Free Alligator Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)

We’ve loved our alligator unit. My 3½-year old granddaughter, Zoey, has enjoyed learning about alligators and all the hands-on activities we’ve done. Today, I have a free alligator do-a-dot printable for you that Zoey had fun using with our new ¾” circle punch.

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. Today’s printable emphasizes the American alligator on the credits page.
• 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 Alligator Do-a-Dot Printable for the Letter A

To download the alligator 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 Alligator Do-a-Dot Printable

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

Alligator Do-a-Dot Letter A Tray with Hole Punching and Gluing

I used a Multicraft tray with ¾ inch circle punch, green printer paper, glue, and a colored pencil. Your child will need to punch out 22 circles for the dots on the letter “a.” I also added /a/ for alligator font printable from our subscriber freebie alligator pack. At other times, I’ll have a transfer activity with tools such as quick sticks, sugar tongs, or toast tong.

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 like I did for the tracing. 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.

Alligator Do-a-Dot Letter A Tray with Hole Punching and Gluing

I cut each piece of green printer paper in half to make it easier to use with the circle punch. Zoey found the circle punch easy to use and was fascinated to see how it made circles that fit the dots on the page.

After punching out the dots, Zoey glued them onto the letter “a.”

Zoey has been interested in writing lately, so I introduced the “alligator” word tracing. I made a small green dot where each letter begins so that Zoey would know where to start each letter. She did very well and got the activity out again the next time she visited.

(Note: Zoey’s “smiles for days” outfit is from Gymboree!)

If you want to know how to introduce the letter sound for a, check out my post on how to teach letter sounds using Montessori principles.

Alligator Printables and Activities for Preschoolers-Early Elementary

Montessori-Inspired Alligator Unit with Free Printables and Activities

Fabulous, Hands-On, Greater Than, Less Than Alligator Math

Free Alligator Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download

Free Alligator Printables and Montessori-Inspired Alligator Activities

Greater Than, Less Than Alligator Math Printables and Activities

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!

If this is your first time visiting Living Montessori Now, welcome! If you haven’t already, please join us on our Living Montessori Now Facebook page where you’ll find a Free Printable of the Day and lots of inspiration and ideas for parenting and teaching! And please follow me on Instagram, Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards), and YouTube. While you’re here, please check out the Living Montessori Now shop.

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