Which patterns are there?

AB (apple, fish, apple, fish), ABB, ABC and a mixed set where every row has a different pattern, including AAB.

How do children fill in the boxes?

They draw the next pictures in the dotted boxes. For younger children, print a second copy, cut out pictures and glue them in.

Why practise patterns?

Spotting the part that repeats is the start of algebraic thinking, and it builds the habit of looking for structure, which helps with counting on, skip counting and times tables later.

Is there an answer key?

Yes, at the end of the PDF, with the missing pictures drawn in.

Pattern Worksheets: What Comes Next? AB, ABB and ABC Picture Patterns

From AB to ABC

Start with AB patterns, which most children in preschool can continue. ABB and ABC patterns have a longer repeating part, so children need to hold more in mind. The mixed set is a good check: every row asks them to find the rule again.

Make it physical

Before the sheet, build the same pattern with blocks, claps or children standing in a line. Then the drawing makes sense.

In the New Zealand Curriculum

First 6 monthsCopying, continuing and making repeating patterns with two elements, such as two colours or sounds.
Year 1Repeating patterns with three elements, and finding a missing element.
Year 2Saying what repeats, predicting what comes next and filling in missing parts.
Year 3Growing patterns and their rules, such as adding 2 each time.

Patterns sit in the algebra strand from a child’s very first months at school. AB patterns fit the first six months, and ABC and AAB patterns fit Year 1. The curriculum also asks children to explain how a pattern works, so have them say the rule before they draw.

This maker makes repeating patterns only. For the growing patterns of Year 3, the skip counting worksheets are a better match.

Summarised in our own words from the New Zealand Curriculum: Mathematics and Statistics, Years 0–8 (in effect from 2025), and the Ministry of Education’s year-by-year guide for parents and whānau.