Sometimes the smallest routines create the biggest shifts in a math classroom. What might look like a simple warm-up, Number Talk, or Notice & Wonder activity is actually doing much more than filling a few minutes at the beginning of your lesson.

Thinking routines are one of my favorite places to begin when building a classroom of problem solvers. They send a powerful message to students: Your ideas matter here. And over time, those small moments of noticing, wondering, and discussing begin to change how students see themselves as mathematicians.

Thinking Routines Are the Perfect Place to Start

Last week, we talked about the six strands that make up a classroom of problem solvers. I like to think of them like a friendship bracelet—each strand strengthens the others, and every classroom creates its own unique braid.

Thinking routines are my favorite strand to start with because they create daily opportunities for students to reason, discuss, and experience success. Those moments become the foundation for everything that comes later.

Thinking Routines Are the Real Math

It’s easy to think of warm-ups as something quick before “the real math” begins. But thinking routines are the real math.

These routines help students notice patterns, justify ideas, compare strategies, and listen to one another. Before students can confidently engage in rich discussions during Word Problem Workshop, they need smaller opportunities to share ideas, disagree respectfully, and build confidence.

Changing the Story Students Tell Themselves About Math

Many students believe math is about speed, answers, and getting things right as quickly as possible. Thinking routines interrupt that story.

Suddenly math becomes about noticing, wondering, discussing, and making sense. And for some students, those small moments can completely change their relationship with mathematics.

Building Mathematical Identity One Conversation at a Time

Students have to experience themselves as thinkers before they believe they are thinkers.

The episode shares the story of a student who struggled with confidence and often felt defeated during math. Through consistent thinking routines, he found opportunities to contribute without the pressure of having the perfect answer. Over time, his confidence grew—and that confidence began to spill into every part of math.

Favorite Thinking Routines to Try

From Which One Doesn’t Belong and Notice & Wonder to Choral Counting, Number of the Day, Alike & Different, and How Many?, there are countless ways to invite students into mathematical conversations.

Each routine develops reasoning, flexibility, and mathematical language in different ways. And because they’re low-floor opportunities, every student can enter the conversation with confidence.

The Value Is in the Discussion

One of the biggest mistakes I see is rushing through these routines or turning them into teacher-led mini lessons.

The value isn’t in getting the answer. It’s in the discussion. The pauses matter. The wondering matters. The student ideas matter. The goal isn’t simply to do a thinking routine—it’s to facilitate thinking.

A Perfect Partnership

Thinking routines are the perfect companion to Word Problem Workshop because they strengthen the exact habits students need during Grapple and Discuss.

Students practice listening, reasoning, persevering, and sharing ideas in smaller, safer ways before tackling richer problems. And if discourse feels challenging during Word Problem Workshop, thinking routines are one of the best places to strengthen that muscle.

Start Small, Think Big

Teacher friends, keep it simple. You don’t need a new curriculum, a perfect slide deck, or an hour-long routine.

Start with one routine. Spend five to ten minutes. Ask questions like, “What do you notice?” or “Who sees it differently?” Then step back and listen. Students will surprise you.

Because the goal of thinking routines isn’t just stronger number sense—it’s stronger mathematical identity. Over time, students begin to believe, “I can contribute. My thinking matters. I can make sense of math.” And that’s the foundation of a classroom of problem solvers.

You Don’t Have to Build It Alone

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yes, this is the kind of math classroom I want,” I want you to know you don’t have to build it alone.

Whether you start with Word Problem Workshop: 5 Steps to Creating a Classroom of Problem Solvers or explore the Word Problem Workshop Teacher Training, support is available every step of the way. Because classrooms of problem solvers aren’t built through one big lesson—they’re built through consistent opportunities for students to think every single day.

And if you’d like to get started with some simple routines, I’ve put together a free sample to help you bring these conversations into your classroom.

Get your free Thinking Routines sample here:
monamath.myflodesk.com/thinkingroutines

A Final Thought

Create small daily opportunities for students to notice, wonder, discuss, and see themselves as mathematical thinkers.

Remember that warm-ups and thinking routines are not just activities to fill time—they are opportunities to build confidence, curiosity, and community. And trust that the conversations, pauses, and moments of reasoning you nurture each day are helping students develop the habits of real problem solvers.

Ready to Listen?

🎧 Listen to Episode 215: Creating a Classroom of Problem Solvers: Thinking Routines (Part 2)
⭐ Subscribe to the Math Chat Podcast so you never miss an episode
▶️ Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@hellomonamath
📝 Leave a review to help more educators find the show
📚 Interested in the Word Problem Workshop Book Club? Visit monamath.com/bookclub for details