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Pattern blocks and engaged learning in the early years

In attempting to encourage my children to be lifelong learners, it is imperative that they’re engaged in their learning. 

When students actively participate and can choose what to learn, they are engaged and motivated to learn. 

In the early years, children will actively engage in learning because they are curious about the world around them. Providing children with interesting things to play with encourages them to explore. 

Pattern blocks are interesting and fun to play with. I use them in our homeschool to keep the little ones busy when I am working with my older children or to keep them quiet during read-aloud time. 

Why pattern blocks?

When I began homeschooling over 12 years ago, I bought a set of pattern blocks at the Home Education Supply store because I thought they looked interesting. 

Honestly, I had no idea what they were even used for. At the time, I had a very busy 4-year old that I had to keep out of mischief. 

That cute kid kept me on my toes and I needed to find something to keep his little hands busy so that he wouldn’t get into the PENATEN® Medicated Cream again. (He wanted to look like Santa.)

After a quick search on the internet, I found some pattern block templates that you can print out. My little gut that never sat still actually liked pattern blocks and managed to stay out of trouble, for short periods of time. 

Other than using pattern blocks to keep little ones quiet or out of trouble, they are great math manipulatives for bigger kids. They were originally developed to benefit early learning. 

There are several key benefits that can come from using pattern blocks in your home. They encourage or help teach the following:

• Fine motor skills
• Pattern recognition
• Colour recognition
• Shape recognition
• Spatial reasoning skills
• Early math skills
• Creativity

In case you haven’t added pattern blocks to your home school yet, I linked some for you below. We have plastic ones, but there are wooden ones and transparent ones as well.

Now that you know all about pattern blocks and their benefits, you will surely want to try them out. Maybe you already have some pattern blocks in your home and just need some templates to get started. 

In any case, I went on a quest to find as many different free pattern block printables as possible. 

I still have the ones I printed out many years ago. I laminated the individual pages and put them in a binder. 

They have survived a number of children already. However, adding some new printables to our binder was a necessity. 

My two little girls always seem to want the same toy, book, parent, etc., at the exact same time. In this case, I could easily print a bunch of new templates, laminate, and create a second binder. 

These days, I am desperate to have them quiet and for a short time each day. While we don’t use these templates every day, I try to be prepared and be one step ahead of the chaos. 

I hope your kids enjoy these as much as mine do. I also included links to pattern block activities for older children, because big kids can also benefit from learning with pattern blocks.

Disclaimer: These are FREE resources that I have found on the internet. Some links will require you to enter your email in order to obtain the printables. 

STEM Pattern Block Challenges

Printable Zoo Animal Pattern Block

Pattern Block Symmetry Mats

Fun Patterning Cards

Pattern Block Math: Teepee Freebie

Alphabet Pattern Block Printables

1-20 Pattern Block Cards

Pattern Block Safari

Pattern Block Mats

Pattern Block Mats (the ones I laminated 10 years ago)

Winter Pattern Block Cards

Dog Themed Pattern Block Picture

Outerspace Pattern Block Mats

Winter Pattern Blocks

Nativity Pattern Block Mats

Pattern Block Puzzles Freebie

Printable Ocean Animal Pattern Block

Valentine’s Pattern Block Mats

Transportation Pattern Block Mats

Counting with Pattern Blocks Freebie

Pattern Block Mats Farm Animals

Thanksgiving Mats for Pattern Blocks

2D Shapes Pattern Block Mats

Pattern Blocks Activities

Pattern Block: Read, Build and Write Mats

Pattern Blocks Puzzles

Winter Pattern Blocks

Pattern Block Printables

Bird Pattern Block Designs

Hands-on Fraction Activities

Pattern Blocks Logic Puzzles

DIY Foam Pattern Blocks Patterns

Last update on 2023-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API