TLDR:
Here are all my recommendations, but keep reading for how to engage kids with these resources!
My recommended Pattern Videos:
Pattern Palace by Numberblocks (Season 3 Episode 17)
Turning Math Into Art with Beautiful Fractals by Numb3r Tr33
My recommended Pattern Books:
Pitter Pattern by Joyce Hesselberth
I See a Pattern Here by Bruce Goldstone
Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature, written by Sarah C. Campbell, photos by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell
My recommended Pattern Activities:
Cut Patterns in Snowflakes by Learning Resources
Draw Fractal Patterns with the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
Make your own MC Escher-esque Tessellation art with Mr. Schuette's Art Class
“I was simply driven by the irresistible pleasure I felt in repeating the same figures on a piece of paper”
~ M.C. Escher
One of my good friends likes to say that intelligence is the ability to recognize patterns.
She’s right of course! And quickly recognizing patterns is really helpful in science and math. For example, a kid learning to add might notice that 1+3 and 3+1 both equal 4. Then they might notice that pattern holds for all addition, and they’ve just figured out the commutative property on their own.
So let’s give our kids opportunities to notice patterns everywhere - even in their broccoli! Keep reading for fun, bright, patterns for preschoolers to ponder, plus tessellations and fractals to impress the older kids!
Also check out my previous post about geometry and shapes for other activities that pair well with patterns!
Pattern Videos
from Numberblocks (Season 3 Episode 17)
Help the Numberblocks solve the pattern puzzles so they can cross the river to the Pattern Palace! This episode starts with the simplest patterns possible, then builds up the complexity in colorful and fun ways! This one is a great introduction to basic patterns for preschoolers and kindergarteners.
Turning Math Into Art With Fractals from Numb3r Tr33
This is mesmerizing! Even if a kid doesn’t know anything about fractals, see if they can figure out how fractals work just from watching the beautiful art take shape.
(Quick definitions for the grown-ups:
Fractals are a shape with a repeating pattern, with each repetition getting smaller and smaller, like this pattern of ever-smaller triangles. When you zoom in on a fractal, you see the same pattern repeating smaller and smaller each time.
Pattern Books
by Joyce Hesselberth
See how many patterns your kids can find in this interactive book! It teaches some simple repeating patterns, but the illustrations are full of simple and more complex patterns for readers to find on their own. Love this book for preschoolers and kindergarteners!
by Bruce Goldstone
I love Bruce Goldstone’s interactive math books. Go beyond just finding patterns and learn about making patterns using the mathematical concepts of translation, rotation, flipping, rotation, and tessellation. This beautiful book is just as much about geometry as it is about patterns!
written by Sarah C. Campbell, photos by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell
“Every fractal shape has smaller parts that look like the whole shape.” Gorgeous photos of broccoli, lightning, and trees are made even more awe-inspiring by pointing out the fractals that occur naturally around us! This book is great for older kids who are beyond simple repeating patterns.
The same author also has a book Growing Patterns about finding Fibonacci numbers in nature. It’s a bit harder to follow than this one, but the two pair well together for a kiddo who’s really entranced by the fractals in Mysterious Patterns.
Pattern Experiments and Activities
Snack on Patterns!
I love using food for math play. Try making patterns with fruit skewers or just lining up different crackers on a plate. Start with simple ABABAB repeating patterns, then move to more complex ones like ABBABB, then move to even trickier ones like ABAABAAAB….
From Learning Resources
This is the perfect winter STEAM activity to learn about symmetrical patterns and practice fine motor control skills with folding and cutting.
Start off with simply folding a paper in half for a simple 2-sided symmetry example. Then you build up to more folds and see how the symmetry changes with adding more folds!
Draw Fractal Patterns! by Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
This video has a quick explainer on fractals in nature, and then shows you step-by-step how to draw your own fractals. All you need is paper and something to draw with!
by Mr. Schuette’s Art Class
This is another great STEAM art project inspired by the great M.C. Escher. Make your own tesselation stencils out of a Post-it note! This is another great one for fine motor control work as well. (Little ones might need some help with the cutting and taping.)
I hope you start noticing delightful patterns everywhere!
Next month I’m going to tackle another out-of-the-box math concept - big numbers. I’m talking real big, even infinity! Until then, have fun lighting sparks of curiosity!
Amy Wung Tsao
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