Arctic animals are an especially fun winter theme, but it’s sometimes difficult to find printables with realistic images. Today, I have a free polar bear do-a-dot printable for you along with fine-motor transfer work. The printable uses a real polar bear image, is an instant download, and is super-easy to access and use.
Montessori-Inspired Printables at Living Montessori Now
My daughter, Christina (a former Montessori child), and I are partnering to bring you a series of Montessori-inspired printables. The printables are typically themed and use a number of Montessori principles (although you don’t need to be a Montessori teacher or homeschooler to use them):
- They use isolation of quality.
- They use photographs or realistic images to emphasize reality. Whenever I can, I’ll tell you the name of the object or animal featured.
- They typically use traditional Montessori colors such as red for consonants and blue for vowels.
- They use lowercase letters, which are what we introduce letter sounds with in Montessori education. (Children tend to pick up the uppercase letters without being introduced if they’re introduced to the lowercase letter sounds.)
- They often feature themed printable versions of Montessori materials.
Free Polar Bear Do-a-Dot Printable for the Letter P
To download the polar bear do-a-dot printable, click here and then click on the file image in the upper right corner of the PDF to save to your computer (just choose where you want it saved).
Montessori-Inspired Activities Using the Polar Bear Do-a-Dot Printable
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Polar Bear Do-a-Dot Letter P Tray with “Snowball” Transfer Using Ice Tongs
Polar Bear Letter P Do-a-Dot Printable and “Snowball” Transfer
I used a Montessori Services large plastic tray , white pom poms, and ice tongs for a transfer activity. Quick sticks, toast tongs, or almost any type of tongs works very well for a pom pom transfer, too. Don’t worry if your child just wants to use fingers for the transfer. There’s still fine-motor work involved in getting the pom poms arranged on the letter.
You could add a tracing activity to the printable. If you laminate your printable, you can use an erasable crayon like the Melissa & Doug Learning Mat Crayons or Crayola Erasable Crayons. For a 2-year-old or other young preschooler who’s not ready to write letters, you can just leave off the crayons.
Do a Dot Tray with Practical Life “Snowball” Transfer
Counting “Snowballs” on Polar Bear Letter P Do-a-Dot Printable
Zoey often transfers part of the pom poms with the tool, finishes the transfer and arranging with her fingers (because it’s much easier to fit the pom poms exactly on the dots with fingers), and then uses the tongs to put all the pom poms back in the glass.
There are often more activities involved than phonics and transferring, too. Zoey often likes to count the number of objects placed on the dots. She even rubbed one of the pom poms against her face to feel how soft it was … a sensory activity as well.
(Note: In case you’re wondering, Zoey’s outfit is from Gymboree!)
If you want to know how to introduce the letter sound for p, check out my post on how to teach letter sounds using Montessori principles.
More Arctic Animal Posts
Free Arctic Animal Printables and Montessori-Inspired Arctic Animal Activities
Free Arctic Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Montessori-Inspired Toddler Geography Activities with Baby Beluga
- Montessori-Inspired Arctic and Antarctic Unit {Hundreds of Resources}
- Free Inuit Printables and Montessori-Inspired Inuit Activities
- Free Igloo Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Inuit Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Montessori-Inspired Continent Activities – Penguins of Antarctica
- Montessori-Inspired Multi-Level Penguin Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Toddler Geography Activities with Baby Beluga
- Free Arctic Animal Printables and Montessori-Inspired Arctic Animal Activities
- Free Polar Bear Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Arctic Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Simple Arctic Sensory Bin with Vocabulary or Grammar Activity
- Free Penguin Printables and Montessori-Inspired Penguin Activities
- Free Penguin Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Penguin Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Simple Arctic vs. Antarctic Cut-and-Paste Activity {Free Printables}
- Free Arctic Animal Songs and Educational Videos
- Free Penguin Songs and Educational Videos
- Free Arctic vs. Antarctic Songs and Educational Videos
- Easy and Fun Antarctic Sensory Bin for Winter or Summer
- Kids’ Winter Activities Pinterest Board
- Antarctica Educational Resources Pinterest Board
Montessori-Inspired Packs – Subscriber Freebies
Don’t miss our themed monthly packs! You’ll get the link and password for the Living Montessori Now subscriber library with the current pack and all the past monthly packs if you subscribe to the Living Montessori Now weekly newsletter!
Free Do-a-Dot Printables and Ideas for Using Them
I love the versatility of do-a-dot printables! If you’re doing a month-long theme, you could easily change out the type of do-a-dot activity weekly to add interest. Here are four ideas of hands-on activities for any of our do-a-dot printables from my frog do-a-dot printable post (see post for details and materials used).
Just click on an image to go to the post with the related free printable!
Note: I’ve arranged the following gallery in alphabetical order, although some posts have two do-a-dot printables (and two different letters). You’ll find at least one free do-a-dot printable for each letter of the alphabet!
Also, I don’t introduce letters in alphabetical order. You can find out the order in which I introduce letter sounds here. I deviate from that order for our unit studies, though, and focus on a letter that’s simply related to our unit. That’s in addition to our other letter work.
You can see all our free do-a-dot printables with the latest at the top here.
For complete themed alphabet do-a-dot packs, see our Animal Alphabet Do-a-Dot Pack, Spanish Animal Alphabet Do-a-Dot Pack, and Healthy Food Alphabet Do-a-Dot Pack available for purchase in the Living Montessori Now shop.
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
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