Boxi Math

Back to Stage 0 / Unit0E · Find the pattern

Game card for parents · 0E-3 · Ages 4–6 · 5 min

Spot the Slip

Finding a mistake in a pattern makes your child check the rule against every piece, which is what "is it always?" means.

S-5 Patterns can be put into wordsS-6 Mistakes are fine — try it

You need

  • about 8 spoons and 8 cups (or socks in two colours)

How to play

  1. Lay out a row: cup, spoon, cup, spoon, and so on.
  2. Put one wrong on purpose, for example two spoons together.
  3. Tell your child there's one sneaky mistake to find.
  4. Let them fix it, then hide one for you to find.

Guess first

Guess where the mistake is just by looking. Now walk your finger along the row and check each one.

Three things to ask

  1. How do you know that one is wrong?
  2. Could it be a new pattern instead of a mistake?
  3. If the row was really long, would every spoon have a cup after it?

Easier

Use a short row of 6 and make the mistake near the start.

Harder

Use a pattern like cup, cup, spoon, and hide the mistake near the end.

Watch for

If your child says the mistake is "a new pattern", take it seriously and ask how it would carry on. That's real mathematical thinking, not a dodge.

boxi-math.github.io · CC BY 4.0 · Boxi Yu