Bauble Patterns

What you need

• eight or more plastic baubles in two colours, each with its cap and hook taken off
• a tray or a long strip of paper to line them up on

How to do it

1. Line up four baubles in a pattern on the tray, like red, gold, red, gold.
2. Say the pattern out loud together, then ask your child what comes next.
3. Let them carry on the pattern to the end of the tray.
4. Make a pattern with a mistake in it and see if they can find it and put it right.
5. Before you pack away, hold up a bauble and find your faces in it, stretched and funny.

Why it matters

Spotting what comes next in a pattern is early maths, and shiny baubles make it something they want to touch and look at.

What they're learning

Patterns

Seeing what comes next is the start of maths thinking.

Spotting mistakes

Finding the bauble that is wrong takes careful checking.

Talking it through

Saying "red, gold, red, gold" out loud helps them hold the pattern in mind.

What to look for

Watch for them saying the pattern under their breath as they place the next bauble.

A tip

Plastic baubles only, and play away from the tree. Paper circles in two colours work just as well.

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