Concept 1 of 5
Repeating Picture Patterns: Fill the Gap
Today's big idea
Find the core, fill the gap
Shortest repeating group = the core.
How it works
👀 What's going on?
The beads on a friendship band often run red, blue, red, blue, all the way round. Once you have seen the first two beads you can name every bead that follows, even the ones hidden behind a wrist.
💡 Here's the trick
Look at the strip above. The smallest group that keeps repeating is the core. Here the core is 🔴 🔵, just two beads long. Every slot copies the core in order, so a gap in the middle is easy to fill once you know the core.
- 1.Read along the strip until the pictures start over. That group is the core.
- 2.Count how long the core is.
- 3.Walk the core along until you reach the gap, and say what belongs there.
✍️ Try it
- 1.🐝 🐞 🐝 ? 🐝 🐞 — what fills the gap?
- 2.🌟 🌙 🌙 🌟 🌙 ? 🌟 — what fills the gap? Strip 1 has the core 🐝 🐞. The gap is the 4th slot, and slot 4 copies slot 2, so the gap is 🐞. Strip 2 has the core 🌟 🌙 🌙. The gap is the 6th slot, which copies the 3rd slot, so the gap is 🌙.
⚠️ Watch out
You might grab the first group you see and call it the core. In 🟥 🟥 🟦 🟥 🟥 🟦, some children pick 🟥 🟥 🟦 🟥 as the core. Play that group again and the strip comes out wrong. Always take the shortest group that rebuilds the strip.
See it in action
⚡ Time to play!
Find the repeating group, then drag the right shape up into the dotted gap.
Drag a shape into the gap
Quick check
✅ VERIFICATION
A strip runs 🔺 🟦 🔺 🟦 🔺 🟦. What is the repeating core?
⚡ Finish the activity above first to answer.
Keep going!
Up next: Figure Series
Two things take turns — track both.