Fun with Patterns:

The ability to recognize and complete patterns is a very important developmental skill for preschool aged children. Pattern recognition helps with future reading and math skills and can be lots of fun to practice at home! Patterns are all around us. Find patterns in your own home by going on a pattern hunt. Find them in clothing, tableware, wallpaper, tiles, the furniture and more. Do you have a pet with stripes? Another pattern! Find some patterns you can eat with brightly colored breakfast cereal. Make a cereal necklace using yarn and Fruit Loops and help your child make a pattern such as green, yellow, pink, green, yellow, pink and so on! By letting them “read” the pattern out loud they will be able to learn sequencing skills and fix any breaks in the pattern. Toys provide lots of opportunities for making and completing patterns. Legos, beads, blocks, cars, stickers and poker chips may all be used for fun with patterns.

Go outside and see what patterns they can find in nature. Look at leaves, petals, gardens and animals. Have them make patterns of their own through creative movement. Step, step, hop, step, step, hop! Or snap, clap, snap, clap. Sing patterns with them or use words to make oral patterns using words or silly sounds. Drawing shapes in a sequence is creative and will help with fine motor skills while working with crayons.

Working with patterns will help them so much when it comes time to read and count! Here are some Pattern books to check out at the Library!

Who Do I See?
Salina Yoon

A-B-A-B-A: A Book of Pattern Play
Brian P. Cleary

Growing Patterns
Sarah C. Campbell

Animal Patterns
Nathan Olson

Farm Patterns
Nathan Olson

Patterns in the Park
Lisa Bruce

Pattern Fish
Trudy Harris

Nature’s Paintbrush
Susan Stockdale