1. Patterns Mathematics and the Young Child Module 6: Algebra—Patterns
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Mathematics and the Young Child
Module 6: Algebra—Patterns
Patterns
National Head Start Family Literacy Center Sonoma State University 1

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Overview
In this presentation you will learn some basic information about early patterning knowledge.
Mathematics is the science and language of patterns.
Copley, 2010, p. 79
The presentation has three parts:
Part 1: What Are Patterns?
Part 2: What Patterning Skills Are Young Children Learning?
Part 3: What Experiences Support Young Children’s Patterning Knowledge?

3. Part 1: What Are Patterns?
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Part 1: What Are Patterns?

4. Why Are Patterns Important?
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Why Are Patterns Important?
They provide order and predictability.
They help children learn, remember, and anticipate what comes next.
They provide a foundation for many
mathematical concepts and processes.
Learning about patterns in the early years sets the stage for a future understanding of algebraic concepts.
Copley, 2010; Greenes, 1999; Waters, 2004

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What Is a Pattern?
A pattern is a regular and predictable arrangement of things.
Regular means that the arrangement occurs in a consistent way—in a repeating or growing manner.
Predictable means that after the pattern is established, you can figure out what comes next.

6. What Can Make a Pattern? Many things can make a pattern: Actions
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What Can Make a Pattern?
Many things can make a pattern:
Objects
Actions
Sounds
Images
Numbers
Events

7. Where Do You Find Patterns?
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Where Do You Find Patterns?
EVERYWHERE!
Nature
Buildings
Music
Routines
Games
Science
Add picture descriptions 7

8. Common Types of Patterns
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Common Types of Patterns
Repeating patterns
Growing patterns
This girl made a simple repeating pattern with colors.
This boy made a type of growing pattern by arranging sand dollars in order of size. 8

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Repeating Patterns
Repeating patterns replicate a certain sequence (core unit) again and again. ?
In this simple pattern, the repeating sequence is “yellow square, red square.” Adults often call this an ABAB pattern. With young children, this pattern should be read as “yellow, red” not “AB.”
This girl made an ABBABB pattern. The repeating sequence is “blue ring, red ring, red ring.”
Copley, 2010

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Growing Patterns
Growing patterns change from one value to another in a predictable way. This often involves a change in number, as in the patterns pictured below.
Clap!
Clap, clap!
Clap, clap clap!
Clap, clap, clap clap! ? ?

11. Identifying Patterns 1 3 2 6 5 4 7 What types of patterns do you see?
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Identifying Patterns
What types of patterns do you see? 1 3 2 6 5 4 7

12. Part 2: What Patterning Skills Are Young Children Learning?
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Part 2: What Patterning Skills Are Young Children Learning?

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Patterning Skills
Children learn about patterns by working with them. Through a multitude of experiences they learn to do the following with patterns:
Recognize
Copy
Describe
Create
Extend

14. The Development of Patterning Skills
Young children first begin to recognize and copy simple patterns that they experience in daily routines, body movements, music, and language.
Later, they begin to recognize simple repeating and growing patterns in the environment, including patterns of real or pictured objects.

15. The Development of Patterning Skills, continued
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The Development of Patterning Skills, continued
They explore patterns by copying and creating them with objects and other materials, and they eventually learn to describe and extend patterns they or others have made.
These young preschoolers are copying the repeating pattern of hand movements their teacher demonstrates as he teaches them a new song.

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Recognize
Recognizing a pattern means noticing the regularity in an arrangement of objects, actions, words, or events. A preschool child might recognize this pattern as “blue-red, blue-red, blue-red, blue-red, blue-red”:

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Recognize, continued
After making shoe prints, preschool children noticed that the treads of their sneakers made repeating patterns.

