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Activity: Popsicle patterns

Materials:
Popsicle sticks, two colors of paint
Time:
30 minutes plus painting and drying time
Skills:
Recognizing patterns

Here is an activity that works on pattern recognition. Start out by spreading out newspaper to protect the furniture. Divide a group of popsicle sticks in half and paint the sticks two different colors, such as yellow and green. You can paint them yourself or recruit your child to help. A disposable sponge brush with a wider brush head will be easier for her hands to work with. Finger painting is not advisable because of the risk of splinters.

Once the sticks have dried, begin to arrange them in a pattern, such as green-green-yellow, and ask your child to continue the sequence: green-green-yellow, green-green-yellow. Once she has mastered one pattern, create another and repeat.

Time saver: use strips or shapes of colored paper instead of sticks