Spelling our Names

Recently we posted some of the ways that we help our preschool students practice writing their names.  Writing is not the only thing we do with names, though!  Another important activity is learning to spell our names.  We sing lots of songs and rhymes with our names, and these are 10 of our favorite ways to practice them during centers:

Name Puzzles

Write the child's name on a piece of cardstock.  Cut the letters apart.  The student puts the puzzle together.

Sentence Strip Matching

Program sentence strips with each child's name.  Then write the corresponding letters (or use letter stickers) on seasonal shapes.  The students match the shapes to the correct letter on the sentence strip. 

In September we used apples and in October we used leaves.

Star and basic shapes work well any time of year.

In My Name vs. Not in My Name

Print a sorting mat and provide a bowl of letter manipulatives.  Provide the students with a name card.  To complete the center, the student chooses a letter from the bowl and then uses the name card to decide if it is a letter "In My Name" or "Not in My Name."

Letter Beads

We have a set of Learning Resources beads that the students use to make name necklaces.  Another option is to add letter stickers to regular wooden beads.

Pattern Block Letters

We love these amazing free printables from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  To begin, we printed the first letter of each child's name.  They use pattern blocks to make the letter.

Magnet Center

We use our magnetic white board to practice lots of skills, including spelling our names.  To make this center, write each child's name on a card and add a magnet to the back.  Students choose a name card, then use magnetic letters to spell it on the board.

Clothespin Dinosaurs

Print each child's name on a dinosaur shape.  Add a photo for younger students, and mat onto cardstock or foam for durability.  Students use their fine motor skills to match clothespins to each letter on the dinosaur.

Clothespin Folders

Another option for using clothes pins is to write the child's name on a file folder.  The first name goes on the front and the last name goes inside.  Students pinch clothespins to match the letters of their names.

Foam Letters

Provide each child with foam letters to spell their names.  Students glue the letters of their names onto picture frames, book marks, door hangers or other crafty item.

Letter Stamps

Letter stamps are a guaranteed crowd pleaser!  Children can use their handy name card as a reference while they stamp their names on paper.

Name activities are always a hit because for most young children, their name is their favorite and most important word.  When the entire class is working on name activities, they begin to learn the letters of all friends in the class.  It is a great springboard for alphabet knowledge!

Here's some more information about my decision to use capital letters with some of our students:

Have fun playing and learning with your children today!

   

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