Cereal Patterns

What You Need:

• Fruit cereal or other loop-shaped cereal in a variety of colors
• Small bowls or cups
• Scissors
• Yarn or string
• Masking tape

What You Do:

1. Have your preschooler sort some of the cereal by color, putting each color in a separate bowl or cup. This can also be done on a plate or cutting board.
2. Help your child cut three pieces of yarn, each just over one foot long. Wrap one end of each piece of yarn with masking tape to create a needle.
3. Have your preschooler gather groups of cereal pieces in three different colors. Can your child lay out an ABC pattern on the table? Get your preschooler started threading this pattern onto the yarn. Encourage your child to thread at least 6 repeats.
4. If necessary, sort more cereal!
5. What other patterns can be made? Ask your child to again choose three colors of cereal. Now have your preschooler string an AA BB CC pattern, again stringing several repeats.
6. Now it’s your turn! Choose three different colors of cereal. On the table, lay out an A BB CCC DDDD pattern. Ask your child to describe the pattern to you. Now have your preschooler string an A BB CCC DDDD pattern independently.

When you're all done, strung cereal can be hung outside for the birds or unstrung and munched by your young pattern-maker.