Your Child Will Learn
How to extend a 3-object pattern
Here’s What to Do
- Gather a bunch of kitchen utensils (fork, spoon, butter knife). Ask your child to sort them.
- Place them in a simple pattern of 3 objects, repeating the pattern twice (fork, spoon, knife / fork, spoon, knife)
- 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.
- Ask your child to keep making the pattern longer. (Optional) Repeat with a different order of utensils, or different objects.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Are all of our objects ready and in front of us? Great! Let’s begin!
ENGAGE
- “What’s next in the pattern?”
- “Can you keep adding things in the right order to make the pattern longer?”
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?”
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.
Time to Complete
10 minutes
Materials Needed
Kitchen objects like utensils (you’ll need at least three of 3 different objects, like forks/spoons/knives).