Category: Patterns

What patterns can you see on the grids? Describe the patterns on each grid. What do you notice?

If we added another row, can you predict which square you would colour in? Why do you say that? Explain your thinking.

Try your own name and look for patterns.

Print the 6 x 6 grid here. Write your name in the grid, one letter in each square, repeating it until all the squares are filled. Now colour in the squares which have the first letter of your name in them. What patterns have you made? Can you think of a way to describe the patterns?

Ask people you know to try it. What is the same and what is different about the patterns different names make?

What if you tried a larger grid?

What has changed?

What about a smaller grid? What patterns can you see then?

Try some different sized grids with your name.

Download grids

Grids 2 to 8,

Grids 9 and 10.

For more pattern activities go to Digit Dog’s home page, go to Categories and select Patterns

Calculating Cat has made an AB pattern with the sticks:

purple, yellow, purple, yellow, purple, yellow……….

See if you can use her rule to make a pattern with sounds or movements. You could try:

• Using your hands to clap, click, clap, click, clap, click……….
• Making sounds such as whistle, shout, whistle, shout………..
• Using movements such as hop, jump, hop, jump, hop, jump……or
• stand, sit, stand, sit, stand, sit ……….or
• wave, stamp, wave, stamp, wave, stamp………….or
• run, stop, run, stop……..

What about this pattern? Look for the rule then use it to make a pattern with sounds or movements.

Play with patterns:

• One person makes a repeating pattern using objects. Another person works out the rule and uses it to make a pattern with sounds or movements.
• One person makes a repeating pattern with sounds or movements. Another person copies it.
• Look for repeating patterns in your environment. Say the rule and use it to make a pattern using sounds or movements.

Digit Dog has made lots of linear repeating patterns, so now he is exploring cyclic patterns.

What do you notice about Digit Dog’s pattern?

He had to make sure that the pattern continued round and round the plate.

Try making some cyclic patterns using plates and objects.

Draw a pattern around the edge of a page.

Make a pattern with a mistake and ask someone else to spot it..

Spot the mistake.

What is Digit Dog’s rule?

Where has he gone wrong? How do you know?

What does he have to do to put it right?

Calculating Cat has found a paper napkin.

What can you see? What do you notice?

Look at the rows of cakes. Look at the columns.

Describe the cakes.

How many cakes with hearts are there?

How many brown cakes?

How many cakes have cases that are not pink?

Calculating Cat noticed an AB pattern in the second row. She used the rule to make her own pattern.

Look at the two patterns. What is the same? What is different?

Try making your own pattern with different objects. Remember the rule. Your pattern can go on and on and on………….

Now Calculating Cat has an ABAC pattern.

Draw coloured lines to copy Calculating Cat’s pattern. Continue the pattern to the end of your page.

Investigate the other rows and columns on the paper napkin.

Look for patterns that decorate other things around the house and outside. Which patterns are repeating patterns?

Digit Dog has made another AB pattern using buttons.

Can you work out the rule?

What sort of button would come next?

Play What’s missing?

What sort of button needs to go in the gap?

Make your own repeating pattern, take one object away and ask someone to work out what is missing.

You can use anything to make a pattern………..

Look at Calculating Cat’s pattern.

What is the rule?

Why is it different from the previous patterns?

This pattern has 3 objects in the repeat.

Orange, blue, pink, orange, blue, pink ………..

ABC, ABC………….

What colour button comes next?

Pattern is an important part of mathematics. Recognising that a sequence of objects makes a pattern, being able to copy, extend and explain the pattern is an important step towards understanding number patterns.

Digit Dog has been making a repeating pattern – a sequence that is governed by a rule. What is Digit Dog’s rule?

Can you copy Digit Dog’s pattern?

Can you continue the pattern?

Calculating Cat has also made a repeating pattern.

Look at both patterns.

What is the same? What is different?

These are both AB patterns. Two objects form the repeating unit.

Digit Dog has used a stick and a leaf:

Stick, leaf, stick, leaf, stick, leaf…………..

A, B, A, B, A, B……………..

Calculating Cat has used different objects but there are still two objects repeating over and over:

A, B, A, B, A, B……………..

Leaf, stone, leaf, stone, leaf, stone ………….

Can you make an AB pattern?

Start a pattern and see if someone else can continue it.