Process Art for Preschoolers Inspired by children’s book “Dot”

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The process of discovering many types of art mediums is so magnetic for preschool children. I am thrilled we took this 30 days of creativity and art challenge with my 3-year-old daughter to focus on process art. Process art is all about the journey rather than a final destination, and I love to see where it is taking both of us.

Process Art for Preschoolers Inspired by children's book "Dot"

Have you heard of a beautiful, inspiring kids’ art book “Dot” by Peter H Reynolds?

We continue discovering the beauty of creativity and this time A  did an activity inspired by the book “Dot”. In response to Vashti’s frustration, her art teacher offers her to “make a mark and see where it takes her”. Vashti follows the teacher’s advice and explores different ways she can make her mark using dots.

So here is what we did

Materials we used

Paper (it works better if it’s taped to the table)
Finger paint
Round stickers

First, we left a bunch of dots on paper for A to paint with her fingers. She enjoyed mixing colors and was fascinated by the whole process.

Process Art for Preschoolers Inspired by children's book "Dot"

Then we had to wait until the paint dried so we could continue and complete the project.

My Montessori trainer always told me that it is crucial for children to work on projects that take some time to complete. They need to learn to appreciate the process and practice being patient to accomplish something important rather than receive an instant result.

A. took a bunch of round stickers to finish her artwork. I was expecting her just to stick them in a random order, but instead, she organized them in lines to make colorful caterpillars (as she later told me).

Final result - Process Art for Preschoolers Inspired by children's book "Dot"

We both thoroughly enjoyed the process, and I just loved to watch A. create meaning with her art and make it personal.

Art Resources You Might Find Helpful in Your Classroom

Art Appreciation Montessori Resources and Books for Children


  About Anastasia. Anastasia is a former Early Childhood Teacher and the founder of Montessori Nature, a blog about Montessori - inspired and Nature-based explorations. She taught in a Montessori setting for 10 years and has been practicing the Montessori way of learning and living for the last 20 years. She loves designing engaging educational printables for children. Browse Anastasia's educational resources on Teachers Pay Teachers.


7 thoughts on “Process Art for Preschoolers Inspired by children’s book “Dot””

  1. I do love the book, and your lovely post just re-inspired me. Isn't it so interesting that A. arranged the sticky dots by color and even put them in a LINE (the first ELEMENT OF ART!) Love it!

  2. What a fabulous post! I really love this series and all of the great ideas you've been sharing 🙂 I'm going to try this with my son next week!!

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