10 Hands-on Pattern Activities for Preschoolers

| Last Updated: February 18, 2023

Kids enjoy discovering patterns in their surroundings! They promote a sense of security and stability in their changing lives. Beyond that, integrating patterns into your home lesson plans and activities has a lot of benefits for students such as developing math skills important for more complex math concepts.

Pattern skills, like every other skill, will require time and dedication to fully master. Luckily, there are lots of hands-on and entertaining ideas for learning patterns that range from easy to difficult. Use this created fun list with your beloved preschoolers to enjoy some pattern tasks on any day of the week!

Great Pattern Activities for Preschoolers

Listening Skills | Coordination | Rhythm

1. The Famous Cup Song Game

Clapping games are popular among young children!

Preschoolers can learn by following preset movements with this famous cup song game. It can teach them to listen and strengthen their coordination while also having tons of fun!

On top of that, the cup game will undoubtedly help your children learn rhythm. They will need to clap to the tempo of the song and also sing along with it. Plus, this teaches the value of learning from their mistakes!

The activity is developmentally perfect for youngsters aged 6-8, and is excellent for both auditory and physical learners!

To perform the famous cup song game, you need the following:

  • The cup song
  • Cup
  • Speaker

To do the fun cup song games, gather a group of children together and learn the moves of the cup song. If you’re at home, you can do this with your child. 

Make sure that the easy version pattern has been learned by everyone before beginning the game. If there’s a group of children doing this activity, make a circle and pass down the cup to each other (playing the song and making the appropriate motions one by one). 

The aim is to finish the entire song without making any mistakes. If a kid messed up a move, start the song again and encourage them to try again!

To get further information about the cup song game, you should go to empoweredparents.co.

Math | Matching | Color Recognition

2. Fun Caterpillar Matching Activity

Photo credit: activelittles.com

Pattern exercises are one of the activities that most preschool children seem to adore, and they are absolutely brilliant for early learning!

This fun caterpillar matching task is appropriate for spring days. Kids will surely love taking part in this activity which definitely improves their math skills, color recognition ability, and matching skills! 

Besides, youngsters can learn visually while fully expressing their creative side! Also, it is perfect for kids 3 and above!

Take note that after your preschoolers have finished applying their dot stickers, you can repurpose the activity by writing addition and subtraction operations for your older ones! This is a fantastic way to reuse this kid-friendly activity!

To do the caterpillar matching task, you will require the following:

  • Colored bottle caps or dot stickers
  • Cardstock paper
  • Stencil
  • Tray
  • Colored markers

To make your caterpillar circles, you should first trace the circle stencil into the cardstock paper with different colors of markers (you can use nail polish as a stencil). 

Then, let the kids draw some smiley faces on each end. Make sure to make these ends using black markers while other circles should be in varying colors. Through this, the kids can think about what color comes next! 

Let kids have fun and begin the main activity by adding colored dot stickers or bottle caps to the correct colored circle! 

You can explore activelittles.com to know more about the caterpillar matching task.

Cognitive Skills | Sequencing | Printables

3. Colorful Fruit-Themed Pattern Exercise

Photo credit: lifeovercs.com

Color patterns are truly the simplest pattern task for young toddlers to grasp visually, so they’re a wonderful place to start!

This fun and engaging fruit-themed pattern activity lay the groundwork for more difficult pattern recognition tasks later on, such as counting and complex math concepts for your young kids.

Furthermore, the colorful fruit-themed pattern activity is a great way for kids aged 4-6 to certainly reinforce their cognitive skills and sequencing ability perfect to do any day!

Remember that you should keep the routine consistent to harbor these wonderful benefits!

For this pattern exercise, you will need certain supplies which are:

  • White paper or cardstock
  • Laminating sheets and laminator
  • Fruit counters or fruit pictures
  • Templates

Prepare the activity by downloading and printing the activity template. It is advised to laminate them in case you want to reuse them in the future. Otherwise, you can just use regular paper or cardstock. Use the fruit pictures in the templates instead if you don’t have a fruit counter yet. 

Let the kids play with different patterns! Have them create, copy or continue a pattern independently or with your guidance. 

Kids can look at the made pattern and then copy them on their own sheets, placing the fruits on top of the fruit pictures.

Explore fruits, a good diet, colors, and patterns with this fun fruit-themed activity. Check out lifeovercs.com for more details. 

Shapes | Colors | Printables

4. Simple Pattern Hat Activity

Photo credit: proudtobeprimary.com

Printables are effective pattern-learning tools!

This fun and easy-to-do task is a remarkable visual activity for youngsters to learn more about colors and shapes while actively enhancing their style and creativity! 

The simple pattern hat activity is perfect for kids aged three to five. This can be done with a single child or with a group of children!

Your tough learners will really enjoy the thrill of difficult patterns! On the other hand, kids who are still understanding patterns will not be frustrated by a complex assignment.

