Button AB Patterns Activity for Preschool

This AB Pattern Activity for preschool and kindergarten is a fun and engaging way introduce this essential math skill. Kids love electronics and using technology in learning by using Google Slides to create patterns will simplify your lesson plans. And if your school is shut down, it’s a great way to provide activities to your kids without needing to print a million papers and send it to them.

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Pattern Activity for Preschoolers

With these interactive Google slides, your preschoolers will be able to complete patterns by moving the buttons to the correct spot with a click of the mouse.

Your child will be learning how to complete patterns while also improving hand/eye coordination using a mouse.

These slides add a level of excitement to patterns for preschoolers!

Introducing Patterns to Preschoolers

If your child is new to building patterns, you may want to practice making patterns before having your child complete the slides.

Kids typically respond best to hands on activities for learning math concepts. You can find hands on activities and printables to teach patterning here on Life Over C’s.

• Mini Eraser Patterns
• Fruit Themed Differentiated Pattern Printables
• Fine Motor Pattern Activity

There are also many items in your early childhood learning environment or at home that you can use to encourage your child to see and identify patterns.

Pattern Ideas for Preschool

Items you can use to build patterns:

• silverware
• cups
• candy
• toys
• anything else you have handy

I find that my kids are highly motivated once I involve food. Who wouldn’t want to build a color pattern using Skittles, M&Ms or Fruit Loops?

You can also point out patterns that occur in your house or you can create patterns with actions like clapping, jumping etc.

Create AB patterns (red, blue, red, blue etc..) with your preschooler before moving onto more challenging patterns. Once you feel your child is “getting it”, let them complete the button patterns!

Common Patterns You Can Try:

• ABAB
• AAB
• ABB
• ABC

Young children benefit from lots of practice.

Creating Patterns with Preschoolers

You might be asking yourself why is it important that my child learns patterns?

Patterns are actually at the heart of math!

Creating, extending, naming and talking about patterns help build strong mathematicians.

But there is more than that to patterning! Patterns allow us to see relationships and develop generalizations in many curriculum areas.

Seeing patterns in words is essential in helping with emergent reading skills! Ultimately, understanding and being able to identify patterns will help children develop the important skills of critical thinking and logic.

Using the Google Slides Button AB Pattern Activity

To use the activity your children will simply tap the buttons at the bottom of the screen and then drag the buttons to either copy or complete the pattern activity.

Using Google Slides for Learning

Using Google Slides for education is super easy. Seriously, I learned how in a matter of minutes.

So, even if you’ve never used Google Slides before, you can start using them with your kids today.

The first step is to sign into your Google Drive or Google Classroom.

Then, download the resource at the end of this post. The file delivered to your e-mail contains the link for the Google Slides file. When you click on the link, it will ask you to “Make a Copy” before using the activity.

PLEASE NOTE: You must make a copy, otherwise you will be changing the master file for everyone.

Once, you make a copy, you will also want to make a copy for each of your students. Save one master copy for yourself in a safe folder on Google Drive.

Then, you can send the files to your students!

The kids can open the file and start using the activity right away. It will open in ‘edit’ format and should stay that way. If the ‘present’ button is accidentally clicked, the file will not be interactive and must be switched back to ‘edit’ mode.

To use the pattern building activity, the kids will choose the correct letters for each word, tap and drag the letters to the word box to build the word.

Super simple and perfect for little learners who are learning to navigate both reading and technology!