20 Hands-On Pattern Activities for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

Patterns are a key early maths skill. Children first notice them in colours, shapes, and their environment.

As they grow, they identify patterns in counting, addition, and multiplication. Patterns also appear in language, from word shapes to rhyming sounds, and even in children’s drawings around age four.

Here are a few general tips for teaching patterns:

• Teach patterns through hands-on experiences and play for better understanding.
• Use the concrete-pictorial-abstract approach: start with physical objects, then pictures, and finally abstract concepts.
• Point out patterns in the environment, like on clothes, tiles, or leaves.
• Begin with familiar patterns based on shape, colour, size, and texture, then move to numbers and words.
• Explain that patterns follow a repeating rule (e.g., A/B patterns with colours, shapes, or sizes).
• Develop cognitive skills like matching, sorting, and sequencing to strengthen pattern recognition.

Here are 20 fun pattern activities for preschoolers to help teach the concept in a simple, fun, and hands-on way, whether at home or in class.

1. Make a Train

For a life-size experience with a pattern, get kids to make a chair train using chairs in two different colours (red chair, blue chair, red chair, blue chair, etc.)

They can then sit on the train and pretend to go for a ride.

Or, make a train with the kids themselves. Try a pattern of boy/girl, blonde/brunette or whatever else you can think of.

Get them to place themselves into a line following the rule of the pattern – one boy, then one girl, then repeat.

2. Block Patterns

One of the simplest pattern activities involves using a set of blocks.

Build the beginning of the pattern and ask kids to continue it. Challenge them to tell you what the rule is (one red block, two yellow blocks, repeat).

Start with a simple A/B pattern and then change it up – A/A/B, A/B/C, A/B/B, etc.

Also, change the properties. Make a block pattern with colours, then different shapes (cube, rectangular, prism, etc.) or sizes (big block, little block, etc.)

Here are more ways to learn about colours.

3. Shape Patterns

The pattern activity above can also be done with plastic/wooden shapes or even paper cut-outs. 

Try these shape-recognition activities too.

4. Paper Plate Patterns

Using a simple paper plate and pegs in different colours, get children to place the pegs around the plate, in a particular pattern.

You could also paint the pattern onto the plate by making strokes of the pattern around the edges, and then get the kids to match the pegs and follow the pattern around the plate.

5. Cereal Bracelet

Use cereal loops (or something else that’s fun and edible) and thread them onto a string in a pattern sequence (start with just two colours for young children).

Kids can nibble them through the day once they’ve completed them and tied them to their wrists.

6. Beads

Beads can be used in multiple ways to make patterns.

• Follow a simple pattern and thread beads onto string, shoelaces, or pipe cleaners.
• Create a pattern necklace.
• Get out some paper or poster board and liquid glue and make a pattern by sticking the beads in a line.

7. Buttons

Buttons are also versatile items that can be used in so many educational ways.

Make simple patterns such as:

• Red button, yellow button, repeat
• Big button, small button, repeat
• Round button, square button, repeat

And for older children:

• Red button, blue button, pink button, repeat
• Two red buttons, 1 yellow button, repeat
• Two big buttons, one small button, repeat

Older preschoolers can also thread buttons to make a necklace.

8. Macaroni Necklace

As a variation on making a bead or button necklace, make a necklace using dried macaroni.

Follow a pattern based on the shape or size/length of the macaroni, or paint them in different colours before threading them in a pattern.

9. Clapping Patterns

Play a game of listening to the pattern.

Clap out a simple sequence and get kids to copy it by clapping it back to you.

Here are some examples:

• clap – – clap  – – clap
• clap – – clap-clap – – clap
• clap-clap – – clap

Vary the speed and number of claps.

10. Clapping Games

Playing traditional clapping games is a great way to learn patterns naturally.

Some of them are pretty challenging so teach younger preschoolers simpler clapping sequences. 

11. Paper Tearing 

Make quick and easy patterns when first introducing the concept by giving kids sheets of paper in two colours and getting them to tear strips and place them in a pattern.

Not only will they learn the concept but they will get fine motor practice too.

12. Plastic Cups

Provide plastic cups in different colours and create patterns with them.

Or, create a pattern based on the material of the cups – plastic cup, paper cup, repeat.

13. Nature Patterns

Go outdoors and collect natural materials – twigs, fallen flowers and leaves, etc.

Start a simple pattern – such as leaf, flower, leaf, flower – and get kids to identify and follow the pattern.

Take it a step further by gluing the items onto paper to create a pattern collage.

14. Baking

The next time you bake, introduce patterns into the process.

Make stripes of icing on your cupcakes with different colours or make patterns with the decorations.

15. Movement Patterns

Play a game where kids follow a pattern of movements that you demonstrate.

They can then continue the pattern and try to make up some movement sequences.

Here are two examples:

• Clap, click, turn around, repeat
• Jump, nod and put your hands up

This requires coordination and concentration, helping children feel and experience the pattern with their entire body.

Use games like Simon Says as an opportunity to introduce patterns.

16. Spot Patterns in the Environment

Be sure to notice and point out patterns in the environment, as they are everywhere.

Spot patterns on clothes, patios, pets, or stripy leaves.

You could even go on a pattern-finding walk and challenge kids to spot patterns around you.

17. Songs and Rhymes

While this may seem like an odd choice for a patterning activity, singing songs and reciting poems and rhymes is an excellent way for children to become familiar with sound patterns.

They learn about rhythm, rhyme, syllables (beats in a word), stress patterns in a song, alliteration, etc.

Nonsense rhymes are great for learning rhyming patterns.

18. Stories

Children can also learn about patterns through listening to stories.

The Julia Donaldson books are filled with patterns – think What the Ladybird Heard, The Paper Dolls or The Gruffalo.

The scenes follow set patterns and there is a lot of repetition, which makes it easy for children to follow along and predict what’s coming.

Children learn through these types of stories that there is a sequence of events and they start to pick up on the pattern of the particular story.

Other examples of popular pattern-based stories include The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

19. Sorting Socks

This may sound overly basic but when your kids are toddlers, get them to find the matching pairs of socks, or sort the laundry into piles.

While you’re at it, clean out and sort the cutlery drawer, sort toys onto the shelf and do any other chores that double as educational activities.

These activities also help your child develop the ability to spot patterns and recognize that objects have different qualities.

• These socks are large and those are tiny.
• This sock has red spots so it doesn’t match the one that has blue spots.
• This top has white and pink stripes.

20. Puzzles

Puzzles are excellent for developing a child’s visual perception, which is an important skill for reading.

Visual perception can be developed through play activities and helps children identify and understand patterns.

Find out more about teaching maths to kids with the concrete-pictorial-abstract approach.