MSU Extension Child & Family Development

BEFORE READING:

• Show the children the front of the book. Ask them to guess what the book is about.
• Point to the shape on the cover and ask them to name it.
• Ask them to count all the dots on the front and back cover.

WHILE READING:

• Stop at any time if there is something you or the children would like to talk about.
• Ask them questions so that they can connect what is happening in the book to things they already know about. Try some of these ideas:
  • What color are the dots in your eyes?
  • Tell me about the buttons on your coat.
  • What other shape can stones be?

AFTER READING:

• Spend some time talking about the story. Ask the children things like:
  • What things were made with dots?
  • Which picture did you like the best?
  • Which of the things in the story could you ride on?

Read this book several times to the children. Hearing the same story again and again helps them learn new words and understand the ideas they hear better. Each day, pick a different activity to do with the children after reading “Ten Black Dots.”

MATH AND SCIENCE

Write the numbers 1 through 10 on a piece of paper. Ask the children to find a circle somewhere inside or outside for every number on the list. Look for things like clocks, plates, wheels, sun, a basketball hoop, etc.) Write each item on your list.

THINKING SKILLS

Make a matching game. Draw different colored dots on small pieces of paper. Draw a red dot on one piece of paper, and another red dot on another piece of paper. Draw other colored dots the same way. Flip all the cards over, mix them up and try to match them by flipping them over one-by-one and remembering where the other color is.

READING READINESS

Hand the book to the children, upside down and backwards. Ask them to hold the book while you read together. Read the book again, pointing to each word as you read. Help the children see that print goes from left to right and from top to bottom.

ART

Do a dot-to-dot activity with the children. Make a picture using dots and number each dot. Have the children start at number 1 and count aloud as they trace their pencil to the next number.

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

Play twister. Cut 9 large dots out of paper, or use paper plates. Color three plates green, three plates blue and three plates red. Lay them on the floor about one foot apart. Say “right hand on blue or left leg on green”. Take turns giving commands to each other until you both fall down.

PRETEND PLAY

Pretend that you are a pizza maker in a pizzeria. Make pizzas with pepperonis, olives, or other circular toppings. Make edible dots by making pizzas using English muffin halves, jarred spaghetti sauce and grated cheese.

MOTOR SKILLS

Draw large dots on a sheet of paper. Ask the children to draw a line to connect each of the dots. Then, ask them to draw large dots so that you can connect them.

For more information, visit: MSU Extension Early Childhood Development