What Is an Estimate?

As students work to strengthen their computation skills, estimation is another topic they will learn about. For young learners, this can be a tricky concept because they’ve been working so hard on getting the exact answer for quite some time! With estimation, we are teaching them to answer a problem with a number that is “pretty close” to the right answer.

So, how can we explain what an estimate is to our students? Read on for a simple definition to use with your students!

An estimate is like making a good guess. You can guess the amount of something or the answer to a problem using rounding or compatible numbers.

Imagine you’re trying to figure out how many jellybeans are in a big jar, but you can’t count them one by one. So, you look at the jar and take a guess. It’s not the exact number but a close guess based on what you can see and know. Estimating helps us make quick guesses when we can’t find the exact answer easily.

Estimating Worksheets for Kids!

If you are looking for a printable resource to help your students strengthen their understanding of rounding and estimation, look no further! Teach Starter has created a worksheet bundle to use with your 3rd grade students. Inside this teacher-created resource, you will find 8 worksheets that cover:

• Round to the nearest 10 to estimate sums and differences with 2-digit numbers (Standard practice page and word problem page).
• Round to the nearest 10 to estimate sums and differences with 3-digit numbers (Standard practice page and word problem page).
• Round to the nearest 100 to estimate sums and differences with 3-digit numbers (Standard practice page and word problem page).
• Round to the nearest 100 to estimate sums and differences with 4-digit numbers (Standard practice page and word problem page).

How to Get Your 3rd Grade Estimation Worksheets

If you are ready to use these estimation worksheets in your classroom, head on over to the green download button! You can choose from the quick-print PDF file or the editable Google Slides option. Please note that if you select the Google Slides option, you will first be prompted to make a copy of the resource to your personal drive before accessing it.

This resource was created by Cassandra Friesen, a teacher in Colorado and a Teach Starter Collaborator.

Extra Estimation Activities Coming Right Up!

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources that cut down on lesson planning time:

teaching resource

Estimating Sums and Differences by Rounding and Compatible Numbers – Worksheet Set

Supercharge your students’ math skills with our estimation worksheets! Download now to master the art of rounding and using compatible numbers for lightning-fast calculations.

teaching resource

Estimating Sums and Differences Interactive Activity

Download our interactive Google Slides activity designed to sharpen your students’ understanding of estimating sums and differences with rounding and compatible numbers.

teaching resource

Estimating Sums and Differences Matching Activity and Extension Task

Guide your students to estimate addition and subtraction sentences by rounding and compatible numbers with this matching activity.