An AB pattern is a simple repeating pattern that alternates between two different things in the same order over and over again. It always follows this structure: A, B, A, B, A, B…

What is an AB pattern?

  • An AB pattern uses two different elements (A and B) that repeat in a fixed order.
  • Each A is one kind of thing, and each B is a different kind of thing.
  • The smallest part that repeats (A B) is often called the pattern unit or pattern core.

Simple examples

  • Colors: red, blue, red, blue, red, blue → A = red, B = blue.
  • Shapes: circle, square, circle, square, circle, square → A = circle, B = square.
  • Sounds: clap, snap, clap, snap, clap, snap → A = clap, B = snap.

In each case, the order never changes : every A is followed by B, then A, then B again.

Where do people use AB patterns?

In early math (especially kindergarten)

AB patterns are one of the first kinds of patterns young children learn:

  • Kids might make patterns with blocks (red–blue–red–blue), beads, or stickers.
  • They practice copying , extending , and creating their own AB patterns.
  • This helps develop skills like predicting what comes next , sequencing , and noticing structure , which are important for later math.

In teaching and worksheets

  • Many early-years math resources and videos explicitly teach “AB patterns” as:
    • “two things that repeat,”
    • labeled A B A B A B out loud or on the page.

How to recognize an AB pattern

Ask yourself:

  1. Are there only two different items in the pattern?
  2. Do they alternate in a strict back-and-forth way?
  3. Can you mark them A, B, A, B, A, B without breaking the order?

If the answers are yes, you’re looking at an AB pattern.

Quick contrast with other patterns

  • AAB pattern : A, A, B, A, A, B…
  • ABB pattern : A, B, B, A, B, B…
  • ABC pattern : A, B, C, A, B, C…

Only the AB pattern has a two-item unit that alternates every time.

Mini story-style example

Imagine a teacher laying out crayons for a class:

She places one yellow crayon, then one blue crayon, then yellow, then blue, across the table.
A student points and says, “Yellow, blue, yellow, blue, yellow, blue!”
The teacher writes A under each yellow and B under each blue: A B A B A B.
“You just found an AB pattern ,” she says. “Now, what comes next?”
The student smiles and answers, “Blue was last… so yellow comes next!”

That’s the idea of an AB pattern in action.

TL;DR: An AB pattern is a repeating pattern that alternates between two different elements in the order A, B, A, B, A, B… and is widely used in early math to teach kids how to see and predict patterns.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.