AAB Pattern with Animals

On this sheet the pattern goes first, first, second — an AAB pattern — using animals like a cat, a sheep and a hen. The child reads the three-part repeat, where the first picture comes twice, and fills the empty wagons to extend it. Continuing a pattern with a doubled opening element is foundational Kindergarten patterning, the skill of finding and following a rule, with nothing to count.

An AAB pattern rewards a child who catches that the first picture takes two turns before the second gets one. Filling the empty wagons means re-running that lead-doubled beat. A animals train keeps the front-loaded repeat vivid, and a child builds a feel for patterns where the opener — not the closer — is the part that doubles.

Children who can hear the AAB beat — the lead picture twice, then one — get quicker at front-loaded patterns, and cracking the front-loaded rhythm feels good and earns a careful ear its reward. When this feels easy, try the pattern in aab pattern with household things, or aab pattern with birds. You can also browse every pattern worksheet or the whole kindergarten collection — each sheet prints cleanly or plays online for free, and once the doubled-lead beat is easy, a child is ready for ABB, where it is the second picture that doubles instead — the mirror image of this one.