So far this month I have written about patterns of objects made both by attribute and positioning as well as patterns of movements. There is still another type of pattern. This type uses sound.

The sound can be made by the body – vocalizations, clapping, stomping, etc. – or by instruments. As with so much of what I have written about this month, the sky is the limit as far as ideas of what to use or do!

If you (or your children) need inspiration for using vocalization patterns, think scat or doo wop singing. Greg and Steve’s On the Move album of songs has one, Scat Like That!, which can give you an idea of how to use your voice without even singing words. Google “doo wop songs” and find all the oldies that used this type of vocalization patterns.

Add movements with sounds and you have even more possibilities. Try a scat “word,” hand clap, different scat “word,” and foot stomp to make an ABCD pattern. What about one “real” word (such as Yeah!), hitting your cheeks like a drum, and clicking your tongue? That’s an ABC pattern. What other variations can you and your children produce? Let each child have a turn to present a sound pattern that the others (and you again!) can copy. And don’t forget to have the children extend a pattern!

If you have instruments, you can have the children share and then together make a pattern. Drum beat, cymbal clang, rhythm stick tap can be an ABC pattern.   This type of pattern provides an opportunity for the children to work together to make a pattern, where each of them contributes to the final pattern. If you don’t have any instruments, be creative! Two paper cups with some paperclips, taped together makes a shaker that can be used. A paper plate, folded in half and filled with rice or beans and stapled shut is another shaker. Two pieces of wood that can be tap together is another idea. As I have stressed throughout this month, it is not necessary to spend lots of money to do patterns; use what you have available to you.

Sound patterns obviously appeal to those who do better when they hear something. When there is movement added, those children who learn better through moving are more engaged. Watching other children adds a visual aspect to the patterning but don’t stop there.

Ask your local fabric store for the empty cardboard base around which fabric which they sell is wrapped. Cover that cardboard with solid-colored contact paper. With a permanent marker make dots evenly spaced across the center of the board. Cover the entire board with clear contact paper. Get a dry erase marker.

This board is a way for you to visualize the pattern that is being made. By the way, it can also be used with movement patterns. As the first element of a pattern (A) is introduced, decide (yourself or with the children’s input) how to draw a line from the first dot to the second (remember to always go left to right!). When the second element is added, use a different type of line to go from the second dot to the third. As each new element is added, use a different type of line to move from dot to dot. When elements are repeated, use the same type of line as used originally for that element. Sound confusing? The pictures should help. The first one above shows the board before a pattern is created. The second one below shows an ABC pattern.

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this month’s blog on patterning and hope that it has inspired you to include patterning more and more into your activities. Don’t forget to take time to share your ideas with others by posting comments to these blogs. We all learn with we share!

So far I have written about patterns that involved objects you can pick up and manipulate. Those are usually what we think of first when we think of patterns. Patterns, however, are so much more than that!

The old children’s song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” is a pattern. You and the children can make up patterns using various forms of movement. Hop, twist, hands on shoulders; hop, twist, hands on shoulders is an ABC pattern of movements. If you want to keep the children seated on the floor or chairs, you can use less grand movements. Touch ears, pound on chest, flap arms is also an ABC pattern. The various movements are limited only by the various body parts that can be used and your and the children’s imaginations of what can be done with them.

Remember with all forms of patterns it is best to start with the simpler forms. Do ABAB patterns first; then progress to ABB, AAB, and ABC. If your children are starting to catch on, think about longer patterns such as ABBC or ABCD.

It helps when you are doing the patterns to describe them aloud and not just do the movement itself. This helps those who learn best through what they hear. You are reaching those who are more auditory learners and with this form of pattern you are also engaging young children who are kinesthetic learners and find it difficult to sit quietly.

Patterns do not always have to be a special time set aside just for math skills. If the children in your care are having troubles sitting still to listen to a book or do another sedimentary activity, take a quick break to do a movement pattern. Stand up, jump, clap, twist, jump, clap, twist for a minute or two and the children will find it easier to sit and you will have provided a quick “lesson” on patterns.

As with the other forms of patterns, don’t forget to have the children first copy your pattern. Once confident, have them extend the pattern. Do tap head, touch chin, hug self, tap head, touch chin…..what comes next? What comes after that? Have the children extend the pattern through at least two repeats so that they can show that they are truly understanding what the pattern is.

Lastly, don’t forget to have the children create their own patterns. Have a child suggest a pattern, name it first by its movements and then by its type (ABAB, etc.). Then have the other children (and you!) copy it. Give each child a chance to create a pattern of movements to share with the others. You can also use this as an educational “filler” – for lack of a better word. When you have a few minutes to fill, have the children take turns creating patterns that the others can do. This makes these short periods of time between activities more than just ways to bridge activities but also gives these moments educational value.

