Free Printable Rainbow Patterns Activity for Kids

Recognizing, creating, extending, and labeling patterns is a foundational skill that helps strengthen young children’s critical thinking skills. This free printable pattern worksheet for kindergarten also reinforces color sight words as kids read the sight words and fill in the blank with the color pattern of the rainbow. What a colorful way to practice simple patterns in kindergarten!

Teaching Patterns to Kindergarten Students

Kindergarten lesson plans for patterns should include a lot of hands-on practice. Students should learn about patterns in kindergarten by creating and manipulating them using varied objects and games.

Interactive pattern activities for kindergarten ensure that students can go way beyond just recognizing patterns.

Introduce color patterns, shape patterns, and patterns in the world around us. Use patterning books, pattern games, and other pattern exercises for kindergarten to ensure students can recognize lots of different types of patterns.

Then, create opportunities for students to create their own patterns. They can follow a template, like this free rainbow pattern download, or students can make their own patterns with blocks, buttons, beads, and more.

There are numerous pattern books for kindergarten to explore as well. While some math-themed books are specifically about patterns, it’s also worth exploring word patterns found in books like, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin, Jr., or “The Napping House” by Audrey Wood.

To Prep: Download the pattern printable and print on paper or card stock. If desired, laminate the printable for durability and repeated color pattern for kindergarten practice.

Gather small objects in rainbow colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (think Roy G. Biv)!

Manipulatives might include candies, cereal pieces, punched paper circles, stickers, beads, pom poms, Unifix cubes, Legos, blocks, etc.

How to Use the Pattern Templates for Kindergarten

Review the color sight words on the printable, then have your kids create a rainbow pattern in each row of the printable by placing the colorful objects on the coordinating color sight words, and then continuing the repeating patterns.

In the right column, write the color that comes next in the pattern. Use a dry-erase marker for laminated pages.

I’ve also included two additional blank versions! Students who aren’t reading yet can create patterns that you orally describe.

You could also use the printable as an open-ended kindergarten worksheet on patterns with Do-a-Dot markers or crayons/markers.

When the page is complete, or as each line is finished, ask children to name the pattern: “Red, blue, blue, red, blue…” Naming the patterns helps children to name what comes next in the pattern.

When students are comfortable extending patterns and naming patterns by color, you can teach them to label the patterns with letters (AB, ABB, ABBA, etc.) Introduce more complex patterns as they master each type.

Find more repeating pattern activities here:

20+ FREE Pattern Printables

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• Ice Cream Cone Patterns Activity
• Nocturnal Animals Growing Pattern Activity
• Transportation Pattern Cards & Book

Check Out These Amazing Rainbow Activities!

The Early Elementary Blogging team has also created more rainbow activities across the curriculum!

• Rainbow Number Bonds
• Rainbow Color Sudoku Printables for Kids
• Rainbow Shapes
• Math with a Rainbow Abacus