Grade by Grade
B. Drama / D. Visual Arts · Drama and Visual Arts

Visual Arts: Repetition and Rhythm

D1.2 D1.3 D1.4 D2.2 D3.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can repeat colours and shapes to make patterns in my art.
  • I can tell regular, alternating and random patterns apart.
  • I can find patterns in everyday objects like fabric and dishes.
  • I can explain how repetition makes rhythm, so my eyes move across an art work.
  • I can describe patterns in art from many cultures, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit art.

Words to know

repetition
Using the same colour, shape or line again and again.
pattern
Something that repeats, like stripes or a row of stars.
rhythm
The feeling of movement your eyes get when they follow repeated colours, shapes or lines, like a beat in music.
regular pattern
The same thing repeats the same way each time: ● ● ● ●.
alternating pattern
Two or more things take turns: ● ■ ● ■.
random pattern
Repeated things placed in no set order, like sprinkles on a cupcake.
principle of design
A way artists arrange the elements (line, shape, colour...) in an art work. Repetition and rhythm is one principle.

Clap a pattern!

Clap with your grown-up: clap, clap, clap, clap. Now: clap, stomp, clap, stomp.

You made a rhythm by repeating sounds. Artists do the same thing with colours, shapes and lines. They make a rhythm for your eyes!

Repetition and rhythm

In Grade 1, you learned about contrast. This year's big principle of design is repetition and rhythm.

  • Repetition means using the same colour, shape or line again and again.
  • Rhythm is the feeling of movement your eyes get when they follow the repeats across the art work, like a beat in music.
A patchwork quilt on a bed made of red, blue and cream triangles repeated in rows.
This quilt repeats the same triangle shapes and the same red, blue and cream colours again and again. Let your eyes follow the pattern across the quilt and feel its rhythm. AI-generated image

Three kinds of patterns

regularalternatingrandom
Regular: the same shape repeats. Alternating: shapes take turns. Random: shapes are repeated but in no set order.
Kind of patternWhat it meansWhere you might see it
regularThe same thing repeats the same way each time.a row of fence posts, polka dots on a scarf, tiles on a floor
alternatingTwo or more things take turns.red and white stripes on a candy cane, a checkerboard
randomThe same things repeat, but in no set order.sprinkles on a cupcake, falling snowflakes, confetti, stars in the sky
Regular, alternating and random patterns

Patterns in everyday objects

Look around your home! You will find patterns on:

  • textiles (fabrics): plaid shirts, striped socks, flowered curtains, a quilt
  • ceramics (dishes made of clay): a plate with a ring of flowers, a mug with stripes
  • wrapping paper, wallpaper, floor tiles and sidewalks

Patterns in art from many cultures

People all over the world use repetition and rhythm in their art:

ArtCommunityPatterns you might notice
Métis floral beadworkthe MétisFlowers, leaves and vines repeat across moccasins, bags and jackets, sewn with tiny beads. The Métis are sometimes called "the Flower Beadwork People".
Kente clothGhana, in West AfricaBright woven strips in regular and alternating blocks of colour and shape.
PysankyUkraine and Ukrainian CanadiansDecorated eggs with lines, triangles and stars that repeat around the egg.
Geometric tilesmany places, like the Alhambra palace in SpainStars and shapes repeat over and over, fitting together to cover whole walls.
M. C. Escher's tessellationsthe NetherlandsBirds, fish or lizards repeat and fit together like puzzle pieces with no gaps.
Repetition and rhythm around the world

Learning from Indigenous art respectfully

When you look at Métis beadwork (or any First Nations, Métis or Inuit art), learn the artist's name and community if you can, and remember these are living traditions: artists make beadwork today. Many designs have special meanings or belong to families. Be inspired by the idea of repeating flowers and vines, and design your own flowers.

Worked example

Example: Finding the pattern on a mitten

Lily's mitten has a knitted band around the cuff: red heart, white snowflake, red heart, white snowflake, all the way around. The hand part has white dots scattered all over.

  1. Look at the cuff. The heart and snowflake take turns. That's an alternating pattern.
  2. Look at the hand. The dots are repeated, but they are not in rows or any set order. That's a random pattern.
  3. Follow the cuff with your finger. Your eyes move around and around: heart, snowflake, heart, snowflake. That's rhythm!

