DIY Pattern Blocks

I managed to procure a few magnetic foam sheets quite cheaply at HobbyCraft and made a set of pattern blocks. These are a great math activity and help strengthen visual skills, shape and pattern recognition. LM is now using these to build patterns and to recreate images on a baking sheet:

The magnetic backing is very helpful as it stops the blocks from moving around, so LM does not get frustrated and can show the end result to her daddy!

There are many pattern block mats available for free downloading on the web. I have printed and laminated the above and a few more from http://www.prekinders.com/ (by the way, you can find many more great ideas there!). Each mat can be printed either as an outline or in colour for a younger learner.

LM is very confident playing with these so I removed all the lines inside the images and gave her only the silhouettes, just to make it a bit more of a challenge. So this now also became a great activity to develop logic and spatial reasoning.

I guess, tangrams would be a good next step from here!