Nursery World - As a rule

Pattern is fundamental to mathematics. Exploring pattern develops a sense of regularity and order, which children need to understand and recognise mathematical rules, solve mathematical problems and make generalisations. When children make patterns, they are learning to apply rules. To be able to repeat a sequence pattern of blocks of colour, shapes, numbers, sounds or movements, children must identify the implicit rule in the sequence. The rule here is about the unvarying order of a set number of components: red, blue, blue, green, red, blue, blue, green; loud, loud, soft, loud, loud, soft.

When children make patterns, they are learning to apply rules. To be able to repeat a sequence pattern of blocks of colour, shapes, numbers, sounds or movements, children must identify the implicit rule in the sequence. The rule here is about the unvarying order of a set number of components: red, blue, blue, green, red, blue, blue, green; loud, loud, soft, loud, loud, soft.

To make growing patterns, you have to apply the same rule again and again to form an increasing or decreasing sequence. When singing and enacting 'Five little ducks went swimming one day', you have to remember the rule 'subtract one' each time the rhyme comes round again.

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