About the Pattern Worksheets
A pattern is something that repeats in a way you can predict. Apple, banana, apple, banana: once a child sees the rule, they know what comes next without being told. Spotting rules like that is the beginning of mathematical thinking, and it shows up later in skip counting, times tables and algebra.
The simplest patterns have two parts taking turns. Teachers call these AB patterns. The first What Comes Next? sheet uses only those. The harder sheet adds doubles, such as frog, frog, duck, and three-part repeats, such as car, kite, robot.
The most useful habit is saying the pattern out loud. Children hear the rhythm before they can explain the rule, so every sheet asks for that first. Circle the Part That Repeats then asks them to find the repeating piece itself, which is the step from following a pattern to understanding it.
Every worksheet has an answer key on its second page. Patterns also make a good break between the counting and adding sets on the kindergarten math page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an AB pattern?
An AB pattern has two parts that take turns: red, blue, red, blue. The letters are just labels for the two parts. An AAB pattern has two of the first before the second, an ABB pattern has one then two, and an ABC pattern has three different parts.
What age should a child learn patterns?
Most children can copy and continue a two-part pattern by age 4 or 5. Three-part patterns and patterns with doubles usually come during kindergarten.
How do I teach patterns at home?
Start with real things: socks and shoes in a line, or red and blue blocks. Build the pattern, say it out loud together, and ask what comes next. Clapping and stomping patterns work well too. Move to the worksheets once that feels easy.
Why do patterns matter in math?
Math is full of rules that repeat. Counting by twos, the times tables, and odd and even numbers are all patterns. A child who is used to looking for what repeats finds those ideas much easier to learn.
My child can finish the pattern but cannot say which part repeats. Is that a problem?
No, that is the usual order. Continuing a pattern comes first. Naming the repeating part comes later, and the Circle the Part That Repeats sheet is practice for exactly that step.
