I especially had fun choosing a tree and preparing the tray for this free do-a-dot printable. When we lived in Colorado Springs, we had lots of scrub oak trees in our yard. I actually brought a bag of acorns with us when we moved to San Diego. So I planned an oak tree activity for the free tree do-a-dot printable.
The printable is an instant download and super easy to download and prepare. It’s perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.
Montessori-Inspired Printables at Living Montessori Now
My daughter, Chrissy Chitwood (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. I didn’t go into great detail on this credits page, but it does say that the tree is an oak tree.
- 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 Tree Do-a-Dot Printable for the Letter T
To download the tree 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 Tree Do-a-Dot Printable
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Tree Do-a-Dot Letter T Tray with Acorns and Oak Tree Life Cycle Booklet
Note: This is just one example of how you can use the do-a-dot printables. There are many ways to use our do-a-dot printables. Scroll down to see examples from previous posts. Just choose an activity that’s appropriate for your child’s age and skill level.
Tree Do-a-Dot Letter T Tray with Acorns and Oak Tree Life Cycle Booklet
I used a Multicraft tray and real acorns. I also added an oak tree life cycle booklet made from the free Oak Tree Life Cycle Sequencing Cards by PreKinders. (You can see see the entire tree life cycle tray in my free tree printables and Montessori-inspired tree activities.)
You could have a variety of transfer activities with do-a-dot printable, using tools such as sugar tongs, toast tong, or even chopsticks for a very advanced transfer activity. Or you could have a totally different type of do-a-dot activity. Again, see ideas below and choose what is best for your child’s skill level and interests.
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. If your page isn’t laminated, you could add a pencil or colored pencil. 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 pencil. I’ve added red and blue colored pencils so my granddaughter can use red for the consonants and blue for the vowels.
The book that’s open on the shelf behind Zoey in the photo below is Trees, Leaves and Bark, showing the oak tree pages. Woods and Forests and Trees (My First Discoveries) books are also on the shelf behind Zoey.
Tree Do-a-Dot Letter T Tray with Oak Tree Life Cycle Booklet, Acorns, and Montessori Movable Alphabet
Admiring the Acorns, Letter Tracing, and Movable Alphabet Spelling on Her Tree Do-a-Dot Page
I liked using real acorns to add a natural element to the do-a-dot printable. They would work well for a variety of ages. We reviewed the oak tree life cycle booklet before Zoey placed the acorns on the dots.
Zoey traced the letters for “tree” on the page. Finally, she spelled “tree” using the Montessori movable alphabet. Zoey finds the letters easily using the movable alphabet box, but you could place only the needed letters in a container on the tray if it’s frustrating for your child to look for the letters in the box.
Zoey enjoyed the activity and was proud of her work! Later, she used Do-a-Dot markers to fill in the dots, extending her work.
We also used the do-a-dot page to review the “ee” phonogram. You can see our earlier work with “ee”in tree here.
If you want to know how to introduce the letter sound for t, check out my post on how to teach letter sounds using Montessori principles.
More Tree Activities and Resources
Free Tree Songs and Educational Videos {Learn about Trees, Apple Trees, and Seasons}
Free Seasons of an Apple Tree Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
How to Make a Tree Book Featuring Real Parts of a Tree
Free Tree Printables and Montessori-Inspired Tree Activities
Montessori-Inspired Arbor Day Activities
The Ultimate Guide to Montessori-Inspired Leaf Activities and Resources
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). 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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