This is a no-prep connect the dots activity for your toddler! In this activity, your child will practice holding a crayon, writing his/her name, counting, shape recognition, and coloring in the lines.
Tips for working on all of the identified skills while doing this connect the dots activity with your toddler:
Holding a crayon:
The goal is for your child to be able to hold a crayon or pencil with a tripod grasp. You can read more about that here. Your child may already have that down to a science! If not, you can practice by positioning the hands in the correct position, having your child use a broken crayon to do the activity, or (my favorite) use Just Rocks in a Box crayons!
Writing his/her name:
If your child is a complete NEWBIE at writing his name, I suggest getting a highlighter and writing his name on the line. Then, have him trace over it!
Counting:
If your child is JUST LEARNING how to count, you should do this activity with your child, walking him through it from beginning to end. The more he knows how to count the less assistance you need to give him.
For example, my little guy is GREAT at counting. He just turned 5 and counts up to 100+… but he struggles with crayon grasp and being able to use control when he draw lines. So while I don’t help him COUNT the numbers, I do watch him carefully to be sure he is doing his best in between each dot.
Shape Recognition:
Once your child has connected all of the dots, have your little identify the shape that is revealed! The shape should be pretty obvious if the lines were followed well.
Coloring in the lines:
Learning to color in the lines is HUGE for toddlers and kids in preschool. This is an area that my little dude really struggles in. It’s less about his SKILL in coloring and more about whether or not he has enough attention to color in the lines.
After your child identifies the shape, have him color it in!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE PRINTABLE CONNECT THE DOTS ACTIVITY!
If you loved that activity, be sure to check out the reasons that puzzles are awesome for your child’s development, grab a free sight word memory game, PLUS 10 hands on learning activities that you can do at home with your child!
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