7–11 years · About 20 minutes
An adult plays alongside, takes turns and asks the child to explain their thinking.
Get ready
Clear jar or cup · Dried pasta, beans or buttons · Small scoop or spoon · Paper and pencil
Fill a clear jar or cup with one kind of small thing and put it where everyone can see it.
Give it a go
- Everyone writes a first guess without counting.
- Count one scoop, see how many scoops fill the jar and make a second guess.
- Tip everything out, count in tens and see whose guess came closest.
Try saying: How did counting one scoop change your guess?
Finish: Pour everything back and save the jar for a rematch with something new inside.
Stay safeBeans, pasta and buttons can choke babies and toddlers. Keep them out of reach and do not eat dried beans.
Adapt it together
Make it simpler: Use a small cup that holds fewer than 50 things.
Take it further: Work out how far each guess was from the real count, then try a bigger jar.
Why this activity?
A chance to practise estimation, counting in tens, place value. This invitation is an editorial adaptation of the guidance below. It is not a test or a promise about development.
- Read the source
The Australian Curriculum describes broad capabilities for inquiry, communication and design. It does not validate this individual activity.