As in past weeks, I encourage you to share in the comments section how you have been using movements to make patterns with the children you serve. Everyone has great ideas – share them!

Last week I wrote about patterns and using everyday household items to make them. Did you think of some items around your house you could use? I also wrote about simple ABAB patterns in a row formed by having two different elements (fork/spoon or red/green) that alternate. There are other ways to make patterns with everyday items though!

Elements of patterns are distinguished by an attribute. That can be WHAT an item is such as a spoon or a fork. It can also be by color, such as red or green. Those are easy visual ways to distinguish one element of a pattern from another. Don’t stop there! Again, start to think “outside the box.” Think positions!

You can use all of one type of item and make it into two elements just by altering the position. A soup can that is sitting upright, and then one sitting upside down, and then again one upright, and one upside (and so on) is also an ABAB pattern. What about a row of knives, one straight up-and-down and one diagonal, one straight up-and-down, one diagonal? That’s an ABAB pattern too. You can even have one knife straight up-and-down and two knives “crossed”, one knife up-and-down, two knives “crossed.” The possibilities are endless!

Don’t stop there! A row of cups sitting upside down with a small pebble sitting on top of every other one – that’s another ABAB pattern.   In other words, two items can be combined to make one of the elements and the second element can be just one of those items by itself.

Once you start to think of positional patterns, the sky is the limit! Almost anything you can use to make a “regular” type of pattern can also be used in a pattern that includes positioning.

Now that you know lots of ways to make patterns – ABAB, AAB, ABB, ABC, etc. – where do you go? Besides the different types of patterns we’ve talked about, there are different pattern skills. The easiest is copying a pattern. To do this, a child is shown a pattern and copies it, laying the same items under the presented items.

Once confident doing that, a child can move onto extending patterns. In this scenario, a child is presented a pattern and is asked what comes next, then places that item in the row, then is asked what comes next, etc. until at least two repeats of the pattern are completed.

The last skill comes after much practice with patterns in their various forms. For this skill, a child is asked to create from scratch a pattern following one of the pattern types.

Once the children you work with begin to become confident with patterns, continue to challenge them with new and different types. Then let them create patterns that you or other children in the group have to try to extend. As they use their imagination to create new patterns, their understanding of the concept of patterning grows and grows!

Let us know what you have done with patterns this week by sharing in the comments section.

From birth, the human brain is wired to recognize patterns. It is how infants are able to figure out the world around them. Because of this, young children can recognize patterns from an early age. We get excited when a child says “foots” even though, in English, that is incorrect. It tells us that the child has internalized the pattern concept that plurals have an “s” on the end. What they cannot do automatically is match the vocabulary of patterns to the concepts. Just the word pattern is something that must be shared by a more advanced peer or an adult. Children are not born knowing the words particular to their language (English, Cantonese, Urdu, etc.) The labeling of patterns as ABAB, ABB, AAB, ABC, etc. also need to help of a more advanced helper.

That is where the adults in a child’s life (and, yes, the more advanced peers also) can help a young child to identify, extend, and create patterns. There are all types of patterns in this world and it is important that children be helped to recognize them in all their different forms. This is so important because, besides being an important math concept, patterns are also a science concept. Scientists make discoveries when they notice patterns in what they are studying.

Probably the easiest and simplest way to start with patterns is to use real objects. Pattern blocks are great for this (see photo below) but they are not present in most homes so that means looking for something else. Here the possibilities are endless!! Look into the kitchen drawers. Use forks and spoons to make a pattern. Coins – pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters – can also be used. Have a piece of paper and some crayons? Cut or tear the paper into strips. Color each strip a different color. Then cut the strips into squares. Use the various colored squares to make patterns. Have books and DVD cases? Those can be used to make patterns. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money to make patterns. It just requires a little “thinking outside the box.” If you have ideas for everyday household items to use, share them in the comments section.

What are some of the different types of patterns? The simplest patterns are ABAB patterns. This would be fork, spoon, fork, spoon, etc. It could also be red, green, red, green, etc. An ABAB pattern has two elements that are placed alternately in a row. Because at all times we should be modeling important literacy skills, teach patterns that appear in a row as going from left to right, as the English language is written and read in that direction. You can progress to ABB or AAB or even ABC (three elements) as the child with whom you are working becomes comfortable with ABAB patterns.

I am challenging you this week to find various items in your house that can be used for making patterns. Then share your findings with the rest of this math learning community by telling us what you found in the comment section. I’m excited to read what