Say: “These shapes make a pattern. What comes next?”
Draw: The row of shapes below (don’t need any colour or the question mark at the end) - ideally the kids watch you draw it out
Starter
“Can you draw the next 2 shapes? More?”
Main
“Can you draw the next 4 shapes?”
Dessert
“Can you draw the next 4 shapes?”
Tips for grown-ups
Try asking them to say the pattern out loud.
If they’re stuck, make a wrong guess yourself and ask if it fits
Stretch question: “Can you make a pattern for me to finish?”
Make your own sequences for them to finish! Try ones where the shapes get stretched or rotated, or more sides get added.
Branch of mathematics
Algebra and geometry. Algebra can be thought of as the study of structure, patterns and relationships, and a repeating sequence is one of the most basic examples of a pattern. The turning triangle in Dessert is a rotation, which relates to geometry.
Answers
Starter: circle, square, circle, square.
Main: circle, square, circle, circle, square.
Dessert: pointing up, then right, then down, then left.
Let us know how it went in the comments!