Making patterns

Patterns are a basic building block of math skills.  Our number system itself is based on a pattern.  We talk about patterns all the time at preschool but the concept doesn't really make sense for quite a while.  The idea that something has to stay the same and repeat over and over forever is a tough one because they can't see the forever part.  When they can tell me a pattern, show me a pattern and reproduce a pattern, then I know the concept is taking hold in their minds.  In these pictures, the pre-k kids are making their own AB patterns from unifix cubes, saying them out loud and then recording them on paper - and with that, they are one step closer to being math geniuses!