Patterns are Everywhere!

Once you start looking for them, you can find patterns everywhere! In this edition of Talking Math, our team provides helpful ways to look for and play with patterns during everyday activities. This not only helps your child to have a strong grasp of patterns as a concept; it will prepare them to see other concepts in real life, deepening their engagement with the learning process.

Identify the Pattern game

One member of the group identifies items that follow a pattern, and the other group members try to guess the pattern! Take turns naming and guessing the patterns. Here are some ideas to encourage how to play with toy blocks:

Beginner: Line up toy blocks in a row. Try alternating colors, size or shape.

Intermediate: Instead of lining up the blocks, point to the one that would be next in the pattern.

Advanced: Make the pattern using a category of items (e.g. shapes). The items within each category can be any size, color, texture, etc.

You can adjust these games to include familiar items from home. For instance, while putting away groceries, ask your child to identify which items are fruits and which are vegetables.

Finding patterns all around

The basic Identify the Pattern game can be adapted for many environments in your child’s daily life. Here are some idea starters to encourage conversation with your child:

While driving or taking public transit

Identify the colors of parked cars, or look for patterns in license plates.

Watch for street signs, and point out patterns you notice in street names.

Predict which way your transit driver will turn the vehicle next.

At the store

Arrange large and small items into patterns in your cart.

Walk down odd-numbered aisles first, then even-numbered aisles.

At the checkout, sort your groceries into categories like “frozen” and “refrigerated”.

Doing chores

Sort laundry by members of the family, types of clothing, hanging vs folding clothes, etc. Encourage your child to help with sorting to connect their sense of touch and flex those gross motor skills!

Clean up toys by sorting them into like groups, or put away toys in a pattern by choosing one trait (color, size, shape) and alternating.

Arrange books on a shelf, bowls in the cabinets, etc.

During a meal

Alternate between bites of different foods.

Serve food along or around the table in a specific order (go clockwise, from oldest to youngest, etc.).

Arrange the foods on your child’s plate in patterns.

In nature

Notice the leaves on trees, the way trees may be planted along a road, or the pattern of the bark. Encourage your child to use their sense of touch to identify patterns (i.e. bark feels rough, while leaves feel smooth).

Count the number of petals on a flower. See if other flowers like it have the same number of petals. This is also a great moment to talk about symmetry!

During movement

When walking, try alternating your step size (big, small, big, small) or speed (fast, slow, fast, slow).

While dancing with your child, try bobbing to the rhythm, or change your movements as the song enters the chorus.

Other places to find patterns

Color in a coloring page, one section at a time, by alternating which colors you use. If your child is older, mandalas are a great way to teach patterns through symmetry.

Use a clapping game like Miss Mary Mack or Hand Tic Tac Toe.

Find rhyming patterns in songs like Bingo Was His Name-O or Wheels on the Bus.

Identify the rhythm in a song, and encourage your child to tap, stomp, or dance along.

Connect to nature by looking at animal fur or scales.

Look for repeating shapes and colors on a nearby blanket, wallpaper, floor tiles, light fixtures, etc. The possibilities are endless!

SUMM’s pattern resources

At SUMM, our education staff use a variety of books, manipulatives, games, and other learning aids to help with pattern recognition. Here’s a few of our faves:

One book our education team uses frequently is Pattern Breakers: A First Book of Patterns by Dan Finkel. The book is available through Amazon, and is coming to the King County Library System in the coming months.

Finkel’s organization, Math for Love, also provides manipulatives and games. We love the 21st Century Pattern Blocks and the Upscale Pattern Blocks.

Interested in seeing more of our picks? Drop in at one of our community events and try them out for yourself!