In celebration of International Dot Day, our preschoolers read Peter H. Reynolds’ The Dot, a story that encourages children to “make a mark and see where it takes you.” Inspired by that invitation, teachers introduced a single dot and wondered with the children: What could it become
A flower. A cookie. A balloon. A bear. Even a ghost.
From there, the children’s curiosity carried the exploration far beyond that first mark. Dots became circles, leading to an investigation of Wassily Kandinsky’s colorful abstract art. Children stamped circles with cups, filled them with paint, and experimented with arranging felt circles into ever-changing compositions. They encountered dots through books, counting, light-table materials, dot markers, and a collaborative canvas filled with colorful, shimmering circles.
And then something wonderful happened: the children began finding dots on their own.
Dots appeared on the playground, in clothing, on stepping stones, and even at the snack table. The children were no longer simply participating in activities about dots; they were noticing them, making connections, and bringing the investigation into their everyday experiences.
At the writing table, dots became faces, families, and even the wheels of a bus.
What began as one small mark grew into a week of art, mathematics, observation, storytelling, and discovery. By following the children’s curiosity and giving them different materials and ways to explore, a simple dot became something much bigger: an invitation to wonder, create, and see the familiar in a new way.