Reception Maths: Longer patterns
Part of the Reception Maths patterns chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Longer patterns
Priya makes a bracelet with beads: red, red, blue, red, red, blue.
This pattern repeats every three beads. The repeat is red, red, blue. Other patterns repeat with three colours: red, blue, yellow, red, blue, yellow.
Key ideas
- A repeat can have three things.
- AAB means two of the same, then one different.
- ABC means three different things, in the same order.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.red, red, blue, red, red
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.red, red, blue, red, red, blue
- Write the answer. blue
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.red, blue, yellow, red, blue
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.red, blue, yellow, red, blue, yellow
- Write the answer. yellow
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.green, green, yellow, green, green
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.green, green, yellow, green, green, yellow
- Write the answer. yellow
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Watch out
Watch out: the repeat may be longer than two. Find the whole part that repeats before you decide what is next.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Use three colours of buttons. Ask: “What is the repeat? How many in the repeat?” Then carry the pattern on together.
Exercise 8B Longer patterns
Non-calculatorKey words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.red, red, blue, red, red
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.red, red, blue, red, red, blue
- Write the answer. blue
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.blue, blue, yellow, blue, blue
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.blue, blue, yellow, blue, blue, yellow
- Write the answer. yellow
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.red, blue, yellow, red, blue
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.red, blue, yellow, red, blue, yellow
- Write the answer. yellow
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.green, yellow, red, green, yellow
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.green, yellow, red, green, yellow, red
- Write the answer. red
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.yellow, yellow, green, yellow, yellow
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.yellow, yellow, green, yellow, yellow, green
- Write the answer. green
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.blue, red, green, blue, red
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.blue, red, green, blue, red, green
- Write the answer. green
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.red, red, red, blue, red, red, red
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.red, red, red, blue, red, red, red, blue
- Write the answer. blue
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.green, red, red, green, red, red
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.green, red, red, green, red, red, green
- Write the answer. green
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Key words. A pattern is something that repeats.
Method. Look for the part that repeats. Then carry on the pattern.
- Look at the pattern. Find the part that repeats.yellow, blue, green, yellow, blue
- Carry on the pattern. The next one repeats the start of the pattern.yellow, blue, green, yellow, blue, green
- Write the answer. green
Check. Read the whole pattern again. The repeat fits. ✓
Watch out. Check the last two or three things. They should match the start of the pattern.
Method. Copy the pattern: blue, blue, red. Then copy it again.
- Copy it once. Blue, blue, red.blue, blue, red
- Copy it again. Blue, blue, red, blue, blue, red.blue, blue, red, blue, blue, red
- Find the last colour. The last colour is the end of the copy.red
- Write the answer. red
Check. Count the colours: 6 in the two copies. ✓
Watch out. The last colour is the end of the second copy.
Method. Carry on the pattern: yellow, green, red, and then again.
- Look at the pattern. It is yellow, green, red.yellow, green, red
- Carry on. After the red comes yellow again.yellow
- Write the answer. yellow
Check. Read the pattern: yellow, green, red, yellow. ✓
Watch out. The pattern goes back to the start.
Method. Look for the part that repeats.
- Look at the pattern. Red, red, blue, then the same again.red, red, blue
- Count the repeat. The repeat has three beads.3 beads
- Write the answer. No. The repeat is red, red, blue, so it has three beads.
Check. Count the repeat: red, red, blue is three. ✓
Watch out. Find the whole repeat, not just two colours.
Method. Choose three colours, repeat them, then find the next one.
- Choose three colours. For example red, blue, yellow.red, blue, yellow
- Repeat them. Put them in the same order again.red, blue, yellow, red, blue, yellow
- Write the answer. Accept any ABC pattern with the next colour correct.
Check. Read your pattern: does the repeat come back? ✓
Watch out. Keep the same order each time.