Apple Pattern Do-a-Dot Activity : FREE 6 Mats for Toddler and Preschooler

Apple Pattern Do-a-Dot Activity was a hit with my kids. Last week we did Letter A for Apple. So the kids were quite excited getting to do Apple activity one more time.

This printable has 3 sections. It has 3 mats with patterns, 1 mat with counting Apple Do-A-Dot Activity, and a mat to dot some apples according to its color.

For Miss 3, she is at the early pattern phase, which is aware about the group of each colors. She knows green belongs to green and yellow belongs to yellow.

Miss 5 on the other hand is already ready to do some challenging pattern activity that form the pattern ABAB or ABC.

Prepping Apple Pattern Do-a-Dot Activity

This activity is very simple and very easy to prepare. Hence you can include it in your ‘Busy Bag Collection’

Materials needed:

1. Do-a-Dot Marker
2. Printer
3. Laminating Machine (optional)

How to prepare the activity

Just print and voila! It’s ready.

Or if you wish to reuse it for another time, laminate the printable so that it’s easy to wipe the marker after activity.

Playing the Apple Pattern Do-a-Dot Activity

First, I guide Miss 5.

I showed using my finger and tell her the apple’s color as we go by; red, yellow, red, yellow, red, yellow; and then, what?

Miss 5 answered red. Yeay!

But if she can’t answer the right answer, that’s okay. Just revisit the pattern from the first apple.

Secondly, for Miss 3, I let her color the big apples with few dots in it. I did give her the pattern line, but I guess she’s just not ready for it yet.

6 Other ways to enjoy Apple Pattern Do-a-Dot Activity

We don’t have Do-a-Dot Marker available. But this doesn’t stop us from having fun with Do-a-Dot Activity.

This activity can also be done with :

Q-tip and watercolor
Dip Q-tip in watercolor and dot according to each pattern.
Crayon or pencil color
Just color the dot with using Crayon or pencil color.
Pompom
Glue some pompom onto the Apples according to each pattern
Sticker
If you have round sticker, let your kids or your class peel the sticker and stick it onto the Apples
Beads
Put colored beads to distinguish the pattern on the Apples.
Gummy bears
Let the Gummy bears eat the Apples. Red bears eats red apples and so on

What did the kids learn from this Apple Pattern Do-a-Dot Activity?

The first and foremost thing they learn through this activity is about pattern. But I sometimes wonder, why is pattern so important for toddlers?

Learn sequencing

I did some reading and found on We Have Kids, that pattern is essential for kids to establish order and learn about sequencing. Sequencing is the ability to predict what goes after this and that.

In simple layman term, it taught our kids about what should we do after waking up in the morning, or what must we do after our dinner. Should we go straight to play, or should we clean up the table and do dishes first.

Learning to make prediction

In Kelli Vogstad, it also explained that pattern helps children to develop the ability to make predictions and identify what is regular and what is not regular. Those skills are imperative for complex number operation in mathematics in the future.

Apart from learning pattern, this Apple Do-a-Dot Activity also helps to strengthen our kids’:

Fine motor skills
Strengthen our kids’ fine motor skills when they try to do it using other materials such as stickers and Q-tip
Eye hand coordination
For us adult, Do-a-Dot is no big deal. It’s just as if we dot some small circles using our pen. But for toddlers and preschoolers, Do-a-Dot in the given circle require their undivided focus and attention.