Practice recognizing, copying, and describing different repeating patterns using pony beads and our set of 30 Repeating Patterns Task Cards.
Building Early Math Thinking Through Repeating Patterns
Repeating patterns are one of the first ways young learners make sense of math. When students learn to recognize, copy, and describe patterns that repeat, they build essential skills like noticing similarities, predicting what comes next, and explaining their thinking. These early experiences form the foundation for future learning in number sense, algebra, and problem‑solving.
Hands-on learning is especially powerful at this stage. Giving children plenty of opportunities to make, break, and talk about a repeating pattern using concrete materials helps them explore math in meaningful ways. By touching, moving, and arranging objects—such as pony beads—students gain a deeper understanding of how repeating patterns work, which strengthens their ability to identify and describe them.
Hands-On Repeating Patterns with Pony Beads
Our Repeating Pattern Task Cards use bright pony bead visuals to help students explore patterns that repeat in an engaging, hands-on format. With clear visuals and concrete materials, students begin to notice, copy, and describe each repeating pattern, building confidence and early algebraic thinking. These cards are perfect for whole‑class instruction, small‑group work, math centers, or independent rotations.
Differentiation is built in. For students who need extra support, simply have them copy the repeating pattern shown on the card using a pipe cleaner and their own pony beads. As their confidence grows, they can move on to identifying and describing patterns that repeat using color words—for example: red, blue, blue, red, blue, blue.
For an added challenge, students can represent each repeating pattern using letters, such as ABB. The task cards can be laminated so students can write directly on them with a dry-erase marker, or they can record their thinking on the included student sheet. An answer key is also provided for quick and easy checking.
Download, Then Repeat!
This resource is available in two formats to fit your classroom needs. Choose the editable Google Slides version if you’d like to customize, project, or adapt the activity for your students, or select the easy-to-print PDF for fast prep and hands-on use.
Simply click the dropdown arrow on the download button to select the format that works best for your classroom—so you can spend less time prepping and more time exploring repeating patterns with your students.
This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator.
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