Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Pattern Copy Cards: Free Printable Game for Reception
- ForReception
- StageEarly Years
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Pattern Copy Cards is a free printable game for Reception (ages 4 to 5). Children look at a row of colours, copy it, then carry the pattern on. It uses red, blue, green and yellow, needs only crayons, and works for one or two players. Page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help, a stretch idea and the answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children meet cards that show a row of colours. Some patterns swap between two colours. Some use three colours. Some repeat a colour twice before the next one comes in. Children copy the pattern with crayons, saying each colour aloud as they draw it. Then they carry it on and say what comes next. Cut the cards out to play together.
- red blue red blue
- green yellow green yellow
- red red blue red red blue
- blue green blue green
- yellow red yellow red
- red blue green red blue green
- green green yellow green green yellow
- blue red blue red
- yellow blue yellow blue
Why start with colour patterns?
A pattern is something that repeats in a way you can predict. Young children meet patterns everywhere: stripes on a scarf, tiles on a floor, the beat of a song. Spotting what repeats is an early step in maths, because it asks children to notice, compare and make a prediction about what happens next.
Copying comes before inventing. When a child copies a pattern, they have to look closely, keep the order in mind and place each colour in turn. Saying the colours aloud helps them hear the rhythm of the pattern. Once that feels easy, carrying it on and making their own patterns comes more naturally.
Skills and curriculum link
- Copying patterns
- Continuing patterns
- Colour names
- Noticing what repeats
- Careful looking
- Talking about order
This sheet supports the area below. It is matched to the published England framework. Please check it against your own school plan.
| Framework | Subject or area | Strand | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Years Foundation Stage | Mathematics | Numerical Patterns | Reception |
What children will be able to do
- I can copy a repeating colour pattern.
- I can carry on the pattern.
- I can say what comes next.
Ideas to help your child spot a pattern
- Say it like a rhythmRead the colours aloud in a steady beat. Children often hear a repeat before they see it.
- Find the part that repeatsA pattern is made of a short chunk that happens again and again. Ask your child to point to one chunk.
- Touch each colourPoint at each colour in turn as you say it. This keeps the order clear and stops children skipping ahead.
- Check by reading backAfter copying or carrying on, read the whole row from the start. Does it sound the same all the way along?
Key words
- PatternSomething that repeats in the same order again and again.
- RepeatTo do or show the same thing again.
- CopyTo make something exactly the same as the one you see.
- ContinueTo carry on with a pattern so it keeps going.
- NextThe one that comes straight after.
- OrderWhich thing comes first, second, third and so on.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Cut out the cards if you want to play together. Grown-ups should do any cutting for younger children.
- Look at the first pattern together. Say each colour aloud, then ask your child to copy it with crayons and name each colour as they draw it.
- Ask your child to carry the pattern on. Check with page 2 and ask, "How did you know what came next?"
- Come back another day and try different cards. Repeating a familiar game builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Start with the two colour patterns only. Point to each colour as you say it together. Let your child copy one colour at a time. Build a simple pattern with blocks first, then move to crayons when they feel sure.
To stretch confident children
Invent your own pattern with the four colours and ask a friend to continue it. Try a pattern with three colours, or one where a colour repeats twice. Ask your friend to explain how they knew what comes next.
Make it a game
Make a pattern with real objects, such as blocks or buttons. Take turns to build a row and let the other player carry it on. You can also hide the last object and ask, "What is missing?"
Talk about it
- What colour comes next, and how do you know?
- What is the repeating part of your pattern?
- Can you make a new pattern for me to copy?
- Where can you spot patterns at home or outside?
- Can you make a pattern with sounds, such as a clap and a stamp?
- What would happen if we changed one colour in the pattern?
Take it off the page
Pattern snack plates
Ask an adult to help you arrange pieces of soft fruit or crackers in a repeating pattern. Say the pattern aloud before eating it.
Nature pattern walk
Collect leaves, sticks and stones on a walk. Lay them in a row in a repeating order and let someone else carry it on.
Clap and stamp
Make a pattern with sounds and movements, such as clap, clap, stamp. Take turns to copy and continue each other's patterns.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first card, then let them lead. Keep sessions short and relaxed. Name each colour together and ask them to explain how they knew what comes next.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a table activity, an early finisher task or a plenary after pattern work. It needs only printing and crayons. Pair children up for the two player version so they can check each other's patterns.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider early maths plan. It pairs well with buttons, blocks and patterns found around the house or on walks. Reprint it for brothers and sisters, or come back to it a few weeks later.
Where this fits in learning
Before this, children sort and match objects by colour and notice what is the same and what is different. Playing with blocks, beads and threading toys builds the same careful looking that pattern copying needs.
After this, children move on to longer and trickier patterns, including ones with shapes and sizes. Later they meet number patterns and learn to count in steps. Spotting what repeats at this stage is a useful base for those later ideas.
Check it worked
Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.
- What colour comes next, and how do you know?
- What is the repeating part of your pattern?
- Can you make a new pattern for me to copy?
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Pattern Copy Cards for?
It is written for Reception, which is ages 4 to 5, in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Younger children can try the simpler two colour patterns with an adult. Older children can use the stretch idea on page 2.
- What will children practise?
Children practise copying and continuing simple repeating colour patterns. They also name colours, look closely at order and say what comes next. The game encourages talk, so it works well when shared with a grown-up.
- How does it link to the curriculum?
It supports early pattern work within Mathematics in the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is a practice and play activity that supports classroom learning, not a replacement for it. Please check it against your own school plan.
- What if it feels too hard?
Start with the two colour patterns only. Point to each colour as you say it together, and let your child copy one colour at a time. Building the pattern with real blocks or buttons first can make the idea clearer.
- Is Pattern Copy Cards free to use?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or another group, and come back to it another day to build confidence.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and crayons, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. Children talk, look closely and draw by hand, which gives eyes a rest from screens.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children use their own crayons to colour in each pattern, and the colour names are said aloud as they draw.
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Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.