Grab a clear geoboard, some transparent counters, and give this pattern activity for preschool kids a try! It works great on the light table too!
One day my four year old invented a game that he liked to call "The Adventures of Tomorrow." This game used nothing more than some transparent counters and a clear geoboard. Two items I purchased for our DIY light table at a local teacher store.
Now, his game is really just a game for learning patterns on a geoboard. But hey, I'm not going to tell him that.
Honestly though, his title is way more exciting than my straightforward pattern activity for preschool title. Ah that's so boring, isn't it?
Anyway, a few days later I set out these pattern activities materials again so we could play another round of "The Adventures of Tomorrow." This time I was armed and ready with my camera so I could capture the kids as they practiced pattern making.
What You'll Need for this Simple Geoboard & Pattern Activity for Preschool
For this preschool math and patterning activity, we used:
- Clear geoboard - It doesn't have to be a clear one, but it looks cooler though. It's what will be used as a frame to work on those all important patterning skills.
- Transparent counters - To create and copy a color pattern on the geoboard.
- Light table - Completely optional, of course. However, it's a fun way to a little sensory aspect to an already great patterning activity.
The transparent counters fit in between the pegs of the geoboard perfectly. So I filled the first line with a color pattern for the boys to copy. And that's it for set up. You can certainly make this pattern as simple or as complex as you'd like. The pattern you decide to use might also depend on how many counters you have.
This Activity is Great for Working on Patterning Skills (& Fine Motor Skills too!)
This activity is also great for fine motor practice. Fitting those counters in between the pegs (and retrieving them afterwards!) requires some really precise fine motor skills. It's especially tricky for big adult sized fingers!
Try this Preschool Patterns Activity on the Light Table Too!
My boys also loved to count the transparent counters as they added them, all the way up to 100! After trying a handful of different patterns, the boys tried this activity out on our DIY light table, which was fun too. I mean look how pretty the counters look on the light table!
And that's it for this super simple pattern activity for preschool.
