As an educator of small children, my own and those who I’ve taught, it’s quite the task to teach the importance of being “authentically you.” With so much in the world teaching our little ones that they should look, act and talk a certain way, this task is even more daunting!
What I love about children’s literature is there are SO many beautifully written stories that illustrate perfectly what it means to embrace who we are and why we are so special. The story of Elmer does this wonderfully. This dot art Elmer craft is the perfect addition to this story and is sure to be a hit with your kids too!
*Pair this with our Color Centers for more colorful fun!
Dot Art Elmer Craft
Elmer isn’t your typical elephant, grey in color. Rather, he’s many colors of patchwork! He has a personality larger than life, and everybody around him adores him and being in his presence.
Find out what happens when one day he decides that he doesn’t want to be his beautiful patchwork colors anymore, and how that impacts not only his own self view but the community around him.
I encourage you to share this inspiring children’s book with the little ones in your life and then re-create Elmer in this adorable Dot Art Elmer Craft!
Supplies:
- Bingo Dot Art Daubers
- “Elmer” by David McKee
- Dot Art Elmer Craft FREE Printable (below)
- optional: scissors if you choose to cut out Elmer
- optional: extra crafting supplies
“Elmer” has definitely become a family favorite in our house. We were lucky enough to grab the felt story characters that go along with this beloved children’s book at our local teaching supply store when they were on sale! Boy am I glad that we did because we have thoroughly enjoyed using them.
While those are a little trickier to find, you can grab a fun Elmer stuffed toy on Amazon to add a bit of fun to this read aloud.
Here’s my toddler using our felt board with Elmer:
After re-reading the story again, my boys decided to take turns re-telling the story with our felt board and Elmer book.
Tip: This would make the perfect center activity in the classroom OR homeschool.
This is one of our favorite pages in the book:
Once we enjoyed reading all about patchwork Elmer, we decided to dive into to our Dot Art Elmer Craft!
Steps for Elmer Craft:
Print Dot Art Elmer Craft Printable (at the end of the post).
Place a piece of scrap paper underneath your Elmer printable, this can get messy!
Choose your favorite patchwork Dot Art colors and create!
Optional: Use scissors to cut out Elmer.
Optional: Use extra crafting supplies for children to add more detail to their Elmer.
My daughter decided that Elmer should be spraying water out of his trunk. My son brilliantly created the word, “BOOO!” just like the storybook, and my little guy decided to add a googly eye to his Elmer and call it a day.
I just love seeing their different personalities and imaginations at work!
This is such a fun way to create memories with the children in your life and perhaps, with the help of Elmer, you’ve instilled in them the beauty of being “authentically you.”
Grab Your Printable
Ready for this fun activity with your own kids? Grab your copy of the Elmer printable by clicking the yellow button below.
Then, hop over and make a fun Rainbow Fish!
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Mandy
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Love the story and dot activity. This will be a great addition to the Dot Story. Thanks!
Wonderful Kim! So glad you enjoyed it!
Very nice for early learners
Where are the felt Pieces From? I’m trying to gather a collection of felt pieces for all of the stories that I love. I’m just not the best artist to make the pieces myself
Hi Samantha,
We snagged these felt Elmer story characters years ago from a local teaching supply store called “Lakeshore.” Honestly, I’m not sure if they’re available online but perhaps you could also look locally too. I’m not the best at crafting either, there’s no way I could make these felt pieces myself. Good luck on your hunt!