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Patterns: What Comes Next?

Kindergartners learn to see and make patterns — things that repeat over and over, like red-blue-red-blue — and figure out what comes next, building early thinking skills.

KindergartenPatterns30 minutes1 class periodPlay-BasedExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓See a pattern.
  • ✓Find what comes next.
  • ✓Make an AB pattern.
  • ✓Describe the repeating part.
Essential Question

Red, blue, red, blue, red… what comes next? When things repeat in the same way, that’s a pattern — and we can guess what’s next!

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Play · Interactive Tool

What Comes Next?

Project each pattern and have children choose what comes next. The tool shows the repeating part of the pattern.

🔴🔵 What comes next in the pattern?Try it
Find what comes next in each pattern.
The Lesson · Play-Based Learning (Gather · Explore · Play · Reflect)

30 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Gather — Red, Blue, Red, Blue

5 min

Red, blue, red, blue… what comes next?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a color pattern.
  • Ask what comes next.
  • Set the goal: patterns.

🎒 Student Actions

  • See the pattern.
  • Guess next.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — What Repeats?

10 min

Children explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to What Comes Next?
  • Find the repeating part.
  • Choose what’s next.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Find the repeat.
  • Choose next.
  • Say the pattern.
3

Play — Pattern Games

12 min

Play together.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make patterns with blocks.
  • Clap a sound pattern.
  • Extend the pattern.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Make patterns.
  • Clap patterns.
  • Add more.
4

Create — Make a Pattern

8 min

Children create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make an AB pattern with stickers.
  • Say the pattern.
  • Add what comes next.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Make a pattern.
  • Say it.
  • Add next.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Share a pattern.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a pattern.
  • Say what comes next.
  • Celebrate patterns!

🎒 Student Actions

  • Show a pattern.
  • Say next.
  • Cheer!
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (Kindergarten).

CCSS
K.CC.4a

Understand that each number is one more — an early pattern.

SMP
MP.7

Look for and make use of structure (patterns).

SMP
MP.8

Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

CCSS
K.MD.3

Classify and sort objects, a pattern-related skill.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Use color/shape pattern cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ , ___ , ___ , next is ___.”
  • Clap and say the pattern.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with simple AB patterns.
  • Use big, clear pieces.
  • Say the pattern aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Make ABB and ABC patterns.
  • Find patterns in the room.
  • Make a growing pattern.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / tablet
  • 🔵Colored blocks
  • 💻What Comes Next?
  • 🖍️Stickers
  • 🗂️Pattern cards
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

patternsomething that repeatsrepeatto happen again and againnextwhat comes afterAB patterntwo things that alternatesamealikeorderthe way things gosortto grouppredictto guess what comes next
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is a pattern?
Something that repeats in the same way over and over.
QUESTION 2
What comes next: circle, square, circle, square, ___?
Circle.
QUESTION 3
In the pattern red, blue, red, blue, what comes after blue?
Red.

Growing at home? Pattern hunt.

Have families make patterns with silverware, socks, or snacks — and ask “what comes next?” A printable pattern page is in the Early Learning library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 PatternsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 PatternsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ PatternsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: AB pattern, next, order, pattern, predict, repeat, same, sort
  1. to guess what comes next
  2. two things that alternate
  3. to happen again and again
  4. to group
  5. the way things go
  6. something that repeats
  7. alike
  8. what comes after

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is a pattern?
  2. What comes next: circle, square, circle, square, ___?
  3. In the pattern red, blue, red, blue, what comes after blue?
Answer key — Part A: 1) predict · 2) AB pattern · 3) repeat · 4) sort · 5) order · 6) pattern · 7) same · 8) next
Part B: 1) Something that repeats in the same way over and over. 2) Circle. 3) Red.