Counting in twos, fives and tens
The useful thing about dot to dot is that the numbering can do maths work while the child thinks they are drawing. Counting in twos from 2 to 60, fives from 5 to 100 or tens from 10 to 200 all produce the same picture, so you can set the sheet to whatever a child is practising.
There is also a letters mode, A to Z, for children who are more confident with the alphabet than with numbers. Same designs, different sequence.
Dot count and age
Twenty dots gives a chunky shape a four year old can follow. Sixty dots gives a recognisable outline with curves, which suits a child of six or seven. Above sixty, the dots sit close enough together that the joining lines stop mattering, and a child may as well trace.
The picture is faint in the background at the lowest difficulty setting, which helps a child who loses the thread. Turn it off for anyone who should be working from the numbers alone.
Then colour it in
Every sheet is left as a plain outline once joined, so it goes straight into being a colouring page. That doubles the time the sheet occupies a child, and it means a dot to dot that went slightly wrong still ends up looking finished.
Questions
- Can the dots count in twos or fives?
- Yes. Choose ones, twos, fives or tens, or switch to letters A to Z. Every option produces the same picture, so you can match the sheet to whatever a child is practising.
- How many dots should I use?
- Twenty for a four year old, around forty for a five year old, and sixty for a six or seven year old. Above sixty the dots sit too close together to be worth joining.
- Can a child colour the picture afterwards?
- Yes. Joining the dots leaves a plain outline drawing, so every sheet becomes a colouring page once it is finished.
- Is there a hint for a child who gets lost?
- Yes. On the easiest setting a faint version of the finished picture sits behind the dots. Switch it off for a child who should work from the numbers alone.