4 min · Age 5-6
Repeating Patterns
What comes next?
Patterns train children to spot and describe a repeating unit, which is the same reasoning that later powers times tables and algebra. Copy, extend, then describe — describing is the hard part. Ages three to six.
Play this lesson with narration →pictorial
AB pattern
A pattern repeats.
Circle, square, circle, square, circle… what's next? Square! Because the pattern repeats.
What parents should watch for
- Extending a pattern by copying the last item rather than the repeating unit.
- Spotting an AB pattern but not an AAB or ABC one.
- Recreating the colours but not the underlying structure.
- Being unable to say what the rule is even after continuing it correctly.
Practise it in Yaze
Land 54 · Pattern Pinnacle — 10 levels for ages 3–8 in the patterns strand. Mapped to 4.OA.C.5 (Common Core), Shape, space and measures (UK EYFS/KS1) and P1 Patterns (Singapore Math).
Ready to practice?
Play Pattern Pinnacle in the Yaze Adventure Map — games built on this exact skill.
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