Making Patterns with a Theme

by Kathryn Garcia

Nothing freshens up the practice of a familiar skill than using a seasonal theme.  Making Patterns can be more than just a practice of AB, ABB, AAB, ABC order.  Using the themes in these sets gives little ones practice with more than just colors and shapes.  In some of the differentiated options, a good bit of visual discrimination is needed to know what comes next.

Add in another layer of primary skills with a color, cut and paste version for classwork or homework.

Keep an extra set of all of the cute pictures (thank you, TpT clipartists) for each theme to use in other ways.  Make your own patterns, scoop out a handful of pictures and graph them, or use in number sense practice.  

I have 2 sets of ‘Making Patterns” sets in my Made For Learning store at TpT. 

Set A for fall has these themes: Apples, Pumpkins, Leaves, Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Christmas set pictured here.

Set B for spring has these themes:  Snowmen, Valentines, Plants, Flowers, Easter and Butterflies.

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Let's Start with a November Freebie!

Thanksgiving Three-of-a-Kind is a 'Made For Learning' game that practices number sense with numbers 1-15.  I love how you can differentiate by choosing the numbers you are practicing.  Some of the little ones that have played this game are Pre-K kiddos that were only ready for numbers 1-5.  Another group of 1st graders loved playing with all 15 number sets.  Tally marks are included as well for students who are ready.

Start by passing out the 'Play' mats that you want each child to fill.  (3 mats each seems to work well.)  Choose the type of card to begin the game.  (ex.  I chose the numeral cards in the game pictured.)  Each child chooses one card from the deck and puts it on his mat.  Continue until all mats being used have a starting card.  (There are 15 sets, so 5 children could play with 3 mats each.  If you limit the sets...say, only use 1-10, then you will have fewer cards to use.)


Players draw a card from the picture or tally deck and see if it belongs on one of their own mats.  If yes, they place it on the correct mat and play continues to the next person.  If it does not belong on the mats, it is put in a discard pile and play continues on.  (I like to allow for strategy here with some students.  Do they need a tally card or a picture card to complete their set?)  Reuse cards from the discard pile as needed.  Play until one student has filled all mats or play until all mats are filled.

To make this into a cut and paste activity, just print on plain paper in grayscale and voila!  It would be fun to give to a small group to complete together.  And wouldn't this make a cute number line!!

 

                                Click here to download this FREE product.

Use your imagination and have fun with these Thanksgiving-themed number cards.