Share:
Tweet
  • Home
  • About the Book
  • Excerpts
  • Authors
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • Buy the Book

The Missing Alphabet>

Home » Blog » Creative Pattern Play

Creative Pattern Play

November 9, 2012 | by Susie Monday

Kaleidoscope Pattern

Pattern play can be a powerful means to help kids develop their creative thinking skills. Much of innovation in scientific and artistic thought has to do with the ability to see patterns that no one else can see, and in to create new ways to put information together in meaningful patterns. Professionals in all fields use pattern information to, literally, inform their products, works of art and scientific inquiry.

Tile Deck Pattern

In the Sensory Alphabet, all the elements can be investigated through playing with patterns – RHYTHM is essentially the element of pattern, but all the others can be arranged, patterned and played with using simple scratch tools and new media tools, as well.

For the former, try pattern play with stickers and stick-on dots, stars and the little donut shaped hole reinforcers. Make music and sound patterns with simple instruments and rattles, or for a more sophisticated take, with Garage Band or other software tools. Investigate shape patterns by just arranging patterns of “shapy” objects on a table top, changing them up, and asking a child to recreate the original pattern (a shape/pattern memory game). With movement, play follow the leader with each person adding a motion or gesture to a previous person’s to make a movement pattern. Watch a dance performance on TV and dissect the patterns you see!

If you have added a tablet to your family’s stash of gadgets, there are a number of inexpensive apps that let kids (and adults, too) have fun with pattern making. Here are some of my favorite:

Doodle Dandy Pattern

TileDeck— the best of the lot. Amazing tool for making repeating pattern, then changing them around with mirroring and flipping functions.

Kaleidoverse — one of many digital kaleidoscope tools out there

Doodle Dandy— particularly easy for little kids to use

Uberdoodle — an app version of the spiroscope, with gears, pen sizes, and other variables for play

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

« Previous Post
Next Post »

The Missing Alphabet... is important and compelling reading."

– David Lawrence
Chair of The Children's Movement of Florida

Sign Up for Emails

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Blog Archives

  • March 2018 (2)
  • February 2018 (4)
  • January 2018 (5)
  • December 2017 (3)
  • September 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (1)
  • April 2017 (3)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (3)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • November 2016 (4)
  • October 2016 (4)
  • September 2016 (5)
  • August 2016 (5)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • April 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • November 2015 (2)
  • October 2015 (3)
  • September 2015 (5)
  • August 2015 (5)
  • July 2015 (3)
  • June 2015 (5)
  • May 2015 (5)
  • April 2015 (5)
  • March 2015 (7)
  • February 2015 (7)
  • January 2015 (9)
  • December 2014 (6)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • June 2014 (1)
  • December 2013 (2)
  • November 2013 (4)
  • October 2013 (4)
  • August 2013 (1)
  • July 2013 (2)
  • June 2013 (1)
  • March 2013 (1)
  • February 2013 (2)
  • January 2013 (6)
  • December 2012 (5)
  • November 2012 (9)
  • October 2012 (5)

Questions about The Missing Alphabet?

Ask the Authors

© 2012 The Missing Alphabet   |   Terms and Conditions   |   Contact