Despite increasing data on young children's patterning skills and evidence of a link between early pattern knowledge and later mathematics performance, little is known about the strategies children use to solve patterning tasks. This mixed-methods study examined 3- to 5-year-old children's informal strategies when solving eight patterning tasks…

Mathematics curricula in the early years emphasize exploring patterns as an important stepping stone to algebraic thinking. Key expectations for young children are for them to recognize and describe visual patterns in the environment. When children are asked to identify patterns, what criteria do they apply to make a decision and on what do they…