My post the other day about snowflake math activities included a couple of things using pattern blocks, which are great manipulatives to have on hand for kids to play with in quiet times at home or in the classroom. There are tons of printables you can use to challenge kids to build different things or inspire them to come up with their own creations.
123 Homeschool 4 Me has a great free collection of printable pattern block challenges, which shows what shapes to use and then asks kids to count how many of each shape they used. This is a good general collection that includes things like a giraffe, elephant, bicycle and bus. (Scroll all the way down on the page to find the link to the download.)
The printables from Preschool Mom help kids practice symmetry as they complete the image printed on half of the page. They also have some cute pattern block printables kids can use to make a single design or a repeating pattern.
If you’re looking for more winter themed projects, grab these mats from Ms. Moran’s Kindergarten, which include a hat, mitten, penguin and more.
Life Over C’s has a collection of ocean animal pattern block pages including a fish, octopus, whale and stingray. Each page also includes a place for kids to mark which image of the animal is different, and to mark out which shapes they used to make the animal.
You can find more animal mats in a free sampler from Pocket of Preschool’s Teachers Pay Teachers page. This one focuses on zoo animals and includes things like a gorilla, lion and elephant.
If you want to collect information from any pattern block sheet you might use, grab the download from This Reading Mama. It has pages for kids to chart how many of each kind of piece they use in a project, and to compare the use of different shapes across different mats.
