About Number Pattern Game
Finding the rule in a sequence is early algebraic thinking. The child is not asked to calculate so much as to notice - what is happening between one number and the next, and does the same thing keep happening? This game starts with steady steps a child can see at a glance and works toward patterns where the step itself changes.
What this game teaches
- Identifying the difference between consecutive terms
- Continuing a sequence once the rule is found
- Recognising increasing and decreasing patterns
- Handling patterns where the step size grows
- Describing a rule in words before applying it
How to play
- A sequence of number cards appears with some blank.
- Work out the rule from the numbers you can see.
- Enter the missing numbers.
- Ten steps complete a level, across thirty levels.
Before you start
A child should be able to add and subtract within twenty. The early levels use steps of two, five and ten, which are easiest for a child who knows those counting sequences.
For teachers
Ask for the rule in words before the answer - 'add three each time'. Children who can state the rule can extend the sequence in either direction; children who pattern-match on the digits usually cannot. That distinction is the whole point of the activity.
For parents
Patterns are everywhere outside the game - stair numbers, house numbers, page numbers. Pointing them out costs nothing and makes the screen version feel like part of the world rather than a school exercise.
Related games
- Bead Counting — Class 1-2
- Time Recognition Game — Class 2-5
- Cross Addition Puzzle — Class 3-6