Number Patterns Teaching Resources
Explore number patterns in your maths classes this school year with fun worksheets, games and more teacher resources created to help your students understand how numbers in a sequence relate to one another.
Aligned with the Australian Version 9.0 maths standards, the printable and digital activities in this collection were created by the maths teachers on the Teach Starter team to help you save time on your lesson plans.
Whether this is your first year teaching about number patterns or you're just looking for a little extra help, we've got you covered. Read on for a primer from our teacher team! We explain what number patterns are so you can share with your class, plus we explore three common patterns.
What Are Number Patterns? A Kid-Friendly Definition
A number pattern is a series of numbers that each follow the same rule. These patterns or sequences can help us find missing numbers or identify what number will come next in a series.
For example, let's say you are given the following list of numbers:
- 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24
This is an example of a number pattern in which the next number in the series is 4 more than the previous number. Once you can identify the pattern in a series of numbers like this one, you can then use that pattern to determine what number comes next or even what numbers could have come before the list began.
This is one of the many reasons number patterns are an important part of building our students' algebraic reasoning skills. They help kids understand how numbers can be related to one another and apply what they know about those relationships to solve problems.
3 Common Types of Number Patterns
We can't talk about number patterns without breaking down the different types your students are going to encounter in their maths journey!
Linear Patterns
Linear patterns are number patterns in which the numbers increase or decrease by the same amount each time.
The example used above — in which each number in the series increased by a quantity of 4 — is a simple example of a linear pattern.
Geometric Number Patterns
Another type of pattern students may have to contend with is the geometric number pattern. This type involves numbers that are multiplied or divided by a constant factor.
The multiplication table is an example of a geometric number pattern.
Recursive Patterns
Students will have to make full use of their understanding of the four whole number operations to work with recursive patterns. That's because this pattern involves finding each successive number in the sequence by performing a specific operation on the previous number(s).
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Find and Colour – Prime and Composite Numbers
Encourage your year 6 students to identify prime and composite numbers up to 100 with this free find and colour worksheet.
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Cartesian Plane Poster
A poster that explains the features of Cartesian Planes.
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Hundreds Board
A hundreds chart that can be used for a variety of activities.
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Number and Place Value Worksheets - Year 1
8 number and place value worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Properties of Odd and Even Numbers Exit Tickets
Check for student understanding with these Odd and Even Properties exit tickets for the classroom.
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Hundreds Boards with Missing Numbers - 1-100 and 101-200
A set of 12 hundreds boards worksheets with missing numbers.
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Number and Place Value Worksheets - Foundation
10 number and place value worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Patterns and Algebra Worksheets - Year 6
4 patterns and algebra worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Addition and Subtraction Rules for Odd and Even Numbers Matching Activity
A matching game to play when learning addition and subtraction rules for odd and even numbers.
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Skip Counting Worksheets (Fill in the Blanks)
Excerpt: Use this set of skip counting worksheets to check student understanding of skip counting in increasing intervals of 5, 10 and 100.
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Prime and Composite Numbers Poster
A poster to help students learn the vocabulary associated with prime and composite numbers.
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Patterns and Algebra Worksheets - Year 5
4 patterns and algebra worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Snail Trail Odd and Even Properties Worksheet
Help students identify the properties of odd and even numbers and using the ‘rules’ when calculating with this maze-style worksheet.
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Skip Counting by 2,3,4,5 and 10 Board Game
Have students correctly answer problems involving skip counting and multiplication to be the first to lay down 4 game pieces in a row!
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Ten More, Ten Less Task Cards
A set of 24 task cards to enable students to practise identifying ten more and ten less than a number.
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One More, One Less Task Cards
A set of 24 task cards to enable students to practise identifying one more and one less than a number.
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Prime Numbers - Assorted Backgrounds
Prime numbers displayed on a hundreds board.
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Skip Counting by 5s Dominoes
A set of dominoes to use in the classroom when skip counting by 5s.
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Skip Counting by 2s Dominoes
A set of dominoes to use in the classroom when skip counting by 2s from 0 to 100.
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I Have Who Has: Skip Counting by 2,3,4,5,10
Teaching skip counting? Introduce your students to our I Have Who Has - style whole class games with this fun and interactive card activity!
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Skip Counting Worksheets for International Dot Day
Use this cute caterpillar themed worksheet for your students to practise and improve their skip counting skills!
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Naming Number Patterns Board Game
Play this number patterns board game which includes 36 question cards.
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Number Patterns Task Cards – Addition and Subtraction
Practise identifying the rules of patterns, determining missing numbers and interpreting word problems with this set of 36 task cards.
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Ada Lovelace - Cut and Paste Shapes and Patterns Activity
A cut and paste activity for young students exploring shapes and patterns with the female programmer, Ada Lovelace.
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Black and White - Numbers 1 to 120 Chart
A black and white chart representing numbers 1-120.
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Year 4 Odd and Even Products in Multiplication Interactive Activity
Explore patterns in odd and even products from multiplication sums with this fun soccer-themed interactive activity.
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Year 4 Odd and Even Properties Task Cards
Assess students understanding of the properites of odd and even numbers with these task cards.
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Odd and Even Properties Flipbook
Teach your students about the properties of odd and even numbers with this flipbook.
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Odd and Even Interactive Task Cards
Practise determining if a number is odd or even with this space-themed interactive activity.
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Divisibility Rules Brochure Template
Learn and apply the rules of divisibility by completing this maths brochure template.
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Composite Numbers - Assorted Backgrounds
Composite numbers displayed on a hundreds board.
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Skip Counting Robot Template
A fun robot template to help students skip count by 2s, 5s and 10s.
- Number Patterns Worksheets
- Number Patterns Games
- Number Patterns Posters
- Number Patterns for Preschool/Kindergarten
- Number Patterns for Foundation Year
- Number Patterns for Year 1
- Number Patterns for Year 2
- Number Patterns for Year 3
- Number Patterns for Year 4
- Number Patterns for Year 5
- Number Patterns for Year 6
- Number Patterns for Year 7