Next time you need to help your child learn patterns, instead of getting the beads and thread out, why not have ready different coloured pieces of fruit and wooden scewers? This could help motivate your child to try different fruit and you prepare a dessert or snack for later. Other language that could be covered while learning patterns with this activity is the description of some of the pieces of fruit, eg soft, hard, mushy, juicy, , round, red, etc…