Pattern Strips
About This Worksheet
Pattern Strips is a kindergarten activity that helps children continue repeating ABBA patterns. Each row follows a four-picture rule where the first picture appears, the second picture appears twice, and then the first picture appears again. Children look at the pattern strip and draw the next two pictures in the empty spaces. For example, a sun, moon, moon, sun pattern continues with sun, moon. This helps children notice that repeating patterns can have longer units than the simple AB patterns they may already know.
Curriculum and Grade Alignment
This worksheet is intended for kindergarten learners who are ready to work with longer repeating units. The main goal is to help children recognize an ABBA pattern and extend it correctly. Before beginning, your child should be comfortable with simpler AB and AAB patterns. The next step is comparing different four-part rules and explaining how the pattern repeats. This activity builds early algebraic reasoning by helping children identify a repeated sequence and use it to predict what comes next.
Student Tasks
On this worksheet, students will study six picture strips. They will find the four-picture section that repeats in each row. Children then draw the next two pictures in the empty boxes. The patterns use suns and moons, apples and pears, pencils and books, flowers and leaves, hearts and stars, and kites and balloons. This gives students practice with a more complex repeating rule while keeping the pictures familiar.
Common Challenges and Misconceptions
Some children may expect the pattern to alternate one picture at a time and miss the doubled middle picture. Others may copy the last two pictures without checking the full four-part rule. A child may also lose track of where one repeating unit ends and the next begins. Encourage your child to group the pattern in sets of four and say it aloud. A rhythm such as “A, B, B, A” can help the rule become easier to hear.
Implementation Guidance
Teachers can use this worksheet after students are comfortable with AB and AAB patterns. It works well in guided practice because the adult can model how to place a small pause after every four pictures. Parents can use two kinds of household objects to make an ABBA pattern before beginning. For example, spoon, cup, cup, spoon can be repeated on a table. This hands-on example helps children understand the longer pattern unit before drawing.
Details and Features
This worksheet includes six ABBA picture strips with two empty drawing boxes at the end of each row. Familiar objects and large pictures make the pattern easy for kindergarten children to name aloud. The table format keeps each sequence separate and organized. Two answer spaces allow children to show that they understand how the rule continues beyond one picture. The printable supports sequencing, prediction, visual memory, and early pattern reasoning.