Kitchen Patterns
Here's What To Do
1
Gather a bunch of kitchen utensils (fork, spoon, butter knife). Ask your child to sort them.
2
Place them in a simple pattern of 3 objects, repeating the pattern twice (fork, spoon, knife / fork, spoon, knife)
3
Say the pattern out loud, pointing to each object as you go. Ask your child "What comes next?" and have them add the object to the pattern.
4
Ask your child to keep making the pattern longer. (Optional) Repeat with a different order of utensils, or different objects.
Put PEER Into Action
P
Pause:
- Are all of our objects ready and in front of us? Great! Let's begin!
E
Engage:
- "What's next in the pattern?"
- "Can you keep adding things in the right order to make the pattern longer?"
E
Encourage:
- "Hmmm… Let's check that pattern. (say it out loud again) Does that seem right?"
- If your child is stuck, it can be helpful for them to hear the pattern out loud again. Say "Fork, spoon, knife. Fork, spoon, knife. What comes next?"
R
Reflect:
- What other kinds of things make patterns? (like: dance moves, musical notes, designs on clothing, etc.)
Not quite ready?
Make an alternating pattern with 2 objects
Ready for more?
Leave an object out of a pattern and have your child fill in the missing object in the middle
As your child masters this skill...
They will be able to extend a 3-object pattern accurately.