Our magnet unit has been one of our favorites. We’ve had so much fun with STEM (science/technology/engineering/math) activities along with magnet activities in a variety of curriculum areas. Today, I’m sharing another magnet resource – a free magnet do-a-dot printable. It’s an instant download – super easy to download and prepare.
Montessori-Inspired Printables at Living Montessori Now
My daughter, Christina (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 a horseshoe magnet 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 Magnet Do-a-Dot Printable for the Letter M
To download the magnet 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 Magnet Do-a-Dot Printable
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Magnet Do-a-Dot Letter M Tray with Power Magnets
I used a Multicraft tray with Power Magnets and a magnet for extra magnetic exploration (optional). Your child will need 24 Power Magnets (or whatever item you add to the dots) plus 4 more Power Magnets if you want to hold each corner of the page to the refrigerator or other magnetic surface. I also added /m/ for magnet font printable from our subscriber freebie magnet 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.
Magnet Do-a-Dot Letter M Tray with Power Magnet Activity
For simplicity (and because it’s good for kids to do some work on a vertical surface), we used the do-a-dot page and Power Magnets on the refrigerator.
Zoey has been interested in writing, so I introduced the “magnet” word tracing. I made a small green dot where each letter begins so that Zoey would know where to start each letter. When she was finished tracing the word “magnet,” she used the horseshoe magnet for magnetic exploration with the Power Magnets.
If you want to know how to introduce the letter sound for m, check out my post on how to teach letter sounds using Montessori principles.
Magnet Printables and Activities for Preschoolers-Early Elementary
Spielgaben STEM Challenge: Build and Fly a Magnetic Airplane
Fun Magnetic Vehicle STEM Trays and Activity Bags
Free Magnet Printables and Montessori-Inspired Magnet Activities
More 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).
(Note: the Free Frog Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download) is available in either black or red outline.)
Free Alligator Do-a-Dot Printable
Free Honeybee Do-a-Dot Printable
Free Zoo Animal Do-a-Dot Printable
Free Turtle Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Fruit Rainbow Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Lamb Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Penguin Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Polar Bear Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download
The free bell do-a-dot printable can be used at any time of year, but it’s especially perfect before the holidays.
You’ll find a fun printable for any season with the free dinosaur do-a-dot printable.
You’ll find two free printables and ideas using glass gems in last month’s free tarantula and spider do-a-dot printables.
If you’re looking for a printable for the start of the school year or a forest unit, you’ll find a free raccoon do-a-dot printable using stickers (great for a Kissing Hand unit).
I have a free ant do-a-dot printable and activity using Power Magnets.
In another post, you’ll find a free snail do-a-dot printable and activity using Do-a-Dot markers.
In another post, you’ll get a free car do-a-dot printable and see an idea for using pom poms and quick sticks with the printable.
In another do-a-dot printable post, you’ll get a free recycling do-a-dot printable and see an idea for using glass gems and toast tongs with the printable.
In another do-a-dot printable post, you’ll get a free butterfly do-a-dot printable and see an idea for using pom poms and toast tongs with the printable.
Montessori-Inspired Packs – Subscriber Freebies
Don’t miss our subscriber freebie magnet pack, subscriber freebie alligator pack, subscriber freebie bee pack, subscriber freebie zoo pack, subscriber freebie turtle pack, subscriber freebie eat-a-rainbow pack, subscriber freebie lamb pack, subscriber freebie penguin pack, subscriber freebie polar bear pack, subscriber freebie bell pack, subscriber freebie dinosaur pack, subscriber freebie spider pack, subscriber freebie raccoon pack, subscriber freebie ant pack, subscriber freebie snail pack, subscriber freebie car pack, subscriber freebie frog pack, subscriber freebie butterfly pack, and subscriber freebie recycling pack! You’ll get a monthly freebie with link and password if you subscribe to the Living Montessori Now weekly newsletter!
If you’d like to know more about positive discipline strategies for kids 2½-teens, be sure to register for the free Positive Parenting Solutions webinar by Amy McCready!
WHERE TO SHARE KID-RELATED ACTIVITIES FOR ME TO FEATURE ON OUR LIVING MONTESSORI NOW FACEBOOK PAGE
Our Living Montessori Now Facebook page has over 200,000 members, and I invite you to share your Montessori-inspired activities and ideas (or any kid-related activities) there any day. You can always post right on the home feed, and it’ll show up in Visitor Posts. If you get a message that “You don’t have permission to share on this page,” ignore that. You do have permission. That’s just an occasional Facebook glitch. I welcome you to share a photo along with a short description and link to the activity. Or you can just add a link and let Facebook generate an image. I’ll often be featuring activities that are shared on our Living Montessori Now Facebook page throughout the week.
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy! I’m also one of the coauthors of the book Learn with Play – 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun & Learning!
The Montessori at Home! eBook and Montessori at Home! eBook and Materials Bundle are AMAZING resources! You can learn more about them here. Buy them in the Living Montessori Now shop.
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 Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards) and Twitter (blog posts by me and others along with the Parent/Teacher Daily and other interesting information). You can find me on Google+ (post updates), bloglovin’, Instagram, and YouTube, too.
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May be linked to Practical Mondays Link Up, LouLou Girls, Tasty Tuesdays, A Little Bird Told Me Linky Party, Link-ups at Squishable Baby, Sharing Saturday
Phillip Vanarsdel says
Another great craft idea from you all. Thank you yet again. We are always looking for crafts for the little ones in our bring your kids to the Polka Dot Design office day. Thank you and keep up the good work!