Living Montessori Now

Montessori Inspiration for Parents and Teachers

FREE Sled Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)

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We’re loving our snowy day theme … even though we don’t have snow where we live! I designed a versatile free do-a-dot to go with it. It’s a sled do-a-dot phonics printable with possible activities for a variety of ages. As usual, the do-a-dot printable is an instant download that is super easy to prepare!

This is the last of our regular free do-a-dot printables. We already have over 80 free do-a-dot printables with at least one for each letter of the alphabet. While we might create a new do-a-dot printable on occasion, I think it’s time to start creating something new related to our monthly theme. (Note: All our free do-a-dot printables will remain available!)

FREE Sled Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Note: Be sure to read to the bottom of the post where you’ll find lots of ideas for using do-a-dot printables along with at least one free do-a-dot printable for each letter of the alphabet!

Montessori-Inspired Printables at Living Montessori Now

My daughter, Chrissy (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 specific name of the object or animal featured on the credits page. This printable has a photograph of a sled (called a “sledge” in some countries).
  • 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 Sled Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable

To download the /s/ for sled do-a-dot phonics 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).

S for Sled Do-a-Dot Tray with Snowflake Transfer Using Hand-Shaped Tongs

S for Sled Do-a-Dot Tray with Snowflake Transfer

S for Sled Do-a-Dot Tray with Snowflake Transfer

This do-a-dot printable can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the age and ability of the child. A younger child could just use do-a-dot markers, stickers, or some sort of transfer on the do-a-dot page and focus on the /s/ sound, while an older preschooler could trace the letters and build the word “sled” with the Montessori movable alphabet. You can also use it to introduce the cursive letter “s” and to spell the word “sled” with the cursive movable alphabet.

I used 15 small snowflakes for the activity. These are from the same snowflakes I used for our snowflake shoveling subtraction activity.

You can use a variety of tools for transfer activities, such as quick sticks, sugar tongs, or toast tong. For this activity, I used some cute hand-shaped tongs. I used a wooden Multicraft tray for the activity. 

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. You could also use a clear sheet protector (what I used here for simplicity and because I always have some around to store my printables) or dry erase pocket for a reusable activity.  If your page is plain cardstock or paper, you could add a pencil or colored pencils. I often do that. For a 2-year-old or other young preschooler who’s not ready to write letters, you can just leave off the crayon or pencils.

Scroll down to see lots of ideas for using our do-a-dot printables for a variety of ages and themes.

Sled Phonics and Do-a-Dot Activities

Using Hand-Shaped Tongs to Place Snowflakes on Sled Do-a-Dot Printable

Using Hand-Shaped Tongs to Place Snowflakes on Sled Do-a-Dot Printable

This type of activity is wonderful for fine-motor development, increasing attention span, and reinforcing letter sounds (or more advanced phonics work with older children).

My 5-year-old grandaughter, Sophia, doesn’t need any work with the /s/ sound or letter name, so we used the printable to focus on spelling and reading the word “sled” using the movable alphabet and focusing on the difference between print and cursive “s.” 

Then Sophia traced the dotted letters on her do-a-dot page. She used triangular grip pencils to trace the letters. Triangular grip pencils are a great way to help young children develop the proper pencil grip. 

After that, she used the hand-shaped tongs to put the snowflakes on the dots.   

For children under age 3, I typically use the do-a-dot printables for vocabulary, hearing the beginning sound of a word, and fine-motor skills. Generally, with toddlers, I’ll just focus on the /s/ sound at the beginning of “sled.” 

For a phonics lesson with young toddlers, I might casually say that sled starts with /s/ (the sound, not the letter name). This is just to introduce hearing the phonetic sound. I don’t focus on the letter “s,” although I use the printable that we already have available. We often focus on the child hearing the beginning sound by saying something like, “Sled, /s/, sled.”

With preschoolers who are working on their letter sounds, we follow the order shown in this post along with adding the featured letter. I don’t worry about going out of order for the monthly theme.

If you want to know more about how to introduce the /s/ sound, check out my post on how to teach letter sounds using Montessori principles.

I only use printables with children under age 3 that can be used for hands-on work, such as do-a-dot work, scissor cutting (cutting strips), or another type of printable that can be made into a manipulative. Printables when used with manipulatives are great for fine-motor development, work on important skills, and fit with the hands-on activities that are developmentally appropriate for toddlers.

For older children who already know their letter sounds but still enjoy do-a-dot work, I often add the print movable alphabet word building, phonogram work, another hands-on activity to go with the do-a-dot work, and/or cursive movable alphabet and word analysis work. (Note: These examples have more than one type of additional activity, which I like for older children.)

More Snowy Day Resources



Free Snowy Day Printables and Montessori-Inspired Snowy Day Activities

Free Snowy Day Printables and Montessori-Inspired Snowy Day Activities

The Snowy Day Eggshell Crushing and Pin Poking Activity

The Snowy Day Eggshell Crushing and Pin Poking Activity

Montessori-Inspired Snowy Day Pack

https://forms.aweber.com/form/50/773231250.htm

 Montessori-Inspired Snowy Day Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

Snowperson Resources (and Posts with at Least One Snowperson Activity) 


 

Free Snowperson Printables and Montessori-Inspired Snowperson Activities

 

Montessori-Inspired Snowperson Pack

Montessori-Inspired Snowperson Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

More Winter Resources


Free Winter Printables and Montessori-Inspired Winter Activities

Free Winter Printables and Montessori-Inspired Winter Activities

 

Montessori-Inspired Winter Pack

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!

Montessori-Inspired Winter Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

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.

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Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!

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