Number Patterns Teaching Resources
Explore number patterns in your maths classes this school year with fun worksheets, games and more teacher resources created to help your students understand how numbers in a sequence relate to one another.
Aligned with the Australian Version 9.0 maths standards, the printable and digital activities in this collection were created by the maths teachers on the Teach Starter team to help you save time on your lesson plans.
Whether this is your first year teaching about number patterns or you're just looking for a little extra help, we've got you covered. Read on for a primer from our teacher team! We explain what number patterns are so you can share with your class, plus we explore three common patterns.
What Are Number Patterns? A Kid-Friendly Definition
A number pattern is a series of numbers that each follow the same rule. These patterns or sequences can help us find missing numbers or identify what number will come next in a series.
For example, let's say you are given the following list of numbers:
- 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24
This is an example of a number pattern in which the next number in the series is 4 more than the previous number. Once you can identify the pattern in a series of numbers like this one, you can then use that pattern to determine what number comes next or even what numbers could have come before the list began.
This is one of the many reasons number patterns are an important part of building our students' algebraic reasoning skills. They help kids understand how numbers can be related to one another and apply what they know about those relationships to solve problems.
3 Common Types of Number Patterns
We can't talk about number patterns without breaking down the different types your students are going to encounter in their maths journey!
Linear Patterns
Linear patterns are number patterns in which the numbers increase or decrease by the same amount each time.
The example used above — in which each number in the series increased by a quantity of 4 — is a simple example of a linear pattern.
Geometric Number Patterns
Another type of pattern students may have to contend with is the geometric number pattern. This type involves numbers that are multiplied or divided by a constant factor.
The multiplication table is an example of a geometric number pattern.
Recursive Patterns
Students will have to make full use of their understanding of the four whole number operations to work with recursive patterns. That's because this pattern involves finding each successive number in the sequence by performing a specific operation on the previous number(s).
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Pattern Activity Cards - Fruit
Pattern activities using fruit.
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Dot-to-Dot Drawing - Numbers by 2 - Frog
Join the dots and numbers to make a picture.
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Skip Counting by 5s Dominoes
A set of dominoes to use in the classroom when skip counting by 5s.
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Odd and Even Properties Interactive Activity
Engage students in odd and even numbers with this interactive activity.
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Odd and Even Maze Worksheets
Explore odd and even numbers with your students with these fun maze activities.
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Skip Counting by 1, 2, 5 and 10 Sorting Activity
Set up this sorting activity as a small group or rotation task for your students to practise thier skip counting skills.
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Divisibility Rules Brochure Template
Learn and apply the rules of divisibility by completing this maths brochure template.
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Roll and Colour Worksheet for Ten More, Ten Less
Use this interactive worksheet to help students practise finding the number that is 10 more and 10 less than a given number.
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10 More, 10 Less Differentiated Mazes
Delight your students with this maze challenge, to practise calculating 10 more or 10 less than a value within 120.
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Algebraic Expressions – Task Cards
Read, write and solve algebraic expressions with this set of 24 task cards.
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3 x Simple Dot-To-Dot Worksheets - Counting By Ones
3 fun dot-to-dot worksheets to use when learning to count by 1s.
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Complex Dot-to-dot – Skip Counting by Fives (Turtle) – Worksheet
A complex dot-to-dot where students demonstrate skip counting by fives.
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Number Sequencing to 100 - Worksheet
A raindrop themed place value worksheet to use when sequencing numbers to 100.
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Odd and Even Properties Teaching Slides
Teach your students about the properties of odd and even numbers with this interactive teaching PowerPoint.
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Skip Counting Exit Tickets
Assess student understanding of skip counting within 1000 by 5s 10s and 100s.
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Skip Counting to 100 - Card Game
Practise skip counting by 2, 5 and 10 with this card game for small groups.
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Secret Number Patterns – Card Game
Keep your secret number pattern hidden as you race to be the first to create number patterns based on given rules.
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Ada Lovelace - Cut and Paste Shapes and Patterns Activity
A cut and paste activity for young students exploring shapes and patterns with the female programmer, Ada Lovelace.
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Complex Dot-to-dot – Skip Counting by Threes (Castle) – Worksheet
A complex dot-to-dot where students demonstrate skip counting by threes.
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Guided Maths Groups – National Numeracy Learning Progression – Task Cards
A set of 32 task cards with activities for tracking student progress along the numeracy learning progression.
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Python Patterns – Match-Up Activity
An activity for students to consolidate copying and creating patterns.
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1–120 Number Board
A black and white chart with numbers 1–120 that can be used for a variety of activities.
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Dot-to-Dot Drawing - Numbers by 5 - Robot
Join the dots and numbers to make a picture.
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Dot-to-Dot Drawing - Numbers by 2 - Dinosaur
Join the dots and numbers to make a picture.
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Dot-to-Dot Drawing - Numbers by 2 - Alien
Join the dots and numbers to make a picture.
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Dot-to-Dot Drawing - Numbers by 1 - Elephant
Join the dots and numbers to make a picture.
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Patterns and Algebra Worksheets - Foundation
4 patterns and algebra worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Odd and Even Patterns in Multiplication Task Cards
Help your students discover patterns in odd and even numbers in multiplication sums with this set of task cards.
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Properties of Odd and Even Numbers Exit Tickets
Check for student understanding with these Odd and Even Properties exit tickets for the classroom.
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Odd and Even Properties Flipbook
Teach your students about the properties of odd and even numbers with this flipbook.
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Odd and Even Task Cards
Help your students consolidate their knowledge of odd and even numbers with this set of task cards.
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Odd and Even Numbers Worksheet (Basic)
Introduce and explore odd and even numbers with this set of odd and even number worksheets.
- Number Patterns Worksheets
- Number Patterns Games
- Number Patterns Posters
- Number Patterns for Preschool/Kindergarten
- Number Patterns for Foundation Year
- Number Patterns for Year 1
- Number Patterns for Year 2
- Number Patterns for Year 3
- Number Patterns for Year 4
- Number Patterns for Year 5
- Number Patterns for Year 6
- Number Patterns for Year 7