Patterns are all around us! The honeycomb pattern of your fancy jewelry box is formed by joining hexagons together, and the mosaic pattern on your floor mat was conceptualized by using a mixture of squares, triangles, and circles, to design this wonderful piece of art. Appreciating patterns all around us is such a pleasurable experience. Then why do we not like to study the basics of it in school?

What is a Pattern?

In Math, patterns are not limited to shapes and figures. The subject goes broader and deeper by including number patterns, geometric patterns, and Fibonacci patterns. Basically, it is the observation of repeated objects or numbers, that the child can identify and continue the same sequence, to form some meaning out of it. Patterns can therefore be finite or infinite, as one can continue forming patterns in the same sequence until asked to stop. Before we understand the different types of patterns in detail, let us highlight some benefits it brings to the student.

How Learning About Patterns Helps

Patterns are a pre-Math concept and even toddlers in kindergarten across GCC regions are encouraged to play with patterns and discover their own potential.

• Arranging colors, letters, and shapes, helps children make predictions about what next. They become better observers and start to think deeply.
• In some way or the other, patterns convey the message that every day we must follow discipline, to lead a fulfilled life. Kids learn it is important to have a bath before going to school, spend 15 minutes reading, and pray before bedtime. All our daily rituals follow a pattern and learning it at an early age can improve the student’s productivity in school and build fine character traits.
• Logical thinking can be established by practicing patterns. As students get comfortable with the topic, they get accustomed to using analytical thinking and come up with a solution to any problem they face in life or while studying. This habit instills confidence and improves the self-esteem of students. Most early learners in UAE are trained to think logically, at as early as 3+ years of age.
• Creativity is fostered, as once they learn the sequence, they will be in a position to recreate the same and build new patterns from scratch. Being creative at an early allows trying out new ideas and bring them to life.

Different Types of Patterns

Number Patterns

This is the most common type of pattern taught to children. As the name suggests, numbers are made to follow a certain pattern and based on this a certain sequence is made.

The Different kinds of number patterns are as follows:

Arithmetic Pattern

Arithmetic equations like addition and subtraction, have to be applied to guess what is the common link between the numbers laid down.

Example 1:

78 – 83 – 88 – 93 – 98 ____?

Can you guess the next number in this pattern? The way to solve it is to look at all the numbers carefully and then find a link that binds them. In the above example, the numbers are increasing by +5, and so the last number in the sequence will be 103, because 98+5 = 103.

Example 2:

Let’s take another example as follows.

6 – 9 – 12 – 15 – 18 – ___?

As we can see that the numbers are increasing by 3 and therefore the answer will be 18+3 = 21.

Such fun Math pattern exercises can be practiced using the Mathletics platform. This online tool is being used by Schools across the Globe, including US, Australia, and the Middle East. The pedagogy is designed keeping in mind the IB School’s curriculum and the practice lessons are pretty fun to solve via gamification.

Geometric Pattern:

To guess a geometric pattern, one needs to be fluent with multiplication and division. Finding it hard to get your child to memorize tables? Well, simply switch to Mathletics, and find interesting study material that will motivate students in Dubai to learn tables quicker.

Example 1:

7, 14, __, 28, ___

As we can see, this is the 7 times table and the missing numbers are 7×3 = 21 and 7×5=35.

Example 2:

256, 128, ___, 32, 16 The above sequence is in descending order, so the values keep decreasing progressively. Here we know that the numbers must have been divided by 2.

256/2 = 128

128/2 = 64

64/2 = 32

32/2 = 16

Fibonacci Pattern

This name sounds funny to pronounce. However, it requires great mental dexterity to identify and then solve the pattern equation. In this type, the two previous numbers are added to form a sequence and that’s how you get the third number in the link.

Example 1:

3, 1, 4, 5, 9, 14, ___? In the above example; 3+1 = 4, 4+1 = 5, 5+4 = 9, 9+5= 14, and 14+9 = 23.

Now that you have kind of understood the importance of having to study Mathematical patterns, you can buy books, search the net, or subscribe to Mathletics to practice this with your child at home and at school.

Contact us