Also, kids enjoy creating items they can wear! When doing the activity, ask them to design their favorite pattern and flaunt it with their pattern hat!

To make the pattern hat, begin by gathering items such as:

  • Cardstock or any sturdy paper
  • Tape
  • Coloring materials
  • Marker or pen
  • Hat templates 

To make your own pattern hat, download and print the pattern template onto sturdy paper. Then attach each end with tape to make it a hat. 

Have fun making shapes in varying colors with the kids! You can do the first four shapes, and let the kids copy your patterns by letting them draw the next ones. 

Moreover, have them print and write their name below their patterns making it good writing practice for your little ones!

Related to this, many pattern activity ideas are available on the internet. You may get them at proudtobeprimary.com.

Pattern | Colors | Matching

5. Easy Washing Lines Pattern Exercise

Uplift children’s spirits with some pattern exercise this summertime!

The easy washing lines pattern is an awesome way for kids 2 to 5 years of age to learn visually, enriching their color recognition ability and matching skills. 

Note that with this activity your preschoolers can also work on filling in the missing parts of a pattern so they enhance their cognitive ability. Indeed, color pattern cards can provide a variety of skill practice opportunities for young kids!

While doing the exercise, remember that you can use things like socks, leaves, and clothing instead of colored paper. 

Make this easy washing lines pattern activity with these items:

  • Piece of string
  • Sticks
  • Wooden base 
  • Glue gun
  • Colored paper (in two or three different colors)

You should prepare the activity by doing the washing lines first. Grab two pieces of craft sticks and attach some pieces of string as your washing lines. Adhere the stick on a rectangular wooden base using a glue gun. 

Now, grab two pieces of paper in different colors. Let your kids decide what color it will be. Cut rectangle shapes out of them, then fold the pieces so your kids can easily put them onto the washing line!

Make the kids think by letting them figure out the pattern!

Visit earlyimpactlearning.com to have additional info about this washing lines pattern task and get more activity ideas.

Hand-Eye Coordination | Printables | Fine Motor Skill

6. Engaging Gross Motor Pattern Activity

Photo credit: stayathomeeducator.com

Doing pattern movements is both enjoyable and beneficial for kids! It improves children’s communication abilities and prepares them to understand number patterns later in life.

This is an excellent activity on any day intended for children aged 3-6! 

Moreover, kids can learn visually and physically while strengthening their fine motor as well as their hand-eye coordination. 

Youngsters will gain fantastic social skills if they play with other children. They may learn to collaborate, teach techniques to new youngsters, and acquire empathy and patience whenever they or other kids get the steps wrong.

Preschoolers will have a lot of fun creating patterns using their gross motors! When they are particularly hyperactive, they can “applaud, stomp, applaud” or “bounce, stand, bounce”!

To do the gross motor pattern exercise, you should have items like:

  • Gross motor pattern sheets
  • Yoga pattern cards

To do this activity, get your copy of gross motor pattern cards and yoga pattern cards. 

Then, get the attention of your kids. Have them line up vertically and do the patterns you are showing them. Kids may try to copy other kids, but make them do the move on their own. 

Also, you can let the kids play and do the pattern independently! Either way, kids will have tons of fun while doing this activity!

For more pattern ideas excellent for young kids, go to stayathomeeducator.com. You may also find other tasks to incorporate into your own lesson!

Counting | Patterns | Colors

7. Quick Dot Cereal Pattern Activity

Photo credit: frugalfun4boys.com

It’s very easy for preschoolers to learn patterns visually!

This quick dot cereal pattern activity is a fun method for children ages 4 to 6 to further enjoy their activity time on any day! Plus, it will greatly develop their counting skills and color recognition ability while recognizing patterns at the same time. 

Remember that using rainbow-colored items such as cereal, chocolates, blocks, legos, and beads is hands down the simplest approach to get youngsters interested in pattern recognition. Children can use these items to experiment with generating their creative patterns and perfecting patterning, including expanding and copying existing patterns.

Also, you should start with a simple pattern in this activity. With time, you can gradually make it more complex depending on your kids’ level of cognitive ability. Another piece of advice is to keep making patterns as multisensory as possible!

For this pattern activity, you should get things like:

  • Piece of paper
  • Ruler
  • Marker
  • Cereals 

Prepare the activity by drawing a row of dots on a piece of paper. They should have equal distances from each other so make use of the ruler. You can make a template to make it easier for you if you’re doing this with a lot of preschool kids. 

Make use of the dots and cereals to make patterns. Do the first 3 to 4 cereal patterns so they can copy you on the next following ones. 

Then, after doing the activity, you can check them by saying the cereal colors one by one (blue, red, green, blue, red, green, blue, green…). If there’s any wrong pattern, make sure to let them know!

To better comprehend the pattern activity, explore frugalfun4boys.com.

