FREE Printables All About Patterns

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Some homeschoolers will homeschool from the very beginning. They will start when their babies are toddlers, to preschool and so on. Other families may send their children to preschool a few days a week. One thing that I noticed with homeschooling, is how important skills that are learned in preschool, can sometimes be missed at home. One of these skills is teaching your children all about patterns and the skill of being able to sort and make patterns out of items.

Sorting and patterning are skills that are normally taught pretty early in child development. Most children can sort toys and books naturally. You will be surprised how some children have a general knack for patterning items around the house. This may seem strange or creepy, but it can be pretty cool.

It’s neat to see your kids and their brains in action when they sort things by shape, size or color. Sometimes you my find these in random locations throughout your home. Some children find patterning a calming activity while others may find sorting and patterning frustrating or confusing.

Why is teaching patterns important?

Learning sorting and patterning is actually one of the steps to math instructions. It is just the one of the steps to effective mathematics instruction. Believe it or not, it is a form of algebra!
It helps children to understand the nature of math with sorting and classification. Most children find it very fascinating, and it can keep them busy for hours.
Patterns teach children about math relationships and like items. It helps them understand what is related in math and also in everyday life.
When children learn about patterns it helps them to build a foundation for higher level math work.
Patterning brings a sense of harmony and calm to a busy child. You will find it very calming for some children with special needs.

I like to make patterning and sorting a part of our preschool curriculum. Some curricula will include this skill, but I enjoy having physical items available for my kids to explore this skill on their own. If your curriculum does not include patterning it is fun and simple to incorporate in your home. There are lots of fun printables and worksheets that you can use to teach your kids how to recognize and practice patterns.