Dot-to-Dot: Bell
Toddler · 2–3A bell in 28 dots, with flared sides and a little clapper at the bottom. The two sides curve outward in opposite directions, which is a useful thing for a hand that has mostly drawn straight lines, and the shape is clear well before the last number. Free printable for ages three to six, on A4 or US Letter.
Two curves, opposite directions
The sides flare outward away from each other, which is an unfamiliar movement for a hand that has mostly drawn straight lines and circles. The clapper at the bottom is three dots and a reward.
What to look for
Whether both sides bow out by roughly the same amount. They usually do not, and it does not matter — a lopsided bell is still a bell, and symmetry is something children see years before they can draw it.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does every page go up to 28?
- So there is no easy page and no hard page to sort first. A child who can count to twenty-eight can do the bell and every other picture in the set.
- Why are these all objects rather than animals?
- Because joining dots gives you an outline, and an animal's outline is a lump — what makes an owl an owl is its face, which sits inside the shape. A key, a crown or a stocking is recognisable from its edge alone.