Harry is painting, solemnly taking the brush loaded with thick orange paint to the edge of the paper. The colour merges with the dramatic black and yellow swirls that he painted earlier. As Harry stands back to admire his work an adult approaches. Another child rushes over saying 'Look at the car I've painted! Oh look, Harry's done scribble!' A pause ensues and then Harry responds, 'It's not a scribble, it's a pattern!'
This is a familiar enough scenario. Children often use the term 'pattern' for their abstract representations or explorations, random placing of pegs in a peg board, a string of coloured beads or the placing of shells in sandcastles. In a situation like this Harry may feel that the term gives his work status, but it may also reflect his stage of understanding.
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