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Put little hands to work learning patterns with this simple and colorful busy bag idea for kids. This Clothespins Patterns Activity is a wonderful way to sneak in fine motor and patterning skills. It’s perfect for preschoolers and kindergartners.
Using visuals to help teach patterns to young children is a great idea! Along with something hands-on for preschoolers to see, I have tried to emphasize what is going on with my voice.
For instance showing a pattern of yellow/ green (ABAB), I try to fluctuate my voice– “YELLOW, green, YELLOW, green, ____.” But don’t worry, I’m not really “shouting” at my kids. Ha!
Clothespin Patterns Busy Bag Idea
n easy and simple way to work on patterns is with these Pattern Sticks! This activity turns into a great busy bag, so after you are done using it for the day, zip it up in a small bag or box to be stored away until another day. It’ll make a great activity to bring along on long car rides, times you know you be waiting around, etc.
Supplies:
- popsicle sticks
- colored clothespins
- markers
To make your own pattern sticks, create patterns on the popsicle sticks using colors from your collection of colored clothespins with markers. Create such patterns as ABAB, AABAAB, ABCABC, etc.
Leave a space at the end of the popsicle stick so that not only can the child follow the pattern, but he/she can also add one or two more clothespins at the end to complete the pattern.
Once you have created several pattern sticks, encourage your child to try a few!
Have your child say the colors on the popsicle stick and collect the same color clothespins. Clip the matching color clothespins onto the color on the stick. Once the child has finished following the pattern, encourage him/her to choose the right color that would go next in the pattern.
The clothespins add a fun way to also work on fine motor skills. Along with hand-eye coordination, grasping and pinching the clothespins will be a great work out for your little ones fingers.
Other options would be to use mini pom poms and have the child follow the pattern by placing a pom pom on each color– paper clips, or pony beads would also work. You can also choose to use bigger sized clothespins, too.
And when your child is all done with the activity, just save it for another day!
If you enjoyed this activity with a mix of fine motor and math skills, you might also like:
