Let’s light the lights with this holiday dot stickers activity for toddlers and preschoolers. And I’m telling you, dot the lights is where it’s at, and this holiday dot stickers activity does not disappoint.
We already know that dot stickers make crazy fun Breakfast Invitations. Supplies are simple, and the learning engages children in play first thing in the morning. We call these Breakfast Invitations, and they are simple activities for kids to keep your coffee hot.
How can I use this indoor activity for multiple ages?
Older preschoolers love patterns, and younger toddlers love to color match. With this easy activity, you can do both or either!
Since I knew my boys had a solid understanding of patterns, we went all in. I created three simple patterns for them to follow.
PRO TIP: When my toddler thought it was funny to put the wrong color, we would laugh about how that lightbulb was broken and won’t light up the strand. He would then take it off and replace it with the matching color. Problem solved. Moving on.
Taking that approach kept things light and didn’t cause stress on either of us, making us want to give up. Preschool activities should invite learning in a casual, playful environment to allow children to take more risks.
How to Set Up
- Roll out the white paper roll and draw three long lines representing the light strings.
- Create three simple patterns with your dot markers. For younger children, I like to do one strand at a time.
- Add a star to the left side of each light strand to mark the starting place.
- Set dot stickers to the left of the activity.
TIP: I chose three because I knew that was within my child’s zone of proximal development. – Not too easy or too difficult. It was also an amount that I knew they could complete before growing bored.
RELATED: This is just one of the 40+ Christmas Activities for Kids that will encourage play!
Three simple supplies
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A classic white paper roll for fun ways to learn through play. Look for the 18″ width.
Once you have a pack of dot stickers, you will find many uses to create easy activities for toddlers and preschoolers. A staple supply!
Our favorite collection of colors! This 40-pack is one of our go-to’s for our home and gifts.
Tips for your toddler and preschooler
Try to encourage moving left to the right as your preschooler works. It can be tempting for children to dive right into the game.
But we want a little more than that when we can.
We want to remind our children that we start on the left and work our way to the right.
This is how we read and write and helps build a habit of focusing on the harder things down the road, such as sounding out and forming letters.
We can do this by placing a large star to show the starting place for the activity. Peeling and placing these stickers are also helping your child with future pencil grip.
SAY THIS: “Can you find the star? That means start! Put your finger on the star, and you may begin your pattern.” Using language with toddler activities helps explore new vocabulary and familiar phrases.
RELATED: Fine motor activities set up our children for successful writing down the road.
Say the pattern aloud as you go.
This can look different depending on what works in your home.
As you prepare breakfast, lean in and say something like, “Oh, I see! pink, orange, green, pink, orange, green, etc.” Then touch the colors as you say them aloud.
Your child may want to say the pattern as they go. – this is what we aim for.
Apprehensive preschooler? Do a little pattern impromptu dance to pique their interest. Jumping jack and say pink, squat and say orange, clap and say green…” You get the idea. Just add something that has them wonder what mom is up to.
RELATED: Holiday activities pair great with these 15 books for Christmas.
Keep Breakfast Invitations to what works for your home.
There is no hard right or wrong way to make it your own. Our goal is to share learning concepts through play with our kids. Over time, children will gain momentum and build on play schema. (learn what play schema is in our online workshop called Wonder; Playing to Learn)
Until then, keep at it. You are doing more than you think about leading them in the right direction for what’s to come down the road. Dot stickers make a great supply to get started!
FAQ
I find dot stickers on Amazon or office supply stores. Use this supply list for kid activities for an easy search.
Remember to keep activities for kids playful. If your child places a green sticker on a yellow circle you can respond surprised. Sometimes toddlers and preschoolers like to do things to get a reaction out of us, and keeping cool will typically help get them back on track.
These 40+ Christmas activities for kids include holiday playdough ideas, DIY ornaments, Christmas tree activities, and holiday indoor play prompts. This Christmas list is created for toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids!
