deal to do with number sense and understanding the concepts how many, more, and less. In the instances pictured, it also pertains to the concept of measurement. 

Children with "off-the-wall" guesses will begin to guess more accurately as they gain more experience.