Pattern Worksheets for Preschool & Kindergarten

What is a pattern?

A pattern is something that repeats in a way you can predict. Red, blue, red, blue… the next one will be red. Spotting what repeats is one of the first maths ideas children meet, and it turns up everywhere: in clapping games, in songs, in the days of the week, in tiles on a floor and in the stripes on a shirt. Working with patterns is often called an early step towards algebra, because a child has to find a rule and then use it.

The pattern types

Every pattern has a repeating part, often called the core. The letters show its shape, and each new letter stands for a different item.

• AB: two items take turns. Circle, square, circle, square. This is the best place to start.
• AAB: one item twice, then a different one. Star, star, heart, star, star, heart.
• ABB: one item, then a different one twice. Cat, fish, fish, cat, fish, fish.
• ABC: three different items in turn. Red, blue, yellow, red, blue, yellow.
• AABB: two of one item, then two of another. This is the hardest here because the core is four items long.

Four kinds of question

• What comes next? shows a pattern that ends in a “?” and three choices. Your child circles the one that comes next.
• Continue the pattern shows a pattern followed by empty boxes. Your child draws or colors what comes next. It is a good pencil exercise as well, and the answer key shows what to draw.
• Find the missing one leaves a gap inside the pattern. Your child works out what belongs there from the items on both sides.
• Mixed puts all three kinds on one sheet.

Shapes, colors or pictures

Shapes gives every shape its own color, so a pattern still makes sense on a black-and-white printout, because the shapes themselves are different. Colors uses circles that differ only in color, so print those in color, or the grays may look too much alike. Pictures uses animals, fruits, vehicles or toys, with one family of pictures in each pattern. You can tick more than one and the generator will mix them across the sheet.

How to use the generator

1. Choose the kind of question.
2. Tap the pattern types you want. Start with AB on its own, or add AAB for more variety.
3. Choose what the patterns are made from and how many questions you want. A page holds five.
4. Press Generate new worksheet, then print it or save a PDF.

Each pattern is repeated at least twice before it asks a question, so the rule can be seen. The answer key shows the right choice in green.

Helping your child see the pattern

• Build it first. Make the pattern with blocks, buttons or socks before you use the page. Touching real things makes the repeat easier to see.
• Say it out loud. Chant “red, blue, red, blue” or clap it. Saying a pattern aloud helps many children hear its rhythm.
• Ask “what repeats?” Draw a loop around one full core with a pencil to show where the pattern starts again.
• Ask “how do you know?” Explaining the rule in their own words is the real maths.
• Swap roles. Let your child make a pattern for you to continue.
• Look around. Stairs, fences, floor tiles and the days of the week are all patterns.

Pattern sheets are for practice, not for testing. If your child finds a type hard, go back one step and make the same pattern with real objects.