Teaching names is one of my favorite parts of teaching Pre-K!
There is nothing more gratifying than seeing the immense amount of progress kids make in writing their names from the beginning to the end of the school year.
So what's the best way to teach them? Where do we begin?
Start small.
Start with just their first letter. Make that letter big and bold. Have them build it, dot it, stickerize it, whatever fun activity comes to mind!
One of my favorites? Monsterizing our first letters! Yes, we transform our letters into monsters and it's a blast. Their creativity inevitably leads to monster awesomeness! Don't forget the googly eyes for this one.
Focus on the motion.
I do not care what the letter looks like. Let me say that again, I do not care what the letter looks like! I care about the motion they are using, the FORMATION of the letter. I care about the way in which they form it. Where are they starting? Are they forming their letter from the top down? As they progress and fine-tune the motion, their letters will naturally look neater and they will become more proficient at writing them.
Make it fun and switch it up.
Nobody likes to do the same thing over and over and over again. Switch it up! Use golf tees and a play hammer to pound out names. Use paint and cotton swabs. Write it. Paint it. Squirt it. Keep it fun!
Below is a list of some fun name activities you can do to keep things fresh and inspiring.
fun ideas to keep it fresh
Use golf tees and a play hammer to dot names. Just put a piece of foam or cardboard behind the paper.
Squish alphabet stamps into playdough to form their name.
Use magnetic letters and boards. Mix up their letters and have them put them in the correct order.
Chalk their name on pavement outside. Throw water balloons at specific letters in their name. Squirt guns or spray bottles would also work great for this idea.
Dip cotton swabs in paint to dot paint names.
Grab some old wrapping paper and have the kids snip at it with scissors. Use the snippets to decorate their first letter or whole name.
want it the easy peasy way?
These packets are all ready to go for you! Simply type your class list into the form and PRESTO everything instantly generates.
✅ Type your class list into the form.
✅ Printables will INSTANTLY generate.
✅ Works with ANY name, long or short, capital or lowercase!
❌ No installing fonts, saving you time and frustration.
See what people are saying:
Love how easy this resource was to fill in and print for my students. Great variety of activities for young students to learn their name and practice their fine motor skills.
- Buyer, R.T.
Students have loved these name activities and its more engaging to them. The resources are easy to use and plug in each child's name quickly.
- Buyer, A.T.
LOVE LOVE LOVEEE!! Once I downloaded Adobe Reader this product worked AMAZINGLY! Simply type your roster into the list and the work is done! My students have loved writing and practicing their names in different ways and most of them now are able to write their names! Of my 18 students this year, only 4 came already knowing how to write their names. So this resource has been a life saver!!
- Buyer, R.T.L
This is wonderful. It's ready to print and go. Love it.
- Buyer, M.S.
This product is SO easy to use. I typed in my class list and was ready to print in seconds. Thank you!!
- Buyer, C.S.
I love this resource! It's so easy to use and my Kindergarteners have LOVED using this to practice their names in different ways!
-Buyer, B.A.C.
what's your favorite name activity?
So how about you? What are your favorite name activities? I'd love some new ideas. Comment below and tell me those brilliant thoughts!
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