A repeating pattern
Red, blue, red, blue repeats in the same order.
Look for the part that repeats again and again.
Year 2
Order and arrange combinations of mathematical objects in patterns and sequences
Spot, continue and explain simple repeating patterns and ordered sequences.
Lesson overview
Geometry - position and direction
A pattern repeats in a rule-based way. A sequence is an ordered list. We can continue a pattern by finding what repeats, or continue a sequence by spotting what changes each time.
A shape pattern
Triangle, square, triangle, square is another repeating pattern.
Patterns can use shapes, colours, numbers or objects.
An ordered sequence
A sequence can follow a clear order, such as 2, 4, 6, 8.
This sequence goes up by 2 each time.
Worked example
What comes next in the pattern circle, square, circle, square?
- Look for the part that repeats.
- The pattern is circle, square.
- After square, the pattern starts again with circle.
- So the next item is circle.
Try it
Find the repeating part or the pattern rule before choosing the next item.
Question 1
What comes next? red, blue, red, blue, ...
Question 2
What comes next? 2, 5, 2, 5, ...
Question 3
Which sequence is a repeating pattern?
circle, square, circle, square
1, 2, 3, 4
5, 10, 15, 20
Question 4
What comes next? 10, 20, 10, 20, ...
Question 5
What comes next? triangle, square, triangle, square, ...
Common mistakes
Watch for these when working through the lesson.
- Choosing an item that looks similar without checking the whole pattern.
- Forgetting where the repeated part starts again.
- Mixing up a repeating pattern with a growing number sequence.
Related topics
These ideas fit closely with this lesson.
- Use mathematical vocabulary to describe position, direction and movement, including rotation as a turn and in terms of right angles for quarter, half, three-quarter and whole turns.
- Count in steps of 2, 3, and 5 from 0, and in tens from any number, forwards and backwards.