Why we group the dots (and why the flash is so short)

Subitizing is just recognizing a small quantity at a glance, no counting required. Kids can do this up to about four almost from the start. Past four, they start "groupitizing": chunking a bigger amount into groups they already know, like seeing 3 and 3 and jumping straight to 6 instead of counting all six one by one. Flash it, give a beat of quiet think time, ask "how did you see it?", then reveal. The strategies kids describe out loud are the real lesson, not the number itself.