They are very aware of sound and rhythm, and can clap out patterns that repeat, such as clapclapclappause, clapclapclappause, etc. They can sit in a circle and wear colored hats which make a pattern, such as redwhiteblue, redwhiteblue. One child can walk around the circle and tap successive children in an armshoulderhead pattern. The teacher may ask the class who the next person to be tapped on the head would be if the pattern were to be continued. In addition to repeating patterns, students should have experiences with expanding patterns.
Songs are excellent examples of repetition of melody or of words, as well as of rhythmic patterns.
Children's literature abounds with stories which rely on rhythm, rhyming, repetition and sequencing. As students move on to first and second grade, they should start to create their own patterns and develop pictorial and symbolic representations of those patterns. The transition will be from working with patterns using physical objects to using pictures, letters, and geometric figures in two and three dimensions, and then to using symbols, such as words and numbers, to represent patterns. Categorization and classification are also important skills for students in the primary grades. Kindergartners should have numerous opportunities to sort, classify, describe, and order collections of many different types of objects.