Draw a Dotty Dog!
Learning the letter d can be lots of fun when you add a little drawing into the mix!
Today we’re turning a simple lowercase d into a happy, dotty dog. It’s an easy little drawing activity that’s perfect for preschool and kindergarten — all you need is paper and some crayons!
Start with a lowercase d
Begin by drawing a nice big lowercase d.
Now look closely… can you imagine that d becoming a dog?
Add a few simple lines to create your dog’s ears, legs, tail and happy little face. Then, of course, add lots and lots of dots!
As children draw, you can have fun saying:
“d, d, d… dotty dog!”
It’s such a simple way to connect the shape of the letter, its sound and a memorable picture.
And while your little learners think they’re simply drawing a funny dog, they’re also practising pencil or crayon control, strengthening fine motor skills and building confidence with making marks on paper.
Add a little letter d learning
Before you draw, brainstorm some words that begin with d. Try dog, duck, dinosaur, door, drum, dig and dance.You could even make it a listening game. Say a mixture of words and ask children to give a little “woof!” whenever they hear a word beginning with the /d/ sound.
Another easy idea is to invite children to add more things beginning with d to their picture. Perhaps their dotty dog could find a duck, play a drum or dig in the dirt!
Pair your drawing with a dog story
A lovely picture book makes this activity extra special. Read a favourite dog-themed story together, talk about the dogs in the illustrations and notice all the different ways artists draw their characters.
You might enjoy books such as Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy by Lynley Dodd, Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd, or Go, Dog. Go! by P. D. Eastman.
After reading, children could give their dotty dog a name beginning with D or tell you a little story about where their dog is going next.
Want the printable steps?
I’ve made a printable page showing the steps for drawing our Dotty Dog, and you can find it inside my Pond Coloring Club membership. I’d love to have you join us!And if your little learners enjoy turning letters into drawings, I have lots more creative ways to explore the alphabet through art in my Kinder Drawing packs, available in my TPT store.
They’re designed to help children practise letter formation, build fine motor skills and create something fun and expressive along the way.
Happy drawing — and have lots of fun with your d, d, d… Dotty Dog! 🐶
Draw More with Letters
- Drawing with the letter C - caterpillar
- Drawing with the letter H - happy horse
- Drawing with the letter M - mouse
- Drawing with the letter S - summer snail
- Drawing with the letter T - tree
- Drawing with the letter W - wiggly worm