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Pattern recognition requires the ability to see order in chaos.
Patterns can be found in words, numbers, symbols, schedules, behaviors, and more. The ability to recognize, identify, and create patterns is a key skill in children’s mathematical development.
However, pattern recognition is important for reasons that go well beyond math.
Noticing patterns allows children to make educated guesses. For example, we observe patterns in nature that help us form scientific hypotheses.
We also make assumptions about people’s future behaviors based on past behavior patterns (e.g., the teacher will begin reading after the students all sit down.)
My Advanced Patterns worksheets are for kids who are already skilled at identifying simple patterns and who are ready to for the challenge of seeing patterns amidst greater chaos.
I have been working with my kids on pattern recognition since they were quite young. Several years ago I posted about some basic patterning activities I did with my son. And my printables packs and do-a-dot printables sets include basic patterning activities focused on AB, AAB, ABB, and ABC patterns.
Well, my kids no longer need practice with these types of patterns, so I wanted to give them a greater challenge.
Toward that end, I have created a set of Advanced Pattern Worksheets.
Print a worksheet and use scissors to separate the pattern strips. Provide the pattern strips to your child along with a colored pencils, markers, or crayons.
Have your child identify the pattern made by the figures and draw in the missing figure at the end.
The Advanced Patterns file includes six worksheets featuring the following types of patterns:
- ABAC pattern
- ABC pattern combined with AAABBB pattern
- AB pattern combined with AAB pattern
- AB pattern combined with ABB pattern
- AB pattern combined with ABC pattern
- AB pattern combined with ABC pattern and ABCD pattern
The first worksheet in the pack is the most basic. The image below shows three pattern strips from the first worksheet that uses an ABAC pattern. In the top pattern strip, the ABAC pattern is pink circle, green diamond, pink circle, yellow diamond.
The image below shows three pattern strips from the worksheet that combines an ABC pattern and an AAABBB pattern. In the top pattern strip, the ABC pattern is red, blue, yellow and the AAABBB pattern is vertical, vertical, vertical, horizontal, horizontal, horizontal.
By overlapping these two patterns, a more complex pattern is created: vertical red, vertical blue, vertical yellow, horizontal red, horizontal blue, horizontal yellow.
These worksheets provide children with fantastic hands-on practice identifying patterns that are quite complex. Children who can successfully do these worksheets will be well on their way to mastering some very advanced pattern recognition skills.
An answer key is included in the download so you can easily check your child’s answers.
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More resources for teaching math
More math activities from Gift of Curiosity:
- Building a 3D rainbow measurement activity
- Matching and ordering by size
- Venn diagram sorting practice
- Teaching combinations of 10
- Estimating an apple’s circumference
- Introduction to probability
- Math practice with numbered dice
- Put the numbers on the clothesline
- Road numbers
For more activities, resources, and printables for teaching math, see my Math Activities for Kids page and my Math Pinterest board.
