Introduction

A pattern is something that repeats in the same way over and over.
When we see the same picture, shape, colour or number appear again and again, we call it a pattern.

Pattern in Colours

Look at a row of beads:

| Red | Blue | Red | Blue | Red | Blue | … |

The colours go Red, Blue, Red, Blue … and keep doing the same order.
If we start with Red, the next colour is always Blue, then Red again.

Pattern in Shapes

Imagine a line of blocks:

🟥 ⬜ 🟥 ⬜ 🟥 ⬜ …

The shapes repeat square, circle, square, circle.
We can write it as

$$\text{Square, Circle, Square, Circle, …}$$

Pattern in Numbers

Counting can make a pattern too.

1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 …

The numbers go 1 → 2 → 3 and then start again at 1.
We can show the rule like this:

flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B[1]
    B --> C[2]
    C --> D[3]
    D --> B

The arrow from 3 back to 1 tells us the pattern repeats.

Fun Activity

Make your own colour pattern

1. Gather 6 small coloured pieces of paper (any colours you like).
2. Lay them out on a table in a repeating order, for example: Green, Yellow, Green, Yellow, …
3. Ask a friend or a parent to point to the next colour in the pattern.
4. Change the order (e.g., Red, Red, Blue, Red, Red, Blue) and see if they can still guess the next piece.

You have just created and tested a pattern!

Remember

• A pattern repeats the same thing in the same order.
• Patterns can be made with colours, shapes, numbers, sounds, or actions.
• To continue a pattern, look at the last few items and see what comes next.
• Patterns help us predict what will happen next.
• You can find patterns everywhere – in clothes, music, nature, and games!