As you engage children in everyday activities, help them notice patterns and describe them in words. The most common types of patterns found in preschool classrooms are repeating and growing patterns. Repeating patterns are linear patterns that have a unit that repeats. One way to help children label, identify and discuss patterns is to name the repeating unit using letters. For example, the stripes in the American flag, repeat “red, white, red, white, red white”. The unit of repeat is “red, white”, but we can also label name it this unit an “AB” pattern where red is A and white is B. The pattern repeats ABABABABA.