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Repeating Patterns

5 min readKindergarten · Algebra & Patterning

A pattern is not just something pretty — it is a mathematical structure. When students identify a repeating pattern, they are extracting a rule from a sequence. That rule-extraction skill is the seed of algebraic thinking. The core of a pattern (the smallest unit that repeats) is the key idea: once you find the core, you can continue the pattern forever. First Peoples art — beadwork, basket weaving, woven textiles — is full of repeating patterns, offering rich cross-cultural connections.

What makes a pattern a pattern?

Not every sequence is a pattern. A true repeating pattern has a core — the smallest unit that repeats without change. ABAB is a 2-element core. ABCABC is a 3-element core. Students must learn to identify this core, not just continue a sequence by memory. Ask: 'What is the part that repeats?'

Representing patterns in many ways

The same ABAB pattern can be: red-blue-red-blue (colour), clap-stomp-clap-stomp (movement), circle-square-circle-square (shape). Translating a pattern from one representation to another — keeping the structure, changing the medium — proves deep understanding. A student who can translate the pattern has truly abstracted the rule.

First Peoples art and textiles

Repeating patterns are central to First Peoples artistic traditions: beadwork, woven baskets, frieze borders on regalia, and architectural designs all use repeating cores that students can identify. Sharing these examples honours Indigenous artistry and mathematics simultaneously. Where possible, invite a local knowledge keeper or artist to share pattern-making traditions.

KEY VOCABULARY

Pattern — A sequence that follows a rule and can be continued or predicted.

Core — The smallest unit of a pattern that repeats — the part that keeps coming back.

Element — One item in a pattern (e.g., one bead colour, one shape, one sound).

Attribute — A property used for sorting or creating a pattern (colour, shape, size).