Patterns
Kindergarten · Math · Study Guide
A pattern is something that repeats in a regular, predictable way. Once you see a pattern, you can figure out what comes next!
Patterns are like little puzzles. Something happens over and over in the same order, and your brain can figure out what comes next. The simplest kind is called an AB pattern: red, blue, red, blue, red, blue. See how it just keeps switching back and forth?
You can make patterns with colors, shapes, sounds, movements, or even numbers! Clap, stomp, clap, stomp — that's a pattern too! Patterns can be found in art, music, nature, and even on your clothes.
The part that repeats is called the 'core' of the pattern. In 'circle, square, circle, square,' the core is 'circle, square.' Once you know the core, you can predict anything that comes next — no matter how long the pattern gets.
An ABC pattern has three parts before it repeats: big, medium, small, big, medium, small. This makes the pattern a little trickier to spot but just as fun! You can describe any repeating pattern using letters: the first type of thing is A, the second is B, and so on.
Patterns are one of the most important ideas in all of math. When you get to bigger math, you'll find patterns in adding, multiplying, and even in really advanced algebra. So learning to spot patterns now is like getting a superpower that helps with math forever!
| Pattern Type | Example | Core |
|---|---|---|
| AB pattern | circle, square, circle, square | circle, square |
| AAB pattern | red, red, blue, red, red, blue | red, red, blue |
| ABC pattern | big, medium, small, big, medium, small | big, medium, small |
| ABBC pattern | star, moon, moon, star, moon, moon | star, moon, moon |
| Growing pattern | 1 block, 2 blocks, 3 blocks, 4 blocks... | add 1 more each time |
Key terms
- pattern
- Something that repeats in a regular, predictable order
- repeating pattern
- A pattern where a group of things keeps happening over and over
- core
- The part of a pattern that repeats — for example, in ABAB the core is AB
- AB pattern
- The simplest repeating pattern with two parts that alternate, like red-blue-red-blue
- predict
- To figure out what comes next based on what you see so far
Practice questions
What comes next in the pattern? Triangle, circle, triangle, circle, ___
- square
- triangle
- rectangle
- oval
Show answer
Answer: triangle
The 'core' of a pattern is the part that keeps repeating.
Show answer
Answer: True
In an AB pattern with red and blue: red, blue, red, blue, red, ___.
Show answer
Answer: blue
Which of these is a pattern?
- cat, dog, fish, bird
- red, blue, red, blue, red, blue
- big, small, tiny, medium
- 1, 5, 2, 8
Show answer
Answer: red, blue, red, blue, red, blue
Patterns can only be made with colors — not with shapes or sounds.
Show answer
Answer: False
Fun facts
- Zebra stripes are an AB pattern — black, white, black, white, all the way down their body! Scientists think the stripes help confuse flies and may keep bugs away.
- Music is built on patterns. The beat in your favorite song is a repeating pattern of sounds that your brain loves to predict and follow along with.
- Sunflower seeds grow in a mathematical pattern called the Fibonacci spiral — the same pattern appears in pinecones, seashells, and galaxies!
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