Lay out an alternating line on the table: spoon, fork, spoon, fork. Say it aloud as you go, pointing at each one.
Stop mid-pattern and ask what comes next. Let them place it, then continue the line together.
When that is easy, switch to a harder rhythm — spoon, spoon, fork — and see whether they can hear the difference before they can name it.
Recognising and extending a pattern means finding the rule behind a sequence rather than copying its appearance — the same move that later underpins multiplication, spelling rules and reading music. Saying it aloud gives the visual pattern an audible rhythm to lean on.