Based on the study of 81 children aged 3~5, children’s mental number line development characteristics and estimation strategies used in the number line task were explored to find the developmental characteristics of children’s number line estimation strategy, and the relationship between number line estimation strategy, estimation accuracy and estimation model, so as to provide enlightenment for measures to promote the development of children’s mental number line. The results showed that: 1) Children showed a rich variety of estimation strategies. 2) There were differences between estimation strategy and age, estimation situation as well as number line range. 3) The estimation strategy was closely related to the accuracy of the number line estimation and the number line estimation model. There existed significant difference in the estimation strategies of children’s estimation accuracy in the range of 1~20 number lines. Children’s number line estimation strategy could affect the estimation model. The "number relation" and "counting number" strategies were used in a high proportion in various estimation models, and the "standard linear model" had the highest proportion of effective strategies.