Patterns - Skills for Early Years

This series of books provides ready-made ideas for developing all the essential skills within the Early Learning Goals and also many of those by the Baseline Assessment schemes. Each book takes one particular skill and includes double-page spreads of activity ideas. The left-hand page provides a practical group activity using resources typically found in any nursery setting. This is supported by a photocopiable activity on the right-hand page, which consolidates the learning and provides an assessment record of each child's individual achievement. The final page contains a photocopiable Skills Development Chart to place in each child's personal portfolio. The PATTERNS book focuses on developing children's experience and understanding of pattern in a variety of situations. Children are introduced to recognising, copying and continuing simple repeating patterns. Different types of decorative patterns are also explored, along with the techniques that can be used to create chequerboard, turning, symmetrical and stacking patterns. The activities include creating a zig-zag dragon, designing wallpaper and looking at honeycomb patterns.