Making repeating patterns

Let us begin

The big idea

Patterns are everywhere: on a sari border, a tiled floor and a zebra. A pattern is something that repeats again and again. Let us learn to make our own.

A pattern repeats in the same order. If we draw a circle, a square, a circle, a square, the pattern is circle then square. The part that repeats is called the unit.

We can make a pattern with shapes, colours, sizes or lines. A red, blue, red, blue border is a colour pattern. Big, small, big, small is a size pattern.

A pattern can have a longer unit. For example, red, red, blue repeats as red, red, blue, red, red, blue. The unit has three parts.

To find the next part of a pattern, find the unit and then continue it. A border pattern repeats along a line. A block pattern repeats across the whole page like a tile design.

Worked examples

See how it works

1. A shape pattern

   Triangle, circle, triangle, circle, triangle, circle. The unit is triangle then circle. After the last circle, the next shape is a triangle.

2. A colour pattern

   Red, red, blue, red, red, blue, red, red. The unit is red, red, blue. The next colour is blue.

3. A growing pattern

   Draw 1 dot, then 2 dots, then 3 dots, then 4 dots. The pattern grows by one dot each time. The next group has 5 dots.

Try it at home

My border pattern