Dot markers activities are some of our favorite therapy activities for kids! There are so many fun ways to use them to promote fine motor and visual motor skills.
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If you’re a teacher or therapist, you have probably tried lots of dot marker activities over the years. If not, you definitely want to pick up a pack of them ASAP. And if you do have them but haven’t used them in awhile – here are some fun and creative ways to make these classic art supplies seem new again!
Our kids of all ages at The Treehouse love using these dot markers
Click here to see all of the ideas in a short video!
10 Fun Ways to Play and Learn With Dot Markers
1 || Free Printables!
Have kids use them to decorate printable Do-A-Dot picture templates (you can find lots of free printables online). Check out these alphabet bingo dauber worksheets!
2 || Connect the Dots
Let kids make dots all over their paper and then use a pen or pencil to connect the dots! For an even bigger visual motor and visual perception challenge, use the matching colored marker to connect all of the dots of the same color.
3 || Play with Manipulatives
Have kids make dots on a piece of paper and then place matching colored manipulatives onto each dot for some great grasping and in-hand manipulation work.
4 || Tic Tac Toe
Make a grid on a piece of paper and give two kids two different colored dot markers. Have them use their colored dots instead of Xs and Os.
5 || Letter Formation Practice
Use dot markers to make colored dots as starting points to show kids where to start each letter during handwriting practice.
6 || Creative Drawing
Have kids make dots all over their papers. Use pens and pencils to add details to each dot to turn them into different objects – try making them into faces, animals, or little monsters!
7 || Counting Practice
Write a number at the top of a piece of paper. Have kids make the corresponding number of dots on the page. Then, have kids count the dots again, placing a manipulative on each one (flat-sided marbles, plastic counters, coins, buttons etc.).
8 || Patterning
Use dot markers to help kids grasp the concept of creating and continuing patterns with the colors.
9 || Dot and Cut
Give kids some practice with scissors by having them make dots on their paper to create outlines of different shapes (triangles, rectangles, circles, squares). Then, when the shape is complete, have kids cut them out with scissors. For younger kids, have them make dots along a straight line to practice continuous cutting.
10 || Direction-Following
Use the dot markers to work on direction-following, directional concepts, and auditory processing. Give instructions and have kids follow them using their dot markers (e.g. “Put a red dot at the top of your paper, put a blue dot below the red dot, put a yellow dot to the left of the blue dot”).
What are your favorite ways to play and learn with dot markers? Leave a comment below and let us know!
[…] One of our all-time favorite art supplies at The Treehouse! The kids love these fun markers and we had fun coming up with lots of fun ways to play and learn with them! […]