Color Patterns
Pattern Completion: Color Patterns
Color Patterns
Pattern Completion — Color Patterns
NCERT anchor
Joyful Mathematics 2 — Shapes Around Us colour sorting activities connect naturally to spotting colour patterns.
What you will learn
- Colours can repeat in a pattern just like shapes and numbers.
- Find the smallest repeating group of colours.
- Use the group to say which colour comes next.
Key concepts
Verbal: Name each colour in order. Find where the same order starts again. That is your repeating group.
Symbolic: Red-Blue-Red-Blue-... is AB AB. Red-Yellow-Blue-Red-Yellow-Blue-... is ABC ABC.
Level 1 — Getting started
| Example | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| red, blue, red, blue, red, ? | blue | Pattern is AB AB, next is B |
| red, yellow, blue, red, yellow, blue, ? | red | Pattern is ABC ABC, next restarts with A |
| green, green, yellow, green, green, yellow, ? | green | Pattern is AAB AAB, next starts a new group |
Level 1 — Practice idea
Use crayons to colour circles in a row and check if your pattern repeats correctly.
Level 2 — Going further
Some patterns use 4 colours before repeating — count carefully before deciding the group size.
Indian real life
Flags and festival buntings often use repeating colours in a row — spotting the repeat tells you the next colour.
Worked example
What comes next: blue, green, blue, green, blue, ?
Step 1 — List the colours in order: blue, green, blue, green, blue
Step 2 — Find the repeating group: blue-green (AB)
Step 3 — The last colour shown is blue (A), so the next one continues the group
Answer: green
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Picking a favourite colour instead of following the pattern | Personal bias | Follow the order, not preference |
| Missing a 3-colour group | Assuming only 2 colours repeat | Check 2, then 3 colours before deciding |
| Losing count in a long row | Too many colours to track | Mark the start of each group with a small tick |
Quick check
- What comes next: yellow, red, yellow, red, ?
- What comes next: red, red, blue, red, red, blue, ?
- Colour a 3-colour repeating pattern of your own.
Stretch: Make a 4-colour repeating pattern and ask a friend to find the group size.
Revision tip: Draw a small loop around the repeating group before writing the next colour.
Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Pattern Completion — Color Patterns.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- NCERT anchor
- What you will learn
- Key concepts
- Worked example
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