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Copy
Given a pattern, a child will make the exact same pattern. Initially a young child is able to copy an ABAB pattern from a model. As the skill is advanced, the child learns to copy more complex patterns, and not just alongside the original.
This girl copied a pattern her teacher made. Now she is checking it.
These boys are copying a clapping rhythm.
Sarama & Clements, 2009

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Describe
Describing is the act of simply talking about the structure of the pattern in your own words. A young child might describe the example below by saying, “each stack has one more.”
This girl tells her teacher that the shapes in her rainbow get bigger and bigger and bigger. 19

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Create
With familiar materials, children can create their own original patterns. Young children enjoy creating patterns, though they may not always use a consistent rule throughout the pattern.
This little girl has created a repeating color pattern using a collection of green and purple animals.
Copley, 2010

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Extend
To extend means to continue a pattern that is already started. A 4-year-old described how to keep making the pattern below by saying, “You just go blue-red, blue-red, blue-red, blue-red forever and ever!”
This little girl made a long repeating pattern with red trapezoids and blue diamonds by extending a pattern her teacher helped her make. 21

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Part 3: What Experiences Support Young Children’s Patterning Knowledge?

23. How Do Children Learn Patterns?
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How Do Children Learn Patterns?
Children learn about patterns naturally through everyday experiences and through planned activities. All of the following can be opportunities for learning about patterns:
Everyday routines and play
Music and movement
Activities with manipulatives
Activities with stories and literature 23

24. Everyday Routines and Play
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Everyday Routines and Play
Keep regular routines and schedules. Display the sequence of daily events with pictures and words.
Describe the pattern of daily events: “After lunch we brush teeth, go to the bathroom, and then take a nap.” Ask children what comes next in the day.
Help children notice patterns in the environment, including patterns in nature, such as a repeating pattern of brown and white rings on a sea shell.
Talk with children about patterns they create in art or with blocks or other construction materials. 24

25. Movement and Music Activities
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Movement and Music Activities
Sing songs with repetitive rhythms, words, and actions.
Find songs and fingerplays with repeating or growing patterns.
Clap, sing, or use instruments to make simple patterns; and have children copy or extend the pattern.
Ask children to extend and create new verses to songs.
Represent the patterns in songs with drawings or words.
Songs with Growing or Repeating Patterns:
“Old McDonald”
“Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes”
“Bingo”
“Un elefante se columbiaba”
“The Hokey Pokey” 25

26. Activities with Manipulatives
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Activities with Manipulatives
Provide materials that children can organize, sort, or match. Ask children about properties, such as color or shape, and why particular things go together.
Create patterns with objects and ask children to “read the pattern.”
Encourage children to create patterns and describe the patterns they make.
Ask children “What comes next?” in patterns made with blocks, toys, etc.
Represent patterns made with objects using drawings or words.
Manipulatives:
• Buttons, lids, coins, or beads
• Playing cards or dominos
• Counting bears or toy animals
• Blocks or felt shapes
• Flowers, seeds, or rock 26

27. Activities with Literature
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Activities with Literature
Point to and describe visual patterns in children’s books.
When reading books with rhymes, repeating refrains, and other auditory patterns, pause to allow children to say familiar phrases. 27

28. Activities with Literature, continued
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Activities with Literature, continued
Encourage children to notice and talk about patterns while you read. Allow children to predict what comes next in a pattern and to explain their thinking.
Plan patterning experiences, such as acting out a story or representing patterns with pictures, symbols, or objects. For example, use real fruit to show the growing pattern in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle.

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A Final Note . . .
Young children need a multitude of experiences to develop an understanding of patterns.
Provide a variety of experiences with patterns to support different learning styles.
Start with simple patterns and slowly work toward more complex ones.
Be patient; children will make many errors when learning about patterns, but with experience they will learn and benefit from this knowledge. 29

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References
Copley, J. V. (2010). The young child and mathematics. Reston, VA: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Elliot, P. C. (2005). Algebra in the pre-K–2 curriculum? Billy goats give us the answer. Teaching Children Mathematics, 12(2), 100–104. Greenes, C. (1999). Ready to learn: Developing young children’s mathematical powers. In J. Copley (Ed.), Mathematics in the early years (pp ). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Sarama, J., & Clements, D. H. (2009). Early childhood mathematics education research. Learning Trajectories for Young Children. New York: Routledge. Steen, L. A. (1988). The science of patterns. Science, 240, 611–616. Waters, J. L. (2004). A study of mathematical patterning in early childhood settings. In I. Putt, R. Faragher, & M. McLean (Eds.), Mathematics education for the third millennium: Towards Proceedings of the 27th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Aukland (pp. 321–328). Sydney: MERGA. 30