The children should be familiar with dominoes through free-play and
domino games before attempting more formal tasks such as pattern
building. Begin with single patterns, that is, keep one end of the
dominoes constant (as in all sixes, all blanks, all ones etc.).
Having two patterns running at the same time is quite a challenge
for the very young, but children as young as four-and-half can
manage it quite enthusiastically. Another way to challenge the
children is to locate the missing elements within the sequence,
rather than just at the end. Activities such these are about logic
and reasoning as well as counting and number sense, so some
children do find them quite difficult. These children would benefit
from saying the numbers in the sequence out loud to reinforce the
familiar counting patterns.
Encourage children to build and explain their own patterns. You
may just be surprised by the complexity of their thinking!
The examples given in the problem are clearly designed for quite
young children who have basic counting skills, but more complex
patterns can be devised to challenge more advanced children. For
example, include addition or subtraction, odds and evens, patterns
that build row-by-row, or grid patterns (see below).
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