An ocean theme is such a natural theme for summer! And it’s a perfect time to focus on /ŏ/ for octopus. As usual, the free octopus do-a-dot printable is an instant download and super-easy to 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 on the credits page. This month’s do-a-dot uses a photograph of an octopus.
- 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 Octopus Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable
To download the octopus 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 Octopus Do-a-Dot Printable
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Octopus Do-a-Dot Phonics Tray with Octopus Paint Stamping and Color Mixing Work
Octopus Do-a-Dot Phonics Tray with Octopus Paint Stamping and Color-Mixing Work
This is just one example of how you can use the do-a-dot printable. 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.
I used a Multicraft tray with Sax Liquid Washable Watercolor Paint in yellow and red, foam brushes, 7-Day Pill Organizer to hold the paint, octopus figure from Safari Ltd. Ocean TOOB (optional – for interest), Safari Ltd. Good Luck Mini octopus, and octopus letter o cursive font card (from our ocean pack subscriber freebie).
You could have a variety of transfer activities with the do-a-dot printable. Or you could have a totally different type of do-a-dot activity. See ideas below. Again, just 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.
Octopus Movable Alphabet Word Building, Handwriting Practice, and Fine-Motor Work
Working with Octopus Do-a-Dot Paint Stamping and Color Mixing
This do-a-dot printable can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the age and ability of the child. A younger child could just use do-a-dot markers, stickers, or some sort of transfer on the do-a-dot page and focus on the /ŏ/ sound, while an older child could trace the letters, and build the words with the Montessori movable alphabet. I also use it to introduce the cursive letter “o.”
If you want to know how to introduce the /ŏ/ sound, check out my post on how to teach letter sounds using Montessori principles.
For a child who’s ready for (or already using) the movable alphabet, you could have the child build the words. My 5-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, likes to use the movable alphabet to build words. (We use the small movable alphabet. I have the movable alphabet from Alison’s Montessori, which I love. You can also get a movable alphabet from Amazon or make your own.)
Zoey traced the word with red and blue colored pencils and used the movable alphabet to build the word “octopus.”
An octopus stamp would have been especially cute for each of the dots, but I didn’t find one the right size. So we used a Safari Ltd. Good Luck Mini Octopus as a stamper. I just put yellow and red paint in separate containers of a 7-day pill container. Zoey brushed the paint on the foam brush, mixed colors if desired, brushed the paint on the mini octopus, and then pressed the octopus on one of the dots. She chose the color or colors she wanted for each of the remaining dots. The make-shift stamper doesn’t make a real octopus, but it’s a cool kaleidoscope-like design. Zoey said it was fun!
Octopus Vocabulary Work, Phonemic Awareness Activity, and Dot Sticker Work
Zoey’s 18-month-old sister, Sophia, and their 15-month-old cousin, Caleb, did some do-a-dot work again this month. I use a child-size apron. for toddler do-a-dot marker work. (Sophia and Caleb are both wearing a toddler-size Montessori Services apron that I got on sale.) We switched to ¾” dot stickers for variety, though, so the aprons weren’t needed (although Sophia and Caleb seem to enjoy wearing them anyway).
With toddlers, I like to do some vocabulary work. Using the 3-period lesson, you can focus on the word “octopus.” I included a Schleich octopus in addition to the photograph of one on the do-a-dot page. You could also use more photographs and books to teach about the octopus.
After the vocabulary focus, you could casually say that octopus starts with /ŏ/ (the sound, not the letter name). This is just to introduce hearing the phonetic sound. I don’t focus on the letter “o,” although I use the printable that we already have available.
I don’t worry at all about whether toddlers put the stickers exactly on the dots. It’s great fine-motor work either way!
More Ocean Resources and Activities
Free Ocean Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ocean Activities
- Free Ocean Songs and Educational Videos
- Free Relaxing Ocean Sounds and Music for Kids and Adults {Mindfulness Resources}
- Free Guided Ocean Meditations for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
- Montessori-Inspired Ocean Unit
- Montessori-Inspired Beach Language Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Resources for World Oceans Day
- Montessori-Inspired Ocean Math Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Turtle Activities
- Shells and Starfish Activities + Free Printable from Montessori By Mom
- Free Shark Printables and Montessori-Inspired Shark Activities
- Shark Water-Bead Number or Letter Sensory Bin
- Farm, Zoo, & Ocean Animal Sensory Bottles for Babies and Toddlers
- Montessori-Inspired Toddler Geography Activities with Baby Beluga
- Coral Reef Kit and Sensory Bin
- Letters and Words in the Sand {Montessori-Inspired Beach Phonics Fun}
- Wonderful Whale and Water-Bead Sensory Bin {Free Printables}
- Seashell and Sea Life Nature Tray: How to Teach Vocabulary Using the 3-Period Lesson
- Free Turtle Printables and Montessori-Inspired Turtle Activities
- Free Turtle Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Turtle Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Seashell Color Matching {Easy-to-Prepare Variation of Montessori Color Box 3}
- DIY Coral Reef Water Table with Practical Life Activities
- The Ultimate Montessori-Inspired Shark Unit
- Ocean Unit Study Pinterest Board
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.
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