In this Play Invitation, children can explore concepts like connection, line and shape. 

They’ll also exercise eye-hand coordination, as the eyes guide the hands in their movements, and build on their fine motor skills as they connect the dots.

What Could Lead Us to This Play Invitation

  • Children are curious about maps, paths, going from A to B;
  • Children have been exploring lines and shapes.

Materials Needed

  • Color-coded sticker dots, dabbers, or stickers
  • A large piece of paper
  • Markers

Setting up This Play Invitation

  1. Organize a work area with large pieces of paper for each child. Make sure the paper and stickers are in contrasting colors.
  2. Add markers that have the same (or close to the same) colors as the dots.

    Tips: Some children may find it challenging to peel stickers off the sheet they are packaged in. We can help by peeling away one side of each sticker just enough that the children can peel away the rest.

How to Create the Drawing

  1. Invite the children to place stickers wherever they wish on the piece of paper.
  2. Next, let the children connect the dots with the markers.
  3. Observe the shapes created and the colors used.
Child sticking colorful stickers on paper and drawing to connect dot to do

How to Nurture the Natural Unfolding of the Child’s Identity During This Play Invitation

  • Children have the right to have their own goals. When we offer an experience to children, we may have one set of expectations or intentions – but children may have a different idea and create something unexpected. In this Play Invitation, for example, children may not associate the colors of the stickers with the colors of the markers. By trusting and respecting children’s goals, we support their motivation, planning skills, and perseverance.

The Academic Learning Opportunities

  • MATH: Develop directionality and spatial awareness, geometry, and classifying.
  • LANGUAGE: Build new vocabulary, using language to share ideas.
  • PHYSICAL: Develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
  • ART: Create compositions using several elements, and explore color, line, and shape.

Extensions

  • Continue exploring lines, and working on eye-hand coordination, by bringing a loom into your classroom with some blunt needles with colored threads. Show children how to use needles and invite them to create colorful lines.

Book Recommendation

The story of an artist who dreams about covering everything with dots until infinity.