L27 – WWW – Create Repeated Patterns

Description

Working Without Worksheets – Reception Maths: Creating Repeating Patterns

Give your Reception pupils the opportunity to design and explore their own repeating patterns in this Working Without Worksheets lesson. Building on earlier pattern work, children identify repeating rules and then create their own using beads, blocks, paint, natural objects, and toys.

The lesson begins with a starter activity:

• Show children a range of patterned objects (e.g. fabrics, tiles, beads) on the slides.

• Ask: “What do you notice about these objects?”

• Emphasise that a pattern is something that repeats again and again.

In the main input, introduce the penguin’s pattern game:

• Use teaching slide animations to reveal Penguin’s pattern one object at a time.

• Ask: “Can you work out Penguin’s pattern rule?”

• Encourage children to describe the unit of repeat aloud (e.g. red, blue, red, blue).

• Confirm the pattern rule together before showing more examples.

For the independent activity, set up practical areas where children can create their own patterns:

• Beads and Threading – use beads or pasta to design bead-string patterns.

• Building Blocks – create colour or size-based block patterns.

• Natural Materials – arrange leaves, stones, and sticks in repeating paths.

• Finger Painting – stamp repeating colour patterns onto paper.

• Toy Animals or Cars – line up toys in AB, ABB, or AAB patterns.

Encourage children to describe their patterns using full sentences such as:

• “Red, blue, red, blue”

• “Big, small, big, small”

• “Dog, cat, dog, cat”
  They should also extend their patterns by adding more repeats.

The plenary brings the group together:

• Share examples of children’s creations.

• Reinforce the concept of the unit of repeat and how it forms the rule of the pattern.

What’s Included in the Pack?
✔ Full teacher planning with objectives, vocabulary, and plenary guidance
✔ Starter: explore patterned objects and define what a pattern is
✔ Teacher modelling: Penguin’s pattern rule game using animations
✔ Vocabulary focus: pattern, repeat, unit of repeat, rule, extend
✔ Independent activities: beads, blocks, natural objects, finger painting, toys
✔ Plenary: children describe and extend their own created patterns
✔ No worksheets—learning through exploration, creativity, and talk

Why Teachers Love This Resource:
✔ Encourages creativity while developing mathematical reasoning
✔ Hands-on and engaging with a wide range of resources
✔ Builds independence as children create and extend their own patterns
✔ Worksheet-free: practical, playful, and interactive learning
✔ Saves planning time with ready-to-use slides and activities

Curriculum Links (EYFS: Shape, Space and Measure / Pattern)
This lesson supports children to:
✔ Recognise and create their own repeating patterns
✔ Identify and describe the unit of repeat in a sequence
✔ Extend a self-made pattern systematically
✔ Use mathematical language to describe pattern rules

This Working Without Worksheets lesson makes creating repeating patterns fun, hands-on, and creative—perfect for building early algebra skills in Reception.

Download now and help your pupils master creating repeating patterns with beads, blocks, toys, paint, and nature.