Printable guide · ages 3–5

Piko's Pattern Trail

Use one lesson at a time. Invite the child to point, place or describe; reading and naming colours are not prerequisites. Model one example, then let the child try a fresh example. Stop for a break when needed.

Materials: Large paper cards with two shapes, two large drawings of different sizes, and a paper 3 × 3 board. Use drawings rather than small loose objects. No printing is required to use the lessons.

Open the lessons

What to notice

Watch for a stated or pointed-to rule, not speed. The child can use a repeated pair to explain a missing place, compare sizes pairwise, or check a route one arrow at a time. Wrong attempts do not remove stars.

Ask “How did you find it?” The child can point or explain. Stars show completion; this is not a development test.

Lesson 1

Same picture, one difference

Goal: Match a reference picture by its visible features and notice which feature differs.

Ask “Which part stayed the same?” before giving names. Matching here means the specified picture features; it does not mean the physical cards are the same object.

Starting point: Place two identical large drawings side by side.
A helpful phrase: Look at the edge, then the mark inside.
A common mix-up: The same colour alone can distract from a different shape. Keep size fixed in this lesson.
Notice the transfer: Offer a fresh picture pair. Invite the child to point to one matching and one different feature.

Show: Make a matching group for the purple, crossed square. Touch every match.

Lesson 2

One rule makes a group

Goal: Group all pictures using one stated feature while other features vary.

Say the rule before showing choices. Change shape or colour as the rule, one at a time. Do not describe a card as inherently belonging in just one group.

Starting point: Use three large drawings; two share a shape but not a colour.
A helpful phrase: Which feature is our rule this time?
A common mix-up: A previous grouping may persist after the rule changes. Restate the new rule and clear the old group.
Notice the transfer: Change only the grouping rule for the same paper cards and observe a fresh classification.

Show: Make a fresh group: purple, crossed cards only. Shape may change.

Lesson 3

A pair that repeats

Goal: Extend a stated two-picture AB repeating unit in the same order.

Always state the repeating unit; a short finite sequence alone can support many rules. The tasks assess following the specified AB unit, not guessing a hidden rule.

Starting point: Point to two cards as one unit, then place a second copy of the pair.
A helpful phrase: Say both parts, then start that same pair again.
A common mix-up: An alternating row may be copied item by item without noticing the pair. Point to the repeating pair together.
Notice the transfer: Use two fresh drawings and ask for a further pair under the same stated rule.

Show: A new trail repeats apple, leaf. Build its next pair yourself.

Lesson 4

A place inside the pattern

Goal: Restore internal gaps in an explicitly stated AB repeating pattern.

Treat the empty place as part of the existing sequence. Restate the rule if needed and invite checking both before and after the gap. Numbers label positions; counting aloud is optional.

Starting point: Cover the second of four alternating large drawings.
A helpful phrase: What belongs here if the pair stays the same?
A common mix-up: The child may restart the pair after every gap. Follow all numbered places from the beginning.
Notice the transfer: Cover a different internal place in a fresh pair; ask the child to check both neighbours.

Show: New rule: yellow triangle, turquoise square. Fill both gaps and check the whole row.

Lesson 5

Put sizes in order

Goal: Order three pictures by relative size in a specified direction.

Compare the same object kind, without perspective cues or changing the frame. The task is relative size, not age, worth or growth. “Middle-sized” means between these two sizes.

Starting point: Compare two drawings before adding a third intermediate size.
A helpful phrase: Which of these two should come first under our rule?
A common mix-up: The equal card borders can be mistaken for the measured pictures. Point inside each card.
Notice the transfer: Use a new object kind with three clearly separated sizes and reverse the stated order.

Show: Put the acorns in order from large to small.

Lesson 6

Before and after

Goal: Order events and identify before or after within an explicitly given picture plan.

Keep the plan visible. A drawing order is chosen, not universal. Ask about the immediately preceding or following step so that “before” does not accidentally allow several answers.

Starting point: Act out a two-step plan, then show three picture moments.
A helpful phrase: Which part appeared just after this picture?
A common mix-up: Do not mark a different reasonable drawing method wrong; refer explicitly to the displayed plan.
Notice the transfer: Give a new simple add-one-block story and ask for the order, without naming card positions.

Show: Build the tower: one block, two blocks, three blocks.

Lesson 7

Two clues together

Goal: Select only pictures satisfying two explicitly stated features at the same time.

This is an AND rule, not either/or. Keep both spoken clues visible in the task; allow pointing instead of verbal explanation. If two clues are too much, revisit the single-rule lesson.

Starting point: Revisit one grouping feature before adding the second clue.
A helpful phrase: It fits this clue. Does it also fit the other one?
A common mix-up: Choosing anything with either feature gives an OR group. Check each chosen card against both clues.
Notice the transfer: Offer a fresh shape–colour pair with one near-miss for each clue.

Show: Make your final group: turquoise, striped AND square. Check both clues on every card.

Lesson 8

A short arrow journey

Goal: Follow a two-to-four-step direction sequence on a fixed grid in its stated order.

Use screen directions rather than left/right turns relative to the character. Model one move if needed. A different route to the same goal is not this task’s stated arrow sequence; offer undo without a loss state.

Starting point: Point to two neighbouring squares and act out one arrow before starting.
A helpful phrase: Which arrow is next, and which one square does it point to?
A common mix-up: Reaching the star by another route can hide a sequence error. Compare step numbers to the arrow order.
Notice the transfer: On a paper grid, offer a fresh two-arrow plan and let the child point one square per arrow.

Show: Follow the arrows from left to right. Start with Piko. For each arrow, touch the next square that way: just one square!

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