How Many Ways Can You Make a Pattern?

Materials:

• Shapes (3D) or printed coloured shapes

• Placemat / printed pattern sheets 

• Glue (optional)

Instructions:

• Ask the children to name what shapes they can see (i.e. triangle, circle, square, rectangle)

• Strike up a conversation about what characteristics we can see in the shapes, and compare the differences and similarities between the shapes.

• Get the children to make patterns using the shapes.

• Ask children to compare their patterns and talk about what they notice about their friends’ patterns.

• (optional) With printed sheets, ask children to glue their shape patterns to take home.

Powerful InterACTions - PK3:

• What shapes do you see?

• How do you know that’s a triangle? (circle, square, rectangle, etc)

• Can you find another shape that looks like this one?

• What happens if you change one shape?

• What did you do when your pattern didn’t work?

Powerful InterACTions - PK4:

• What do you notice about this shape

• How are these two shapes the same? How are they different?

• Where else have you seen this shape before?

• How did you figure out which shape to use next?

• What kind of pattern could you make using only circles?