Valuing Thinking Over Answers: How Are You Thinking About That?

My daughter Janelle (5 years old) loves Highlights Puzzle Buzz, and it’s often one of her favorite bedtime routine “reading” materials.  These fun magazines, designed for ages 4-7, bring a monthly dose of fun puzzles - some involve numbers or or counting, like this one:

At first, I didn’t expect this activity to spark any particularly noteworthy math moments. Counting up to five objects isn’t a challenge for Janelle at this point. But as I watched her work, I noticed something interesting:

She wasn’t just counting objects—she was tracking multiple counts at the same time, jumping between different groups and keeping them straight in her mind. And she did this accurately!

I was able to get a 30 second clip of her doing this, take a peek: Multi-count Video

Multi-Counting: An Under-the-Radar Skill

Have you ever needed to keep track of multiple things at once? As a teacher, I often did—one pack of colored pencils, two markers, four copies of the day’s tasks at each table. Trying to keep all those counts in my head at the same time often overwhelmed my working memory, and I’d have to retrace my steps to double-check.

So what does this moment tell me about Janelle’s numeracy? I’m not entirely sure yet, but I suspect it means her understanding of quantities 1-5 is deepening, becoming less fragile and more flexible. She’s moving beyond just counting and into a space where numbers and tracking feel natural to her.

The Bigger Picture: Valuing Thinking Over Answers

I believe that the real value of a math education isn’t just knowing how to do procedures—it’s about learning how to think and approach problems. And this bedtime math interaction is one example of a seed I’ve planted in Janelle’s mindsets towards math.

Do you remember when I asked her, “How are you keeping track of all the different things?” She brushed off my question, but that’s okay. Over time, hearing questions like this teaches her something important: I value her thinking, not just her answer.

Your Turn to Try!

Look for a math moment when you can ask your child about their thinking or process.  Don’t worry about whether their count or answer is correct - what matters is showing them that their thought process is valuable.  

This also gives you insight into what they understand, so you’ll know how to gently nudge their learning forward.

Looking for more specific, easy preschool math activities? Check out my free resource, 3 Powerful On-the-Go Early Math Activities!