Hands-on Activity
Pattern detective
Spotting what repeats in a sequence, predicting what comes next, and building patterns for someone else to solve.
Setup
Lay out visual sequences using colours, shapes or objects. Start simple — two repeating elements — and build up.
Running the activity
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Observe
Students look at a sequence and describe what they see.
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Identify
They find the part that repeats — the unit the whole pattern is built from.
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Predict
They say what comes next, and explain how they know.
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Create
Each student builds their own pattern and swaps it with a partner to solve.
Extension
- Patterns with coloured circles or geometric shapes
- Patterns built from everyday classroom objects
- Patterns with building blocks
- Movement sequences — clap, stomp, clap, stomp