Caterpillar Patterns for Preschool
Nothing says spring like caterpillars and butterflies.
To celebrate this time of year, we have an adorable caterpillar preschool activity that uses the skill of patterning.
There are multiple versions of this printable available to you; Blank Black & White, Black & White Line Pattern, and the bonus one - Color Patterns.
These printables provide lots of fun and learning for toddlers and preschool age children. They could even be used for kindergarten and first grade students if you use the extension options.
Skills this explores:
· Pre-reading – knowing that we go left to right across a page
· Color matching
· Patterning
· Fine Motor skills
Materials:
· Caterpillar Patterns printables (See the bottom of the page for details on how to access these.)
· Manipulatives (pom-poms, buttons, large beads – that won’t roll away) in the following colors: red, purple, yellow, green, blue, orange
· (Optional) coloring implements such washable markers or an inkpad for finger painting
There are so many ways to use these caterpillar printables. You don’t have to use them just for patterns.
Let’s Dive In!
Blank Black & White Caterpillar Patterns Printable
The blank B&W caterpillar lets you decide how to use this activity.
1. Give it to the child with some manipulatives (pom-poms, buttons, beads, etc…) and see what they do.
2. Use manipulatives to start a pattern covering the first 4-6 segments of each caterpillar. Have the child finish the patterns.
3. Cover one caterpillar with manipulatives, and have the child duplicate your pattern in the caterpillar below.
4. Have the child make a patterns but leave the last segment blank for the adult to fill in.
5. Have the child color in the caterpillar segments (with or without making a pattern).
Black & White Caterpillar Pattern Lines Printable
This printable has the least flexibility, but it does the job of exploring patterns.
1. First just have children use their index finger to trace the line in each caterpillar segment. Make sure the child traces from left to right and from top to bottom.
2. Use words like “across,” “down,” and “both.” This will help children quickly name each segment so they can hear as well as see what would come next to continue the pattern.
3. (Optional) If the child has the capability, have them use a pencil to trace the lines in the caterpillar segments and fill in the missing part of the pattern.
4. Alternative: the child tells the adult what kind of line to draw to complete the pattern.
5. Extension: If the child can draw lines, have them make their own patterns on the Blank Caterpillar Patterns page or just on blank paper.
Bonus: Full-Color Caterpillar Patterns Printable
The bonus full-color version is where the real fun is. (See below for instructions on how to get the full-color version) If you have access to a color printer, this would be the best option to use with kids. (If not, you can carefully color in the Blank B&W caterpillars with markers and then continue with the suggestions below).
Each of the five caterpillars on the page is made of colored circles in a pre-determined pattern. The first (top) caterpillar provides a simple opportunity for children to name and match the two colors used to make up its body. The remaining caterpillars on the page do the same but leave the last one or two segments blank for the child to complete the patterns. The patterns become slightly more complex as the child progresses down the page.
1. You can start by just using this page as a color matching opportunity. Tell children to leave the blank circles empty when doing this.
2. Once the children have filled in the segments, have them name the pattern going across the caterpillar (purple, red, purple, red, etc…) and ask them what would come next. Help them by renaming the pattern if necessary.
3. Have children fill in the empty circles with the color that comes next.
4. Continue with the remaining caterpillars .
5. Kids may want to repeat the whole page many times (possibly with different manipulatives). Feel free to print multiple copies.
Possible Extensions:
Have kids use a 1/2” or 3/4” circle punch to punch out circles of colored paper to use on the caterpillars.
Use colored inkpads and help kids fingerprint stamp the caterpillars.
Let kids make up their own patterns on the Blank B&W Caterpillar Patterns.
Encourage kids to make up their own patterns with more than three colors.
Ask kids what would come before the first color that’s shown.
Have kids make patterns on blank paper (or no paper at all).
If working with multiple kids, have them create patterns for each other to “solve.”
Have kids find objects around the room that they could use to make a pattern (building blocks, toy cars, etc…)
Teaching Tips:
· When using manipulatives for an activity, always give the child some free play time with them before beginning the activity. Let them know they will have more time to play with them after the activity too.
· If you sense any frustration, go back a step. Slow down, give them more time to just explore the colors. Attempt the more challenging part on another day.
· Kids may get upset if you don’t have enough of each color to fill the sheet. They may not want to remove the colored buttons from a previously filled in caterpillar in order to fill in a caterpillar on the bottom part of the page. If this is a concern, give the child a heads-up that you will need to re-use the objects.
This post contains affiliate links.
I’ve included links to the manipulatives we like to have on hand for a variety of activities.
How to Access the Printables:
Click the buttons below to download the black and white printables.
I want you to have access to these printables, and I want your child(ren) to benefit from them, so I’m providing them for free. The two B&W versions will be linked at the bottom of this post. The color version is available to you in my password-protected Free Resource Library. Because they take a lot of time to create, I believe it’s fair to ask you to subscribe to my email newsletter mailing list in exchange for some of these custom made printables.
Visitors who subscribe to my newsletter mailing list will receive the password (immediately through email) and have full free access to all the learning printables on this site. I promise not to bombard your inbox or sell your email address. The password to the Resource Library periodically changes, so be sure to open emails from me, so you’ll always have access to the library as old favorites are updated and new ones are added. You may, of course, unsubscribe from the mailing list at any time.
To access the Free Resource Library, fill out the subscription form (below the comment box), and you will receive the link and password to the Resource Library. I hope to see you there!
Happy Learning!
Tiffiny