Teaching Patterns using Natural Materials

Patterns are everywhere. It’s really important for children to understand patterns, because it helps them see how things fit together and work. In an a/b pattern, we have two different materials repeating. So, in this pattern I have a rock and a stick repeating. So, here the rock would be a and the stick would be B. So, the pattern would go a/b, a/b, a/b, and that’s an a/b pattern. In an A/B/C pattern we have three different materials repeating. So, in this pattern I’m using the same blocks, but they’re different colors. So, the red would be A, the green would be B, and the yellow would be C. So, this pattern would go A/B/C, A/B/C, A/B/C. And that is an A/B/C pattern. When I begin teaching children patterns, I like to give a little example, and I will create an a/b pattern. I will then ask the children; can you tell me what should come next in the pattern? And I will allow them to tell me what I should place next, or even place the item in the pattern themselves. Next, I will ask the children, can you pick some materials and create your own pattern? And I will allow them to create their own pattern. And I usually start by teaching simple A/B patterns, but once the children have that down, I would do different variations like maybe an A/B/C pattern, or an A/A-B/B pattern to extend their learning about patterns. And this is how I teach patterns, because it’s very important for children to understand and visualize how things fit together and work.