Patterns Activity
This patterns activity lets PreK to 1st Grade students extend AB, ABC, AAB and ABB shape patterns in a spinner game, with an answer key included, to build early math thinking.
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About this resource
Description
Patterns are everywhere, and spotting them is one of the first big ideas in early math. This patterns activity helps Preschool, Kindergarten and 1st Grade students copy and extend AB, ABC, AAB and ABB patterns with bright red circles, blue squares, green triangles and yellow stars. Saying a pattern out loud and finding what comes next builds the same thinking children later use with numbers and counting.
Each player takes two pattern strips. The strip shows the pattern twice, followed by four empty boxes. Players take turns spinning the shape spinner, and when the shape they land on is the next one their strip needs, they place that piece in the box. The first player to fill every box wins. The patterns activity also includes blank strips so children can make their own patterns, plus a Kindergarten practice page where students draw the next two shapes.
What’s Included
- A cover and a How to Use page with simple steps
- 8 pattern strips on 3 sheets
- A sheet of 32 shape pieces, exactly the pieces the strips need
- A four-shape spinner
- A Kindergarten practice worksheet: draw the next two shapes
- An answer key for the strips and the practice page
Why This Activity Helps Kids
First, saying each pattern out loud helps children hear the repeating unit, which makes the next shape easy to predict. Second, the game builds turn-taking and careful checking, because players must decide whether a spin fits their strip. Third, moving from AB to ABC, AAB and ABB patterns gently stretches children toward more complex thinking.
Ideas for Teachers and Parents
Use this shape patterns activity in a math center, a small group, or at the kitchen table. Have children clap or stomp each pattern, build the same pattern with blocks or snacks, or hide one shape on a finished strip and ask a friend to find the missing piece. Older students can invent a pattern on a blank strip and trade with a partner.
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