Creative | Sequencing | Fine Motor Skills

8. Creative Mosaic Patterns

Photo credit: handsonaswegrow.com

Teachers especially adore mosaic pattern art since it incorporates quite many special skills. Children can improve their arithmetic skills, creativity, and fine motor skills all in one exercise!

This creative mosaic pattern art is a delightful way for children to fully comprehend colors. Through the cutting exercises, kids’ fine motor skills can positively develop! 

Also, this is a visual activity that can be done perfectly in the comfort of your home or classroom, excellent for any season! It is suited for children ages 4 to 6. 

Note that this art project focuses on the creative process, not the final piece. So deliberately suggest the incorrect color to your kids! This aided him in practicing error analysis and explaining the logic behind his repeated pattern.

To complete this mosaic pattern task, you must have the following materials:

  • Safety scissors
  • Colored paper (in 3 or more varying colors)
  • Glue

To make the mosaic pattern art activity, cut your colored paper into long strips (make sure to have 3 different colored pieces of paper). Then, have your kids snip it off squares. 

Now, have fun creating patterns with your kids! Do the first three patterns and let them continue the pattern by copying it onto the next ones. Also, allow them to glue the squares into their own mosaic pattern art. 

Once the paper is full of colored paper patterns, you are done with your beautiful mosaic art!

Visit handsonaswegrow.com to read more about the activity. 

Colors | Matching | Cognitive Skills

9. Matching Patterned-Circle Exercise

Incorporating patterns in an activity is a must since kids can acquire abilities needed for their continued growth in the subject of math!

The visual activity is excellent to do on any day for children aged 3 to 5!

As your kids participate in this task, their comprehension and reasoning will progress, and they will know how to communicate more effectively. Indeed, engaging in a variety of entertaining, educational games will boost their cognitive abilities!

Remember that to form patterns, children must first learn to identify features and group them into groupings. Also, when they form a match, praise and celebrate them!

To do the activity, you should get:

  • Foam circles
  • Permanent markers 
  • A pair of scissors

First, gather the materials, then draw some patterns into your foam circles using a marker. Make sure that the circles have different patterns so the kids can differentiate them. 

Once satisfied with the drawn patterns, cut the circles in half. 

Finally, invite your little kids to do this fun activity. Make a pile of all the semi-circles and let them make a match out of them. If they ask for help, give them a clue by saying the color of the circle. 

Surely, your kids will have fun matching these circles!

More details on this matching patterned-circle activity are available at notimeforflashcards.com.

Colors | Coordination | Science

10. Catapult Pom-Poms Pattern Exercise

Photo credit: mudpaperscissors.com

Add some rainbow pom-poms to your pattern activity perfect to enjoy for any season!

This catapult pom-poms pattern task is a fun-filled physical and visual activity that you can do with children ages 3-5!

With this activity, children can train their color recognition ability, coordination, and fine motor ability. Likewise, it incorporates STEM because of the mechanism in the catapult that you can explain to your kids!

Take note that you can use other random light items to catapult such as crumpled papers instead of pom-poms.

Kids will certainly enjoy catapulting pom-poms. You can create your own with these few materials such as:

  • Craft sticks or popsicle sticks
  • Rubber bands
  • Hot glue
  • Bottle cap
  • Pom-poms (in two varying colors)
  • Templates

You should make the catapult first. Grab and stack 7 popsicle sticks together and use rubber bands to secure both ends. Then grab another 2 popsicle sticks and secure one end with rubber bands. Put the stacks of popsicle sticks between the two attached sticks. Secure all the popsicle sticks together with the rubber bands like in the picture. Attach the bottle cap with the hot glue gun to the end. Then, have the kids design them to make them pretty! 

To do the main activity, have your kids launch the pom-poms. Let them choose the two colors and encourage them to make a fun alternating pattern on the template. 

Launch some pom-poms with your kids and make it a fun pattern activity!

You may have more information about the pom-poms pattern exercise at discoveringmommyhood.com.

Conclusion

Use this list of hands-on pattern activity ideas to help your child’s attention span and encourage creativity! From catapulting pom-poms to doing some fun gross motor actions, there are plenty of activities to keep your little ones busy at any time of the day!

On top of that, this great list will perfectly optimize your children’s understanding of patterns, colors, and shapes while further assisting them in enhancing their social skills, math skills, and fine motor skills!

Come back for more themed exercises for your youngsters to enjoy and love!

People Also Ask

How Do You Teach Patterns to Preschoolers?

It is very important to teach your kids about patterns at a very young age. This is easy to do because there are patterns all around us, but your kids may require your assistance in recognizing them. Be mindful of how we interpret patterns before instructing your kids to create, copy or recognize them. Young kids should be able to analyze this information, understand it, and recognize them first. 

Preschoolers can be introduced to the idea of patterns in a variety of ways, but practical application, play, and games are the most effective ones!



Hi, I'm Amanda! Welcome to Education Outside! Im passionate about educating young minds and helping parents/teachers by providing easy and effective teaching resources. Check out all of my teaching resources on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

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