Positions and Patterns Lesson Plans for Preschoolers
Patterns are an important part of learning mathematics for young children. By providing a variety of activities for teaching patterns to preschoolers, you can help them develop the skills they need for future success in math. That’s why we’ve created these positions and patterns lesson plans for preschoolers… so we could further explore developing patterns with hands-on and exciting activities.
Our lesson plans also include a detailed scope and sequence for the whole positions and patterns unit, ensuring that teaching patterns and identifying positional words are the major focus for the whole unit.
Positions and Patterns Activities for Preschoolers
Creating a preschool math curriculum was a heavy task! I knew when I began planning lessons, activities, and centers that I needed to make sure that the math skills of every single child were accounted for and that there were plenty of opportunities for differentiation.
I also knew it needed to spiral and review key concepts multiple times throughout the year, gradually increasing in difficulty. This approach is ideal because it covers math topics throughout the entire year. This allows children more time for mastery and an opportunity to increase the rigor of each lesson.
The Daily Lessons in Preschool Math curriculum was born out of that need and today we are focusing on the fifth unit in the series, Daily Lessons in Positions and Patterning.
Did you know that preschoolers are capable of learning algebra? In fact, some may even argue that preschoolers learn algebraic skills before number sense skills. In preschool, algebraic skills are related to spatial relationships and patterns. This includes (to name a few):
- recognizing and producing patterns
- understanding positions and locations
- discriminating between similarities and differences
- sorting into groups
Plus, patterns are the root of mathematics. When young children see that math is composed of patterns and repetition, they begin to understand how our number system works as well.
These preschool patterning lesson plans are perfect for helping you plan engaging and developmentally appropriate lessons and activities for your students without loads of prep and time.
Related Reading
FAQ About Teaching Patterning to Preschoolers
Patterns can be anything that repeats in a logical way. For example, vertical stripes on someone’s sweater create a pattern. Patterns can be made up of anything, including numbers, images or shapes, as long as they follow a the ultimate patterning rule: that it is repetitive!
Learn all about patterning in this post: The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Positions and Patterns.
Patterns range in complexity, so in preschool and kindergarten, you’ll find the most success if you start with simple patterns and work your way up to longer, more complex patterns. Here is a good order to go by:
~ AB
~ ABC
~ AABB
~ AAB
~ ABB
These patterns are all practiced in my Daily Lessons in Positions and Patterns Math Unit.
There are many different levels to teaching and learning pattern skills, here’s the developmental sequence for teaching patterning skills to your Preschool or Pre-K students.
~ Stage 1: Recognize a pattern
~ Stage 2: Describe a pattern
~ Stage 3: Copy a pattern
~ Stage 4: Extend a pattern
~ Stage 5: Create a pattern
I would so add that a sixth stage could be created: Filling in a missing pattern pieces.
Positions and Patterns Hands-On Supplies
This curriculum is designed to be low-prep and utilize the same supplies during each math unit. Buy it once, and use them over and over again for different learning purposes! Take a look at some of the resources we use for each unit and click each picture for more details. These items are staples for any early childhood math curriculum.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a small sum if you click through and make a purchase.
- PRACTICE COUNTING, SORTING & MORE: Develop early math skills, counting, sorting, and color…
- HANDS-ON TACTICAL LEARNING: These teddy bear counters are great for hands-on tactical learners.
- 102 BEAR COUNTERS WITH ACTIVITY GUIDE & STORAGE: Set includes 102 bear counters in 6 vivid colors,…
- COUNTING TOYS: Teach children to count to 100 by ones and tens while building fine motor and math…
- MATH LINK CUBES: 10 different kid-friendly colors, these cubes are terrific for grouping by color…
- CONNECT ON ALL SIDES: Cubes link together on all sides of each cube with circular cutouts so kids…
- Large Quantity: you will receive 150 pieces of large buttons for crafts, enough to meet your daily…
- Material and Size: these big buttons are made of plastic, bright and not easy to fade, providing you…
- Educational Toys: the craft buttons can help children practice distinguishing colors and shapes;…
- ATTRIBUTE BLOCK GEOMETRY SET: Our hand2mind attribute shapes come with a shape template and plastic…
- GREAT FOR PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES: Our attribute blocks help teach early learners sorting, matching,…
- EARLY MATH MANIPULATIVES: Attribute blocks are key math manipulatives for young students in…
- A HANDY RESOURCE — Replace lost or broken board game spinners with these practical tools. Or,…
- MANY APPLICATIONS — Use Six Color Spinners to create your own games or make decisions. These write…
- SIX BRIGHT COLORS — Use the colored sections to help kids visualize probability and random events….
- Go For A Spin: Take these colorful arrows for a spin during your next game. These spinners are a…
- 5 Bright Colors: Outfit up to 4 players with red, yellow green, and blue spinners
- 12 Arrows Included: Each pack comes with 3 arrows in each of the 4 colors with classic pointed arrow…
All About Positions and Patterns Preschool Lesson Plans
These positions and patterns lesson plans for preschoolers are designed for up to a five-day-week program, but activities within a week can be removed and skipped for two or three-day-week programs. There are lots of pre-k pattern activities that help kids copy, reproduce, extend, and create their own patterns in various ways including with manipulatives, gross motor movement, and even with sound!
Discovery Activities/Math Photo Cards
The discovery activities are so much fun! Each week contains a real photograph or illustration for the children to interact with. The photo relates to the concept and encourages oral language and math vocabulary development. Plus, the vibrant photos expose children to different places, animals, and cultures. It’s easy to see that math really is everywhere in our daily lives!
The math photo card example below shows a colorful room with rainbow balls in different locations and positions. This engaging photo invites young learners to use positional words to determine an object’s location and make connections to the world around us. Each photo card includes mathematical points, teaching tips, and engaging questions to encourage your children to think about each photo through a mathematical lens.
