Teaching with the Pattern Boards

Teaches counting, number names, quantity, odd and even patterns, one more, two more, subitizing, doubles and their neighbors, addition and subtraction, problem solving up to 10.

Order the Pattern Boards »


Naming the Pattern Boards and Putting Them in Sequence

Children broaden their understanding of numbers, which now stand for quantities as seen in the number patterns. In this illustration children are asked to recognize whether they have the pattern board that will hold the block pattern displayed by the teacher.(This sketch and the next are from Experimenting with Numbers).

The teacher holds up a pattern of two unit blocks and asks, 'who has this pattern board? What do you think its name is? Where does it live?'

The teacher points out a pattern board showing two, and says, 'these two cubes are partners. We call this pattern even. Find another even pattern.'

Learning about Even Number Patterns

The concept of even numbers is demonstrated by placing the pattern boards in sequence from 1 to 10. The children then observe that the even patterns are built from pairs of 1-blocks which are partners.


Learning to Write the Symbol 8

In this workbook page (from Structural Arithmetic Book I) children learn to write the symbol 8 and to study the quantity for which it stands and the place it comes in the sequence of even numbers.

The workbook shows exercises in writing the number eight and recognizing it as an even pattern.

Order the Pattern Boards »