The cuff has an alternating pattern and the hand has a random pattern. Both use repetition, which gives the mitten rhythm.

cuff: heart, snowflake,heart, snowflake = alternatinghand: dots in no set order= random
Lily's mitten uses two kinds of pattern: the cuff alternates hearts and snowflakes, and the dots on the hand are random.
Just for fun

Why did the zebra love art class?

Because it was already an expert at alternating patterns: black, white, black, white!

Worked example

Example: Telling a story with repetition

Omar wants to make a picture about skating at the outdoor rink with his class. He wants to use repetition and rhythm.

  1. Theme: a fun day at the rink.
  2. He draws a row of skaters holding hands, all leaning the same way. The repeated bodies make a rhythm that looks like they are gliding together.
  3. He repeats curvy lines on the ice behind them to show where their skates went.
  4. He adds a regular pattern of fence posts around the rink and random snowflakes in the sky.
  5. He uses the colour red for every toque, so your eyes jump from toque to toque across the picture.

Repeating the skaters, lines, fence posts and red toques makes a rhythm that moves your eyes across the picture, just like the skaters moving across the ice.

Hands-on activity

Stamp a pattern

You need: paper (or a paper bag to make wrapping paper), paint on a plate, and things to stamp with: bottle caps, a cut potato or carrot (cut by a grown-up), cotton swabs, a sponge, LEGO bricks, forks.

  1. Make three strips on your paper.
  2. Strip 1: stamp a regular pattern (the same stamp, same colour, evenly spaced).
  3. Strip 2: stamp an alternating pattern (two stamps or two colours taking turns).
  4. Strip 3: stamp a random pattern (stamps all over in no order).
  5. Now design your own flower and vine border, inspired by the idea of floral beadwork. Repeat your flower all the way along with cotton-swab dots.

Talk about it: "Which strip has the strongest rhythm? Why?"

Your turn

1

What does repetition mean in art?

2

What kind of pattern is this? ⭐🌙⭐🌙⭐🌙

3

What kind of pattern is this? 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

4

Sprinkles on a cupcake make what kind of pattern?

5

What is rhythm in art?

6

Name a textile in your home with a pattern.

7

What repeats in Métis floral beadwork?

More practice: warm-up

1

What kind of pattern is this? 🔴🔵🔴🔵🔴🔵

2

What is a pattern?

3

Draw a regular pattern with circles.

4

Is falling snow a regular or random pattern?

5

What is this year's big principle of design?

More practice: on your own

1

Find a plate, bowl or mug in your kitchen with a pattern. What kind is it?

2

Make an alternating pattern using three things.

3

How are kente cloth and pysanky the same?

4

What makes M. C. Escher's tessellations special?

5

Why do repeated shapes make your eyes move across a picture?

Challenge

1

Look at this pattern: 🟥🟥🟦🟥🟥🟦🟥🟥__. What comes next? What part keeps repeating?

2

Plan a picture called Geese Flying South that uses repetition and rhythm. What would you repeat?

3

Kai says the sprinkles on his cupcake make a regular pattern. Is he right? Explain.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is an alternating pattern?

2.

Which is a random pattern?

3.

Rhythm in art is ___.

4.

What repeats in Métis floral beadwork?

5.

Kente cloth comes from ___.

6.

Using the same colour again and again is called ___.

7.

Plates and mugs made from clay are called ___.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The Grade 2 focus principle of design is repetition and rhythm: repetition of colour and shape in patterns, and random, alternating and regular patterns in everyday objects (such as textiles and ceramics) and in art (such as the tessellations of M. C. Escher). Children use principles of design to create narrative art or art on a theme (D1.2), explain how they communicate meaning (D2.2), and learn about artistic traditions from diverse communities (D3.2).

How to help:

  • Pattern hunts: clothing, dishes, wallpaper, fences, brick walls, quilts.
  • Link to music: clap a rhythm, then draw it as shapes.
  • Look at Métis beadwork in museum collections online (for example, the Canadian Museum of History or Métis organizations) and name the community.

Respect note: Encourage children to design their own flowers rather than copy a specific beadwork design.

Common difficulties:

  • Calling every pattern "regular". Ask: "Do the things take turns (alternating)? Or are they scattered (random)?"
  • Losing the pattern part-way. Say it aloud while drawing: "circle, square, circle, square..."