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Any fun games/activities for teaching patterns?


MrsBasil
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We watch Team Umizoomi, use different things we have lying around the house, and have read a couple Math Start books on patterns, but it seems that DS is not grasping patterns or how to make them.

 

I admit it's kind of surprising, he picked up numbers, number recognition, one to one correspondence, and shapes pretty easily from books, a few games, and some strategically used DVDs, but this has got him stumped and just showing him a pattern, going over it, asking him to say it and point, and then trying to get him to finish it using manipulatives or recognize what the pattern is, is not working/

 

Anyone have anything else they've used for teaching this? DS is 3, he'll be 4 in a couple of weeks.

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My son was just like this. He'll be 5 in a few months. He has just recently "got" patterns and now he loves finding and making patterns every where. Where he finally picked it up from? - his limited viewing of Disney Jr. Shows, sorry to say. I don't know if it's the age or if its his favorite character. But we are having fun with it now during "school" time.

 

Sorry I can't be of more help. I'm thinking if you keep gently introducing it then he'll grow into it.

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My favorite is to get a bag of M&M's or other candy and make patterns with them, then eat the patterns of course! I will usually start the pattern and say "red, blue, red, blue, red" what comes next, then have DS put more in line. I think saying it out loud helps. Or you could use Fruit Loops or something similar and make a pattern necklace. I found big wooden beads at Dollar Tree that we string or line up in patterns. And I have colored plastic counting bears that are good for making patterns with also. I always start with AB patterns, then go on to AAB, then AABB, then once he has mastered those, go on to ABC patterns. Again, for some reason it clicks better for my DS if we say the pattern out loud together.

 

I also have a subscription for more.starfall.com, I personally think it was money well spent. They have a good variety of math games on different topics, patterns are covered there too.

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Do you have pattern blocks?

 

I remember this was one of those things that kept surprising me at some point... maybe around age 4? And I was like, how do you not get this? But then suddenly they did and it was clear that we didn't need to work on it... we just needed to wait for the cognitive leap.

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