When you don't have the time to be intricate with your calculations you will often find yourself, at least, contemplating estimation. If you need to make a quick (on the spot) judgment often we can only resort to estimation to get the job done. While many people feel that estimation is a simple guess, it truly is a skill that can make or break you in many businesses. When working with estimation we are not looking for the exact answer. We just want a ball park figure that can help us make an informed decision. We do this all the time when we are packing and moving. Will that fit in that box? Will that fit on that truck? Understanding trends are a huge part of making progress in all walks of life. To gauge trends quickly we only need to understand where our answer is generally. Finding exact answers is often time consuming and can require more effort than it is worth. This where this skill comes in handy. We are just looking to get an answer that is close enough to make a well thought decisions. If we needed a block of wood to hold up the drain in our sink, we know that we do not need a ten-foot block of wood. If the drain appears to be about a foot off the ground, buying a two-foot block of wood would be good enough to get the job done. When we go to the grocery store, we are constantly estimating to find the best price. Is it better to buy 3 for $4.99 or $1.25 each? Can you see where estimation skills can save and really make you money?

These worksheets will help us learn how to have an answer that is close enough to be exact that we can make a good decision. The lessons will explain the difference between an answer that is exact and close. We will look at how to apply this skill to geometry, counting, basic operations, and measurement. The worksheet topics are ordered by difficulty and we put the geometric measures towards the bottom.