Daily Dip
The daily dip is a review activity to reinforce previously taught skills. You will notice valuable teaching tips throughout the review lessons. These tips offer insight to help execute specific strategies in
the lessons. This section is optional depending on time and student needs but is certainly a valuable component of each day.
The photo below shows examples of the first week of our positions and patterns unit. Notice the activities include use of position words to describe the location of a stuffed animal, counting and modeling zero, and applying counting knowledge to five and ten frames, which was previously taught in previous units to ensure exposure and practice to essential math skills all year long.
Teach and Engage
You’ll love the teach and engage section because it’s a brand new daily lesson for your students packed with new learning. This component of the curriculum includes lots of modeling and student interaction. Each lesson includes a bonus section that offers tips on how to make the lesson more challenging and provides extensions for children who are ready for more difficulty.
Positions and Patterns Centers for Preschoolers
In these positions and pattern activities for preschoolers, we have included lots of hands-on activities and games that invite kids to develop and interact with patterns in numerous ways. Many of the games and centers use engaging manipulatives such as snap cubes, colored counters, counting bears, or even playdough. Independent centers should always be supervised in preschool and kindergarten.
Positional Words Clip Cards
This simple position game is simple to prep and easy to play. Print out the position cards and grab some clothespins. Then ask the child to identify the bird’s position (over, under, between, next to, etc.) and invite them to clip the corresponding square.
Positional Words Task Cards
A fun counting positional center that reinforces how we use positions in daily life. Using a small block and a small box for a hands-on positioning activity, students will replicate the image on the card and position the block appropriately.
Positional Words Cover All
This position center is great for use with foam cube dice where you can insert the images and roll the dice. This makes positioning the counters on top, behind, under, etc… lots of fun! Even if you don’t have a pocket dice, this center is lots of fun and can be used with endless other manipulatives to practice positional words.
Pattern Matching, Extending Patterns, Filling in Patterns
Learning about patterns is lots of fun! This patterning center uses rainbow counters to introduce simple patterns, build patterns, and develop an understanding of how patterns work. Plus, these pattern cards are simple to print and add to the center with manipulatives. This center can also be used with counting bears or snap cubes too!
Pattern 1:1 Correspondence
Using snap cubes and counting bears, this center reinforces one-to-one correspondence while also developing patterning skills. Children can also continue to extend the pattern after the card has ended to prove mastery.
Building Playdough Patterns
Preschoolers adore using playdough which makes this center a big hit in the classroom. Using various colors of playdough, children copy the colored circles to create the pattern. To extend this activity, we have included black circles so that the child can create their own pattern with the colors shown. This center builds fine motor and teaches kids various pattern types.
Yoga Kids Patterns
An engaging math game always makes for excited preschoolers! This pattern center uses gross motor skills to teach that patterns are everywhere. This center is best done together as a class first then moved into a center. Encourage children to follow the pattern of movements and copy the yoga with their bodies. To extend, you can invite children to create their own yoga or gross motor patterns.
Musical Patterns
We have included various pattern types in our math centers including musical sound patterns. These sound pattern cards encourage children to copy the music movements to create a musical pattern. Preschoolers absolutely love this activity and love to get creative and make their own. What happens when they add a third child to their sound pattern?
Math to Literacy Connections
We have also included eight optional literacy activities that infuse math picture books. Children learn best through colorful illustrations and storytelling. These eight picture books infuse pattern teaching, as well as, build upon other math skills (shapes, colors, patterns) as well. Click the book covers to read more about each book.
Grab these fantastic books about positions and patterns here!
Positions and Patterns Book List
- Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
- Out the Door by Christy Hale
- National Geographic Look & Learn Patterns
- Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
- Pattern Fish Math by Trudy Harris
- Teddy Bear Patterns by McGrath Math
- Pitter Pattern Math by Joyce Hesselberth
- Pattern Counts by Henry Arthur Pluckrose
- Hardcover Book
- Hale, Christy (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Hutchins, Pat (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 08/01/1971 (Publication Date) – Aladdin (Publisher)
- Used Book in Good Condition
- National Geographic Kids (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Caps for Sale is a timeless classic beloved by millions
- This tale of a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys is filled with warmth, humor, and…
- Author & Illustrator: Esphyr Slobodkina
- Harris, Trudy (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 08/17/2023 (Publication Date) – Millbrook Pr (Publisher)
- McGrath, Barbara Barbieri (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 02/01/2013 (Publication Date) – Charlesbridge (Publisher)
- Hardcover Book
- Hesselberth, Joyce (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Pluckrose, Henry (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 09/01/2018 (Publication Date) – Children’s Press (Publisher)
Math Lesson Plans for Preschoolers
Creating a comprehensive math lesson plan for preschoolers requires careful consideration and planning. A full math curriculum should encompass all five disciplines in mathematics: number sense, operations, geometry, measurement, and data analysis.
It’s crucial to introduce children to these concepts in a fun and engaging manner. It’s also crucial to teach preschool math systematically. Here are more posts about math lesson plans for preschoolers and how to teach preschool math.
- Shape Preschool Lesson Plans
- Counting 0-5 Preschool Lesson Plans
- Comparing & Sorting Preschool Lesson Plans
- Counting 0-10 Preschool Lesson Plans
- Positions & Patterns Preschool Lesson Plans (you are here)
- Counting 0-20 Preschool Lesson Plans
- Measurement Preschool Lesson Plans
- Graphing Preschool Lesson Plans
- Addition & Subtraction Preschool Lesson Plans
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Product on sale*** Daily Lessons in Preschool Mathematics CurriculumOriginal price was: $135.00.$99.00Current price is: $99.00.
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
