Is your child learning how to recognize and spell their name? Keep it hands-on and fun with an easy to make…
NAME KIT!
A name kit is perfect for anytime name practice becase once you create it, it can be used over and over again.
No more printing out sheets all the time!
Check out the steps below for some inspiration on how to create your own name kit today and encourage your child to chant, build, and learn their name!
Related: Easy Preschool Activity Ideas
What you’ll need:
-Pencil Pouch Case
-Name Tag (LAMINATED)
-Clothespins
-Magnetic Letters
-Dry Erase Marker
-Index Card
-Play-Doh
Once you gather all your supplies label everything with the letters in your child’s name so they can match, build, and trace their name multiple times in different ways.
*I know you might be asking… all capital letters or conventional spelling for littles? This is a HOT TOPIC in early childhood education! If I am being honest, I started both my girls’ name recognition practice using conventional spelling (mixed case) BUT there is a lot of information around the benefits of starting young 3 and 4-year-olds with all capital letters instead. You can read some examples of why you might start there in this great post by Play to Learn Preschool.
No matter which way you choose, I BEG that midway through their PreK year, or the year they will go to kinder, that you switch them to conventional spelling so they start kindergarten knowing how to recognize and spell their name the conventional way.
So let’s take a peek at a few ways you can use the materials above to encourage name recognition practice!
Clothespin Names: Write your child’s name on a name tag. Then pair with clothespins that are labeled with each letter in their name. Have them pick a clothespin and clip it to the name tag to build their name.
Name Trace: Toss a dry erase marker inside the pouch for easy pull-out name tracing! Have your child use the dry erase marker to trace over the letters on the name tag.
Letter Match: Use magnetic letters or other letter tiles to practice letter order and name building. Have your child pull out the magnetic letters and match them to the letters on their name tag.
Play-Doh Letters: Pull out the Play-Doh and invite your child to form each letter in their name out of Play-Doh
Name Puzzle: Write your child’s name on an index card or other sturdy sheet of paper. Cut the card up into pieces to create a name puzzle!
Name Song: I love teaching kids how to spell their name with a song! Having a familiar chant or song in their head helps them to quickly remember the order of the letters in their name. You can make one up on your own or check out Patty Shukla’s Name songs on YouTube and see if your child’s name is there.
Keep name practice fun and hands-on!
This name kit is perfect for pulling out anytime and can be used over and over. Do you think you’ll be creating one for your kids to use?
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