About International Dot Day

International Dot Day began when Terry Shay introduced his class to Peter H. Reynold’s book The Dot on September 15, 2009.

Since then, this date has been celebrated each year as International Dot Day — a day for classes to explore the story’s powerful themes: bravery, creativity, and self-expression.

About the Book – The Dot

The Dot tells the story of a caring art teacher who reaches a reluctant student in a remarkably creative way.

In Peter’s book, the teacher encourages the student to begin a journey of self discovery and creativity, starting with a simple dot on a piece of paper. Transformed by this journey, the student goes on to inspire others.

Don’t have the book? You can watch it being read online. 

How to Get Involved

Visiting teachers, if you want to get your own class involved in International Dot Day, participating is simple!

  1. Visit www.thedotclub.org/dotday Here you can read up on the day, find ideas and download a participation handbook.
  2. Sign up to participate. This is just a simple survey the organisers use to help plan events around International Dot Day.
  3. Read the book to your class.
  4. Express yourself in any way. This is where you can get creative. Your dot theme can be incorporated into story writing, artwork, songwriting, photography, dance, cooking, performances or more.
  5. Publish! If you have a blog, this is the perfect platform to show the world how you have celebrated the day.
  6. Connect. International Dot Day is as much about celebrating creativity as it is about connecting and collaborating. There is a page on the International Dot Day website which has been set up to help you connect with others.

About Our Global Project

Want to read more about this collaborative project? Visit this page.