Literacy & ABCs
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Get your child excited about writing with 35 fun name activities that are perfect for preschoolers!
Last year in three-year-old preschool, names were a big deal. So I can only suppose they will be again this year in four-year-old preschool.
Henry learned to recognize his name pretty early on.
At first, he thought any word that started (or even had one) with an H meant it was his name. But he soon learned that there was more to it than that.
Throughout the year they worked on name recognition and spelling. By the end of last year, Henry was able to spell his first name (and write it!!).
He even was able to spell it backward, which shocked me!
Now, it’s onto our last name… which for reason seems daunting to me.
35 Fun Name Activities Perfect For Preschoolers
But with some help of these activities I found, the should come fast enough. Just applying it to our last name instead of his first!
Have some fun with your kids learning to recognize their very own name (it’s very special to them, make it be a special thing!) and then learn to spell it too! They’ll be so proud and you’ll be one proud mama!
Here are 35 name activities for your preschooler learn to recognize and spell their name!
In case you missed earlier this week, we covered the ABCs and Numbers!
Name Activities for Recognition
Put their name up everywhere. Label everything of theirs with their name. Use their name in your activities.
Have fun with it!
- Squirt their name! Create a fizzing reaction using baking soda sidewalk paint and vinegar!
- Write their name first and have them trace it with pipe cleaners with an activity from Parents.com!
- Use candles to write their name, with an idea from Fairy Dust Teaching Kindergarten, and watch as the magic happens when they paint over it with watercolors!
- Make homemade playing cards with photos and names of your family, just like Teach Mama.
- Similarly, Busy Kids = Happy Mom creates a “Who Am I” book to label important people (and your child!) with their names.
- Create a pom pom name craft, like Keep Toddlers Busy.
- Write out their name with food. Play Dr. Mom uses “ants on a log.“
- Use these color by number name printables from Royal Baloo to have your child color their name!
- Try a sensory bin letter hunt, from Smiling like Sunshine, to recognize letters that are in their name.
- Spell your child’s name, then compare how long it is to other names, with an idea from One Sharp Bunch based on the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.
- Teach Preschool shows how to collage their name with paper scraps onto their prewritten name.
- Write their name in glue and color over them to make prints, like Excellence in Early Childhood Education!
- Make your own DIY name recognition kit with this ideas from Fun-A-Day.
- Use clothespins to make a simple name recognition matching game, from School Time Snippets.
Name Activities for Spelling
Once they can recognize their name easily, spelling it comes easily too.
If they’ve seen it written out a million time, they’re likely to remember how it looks and what order it comes in.
- Use the computer (or another form of technology) and have them type their name using the keyboard.
- String up letters in their name around the room and have them go on a hunt for their name!
- The Imagination Tree spells out names using play dough letter impressions. Here are my favorite tips on how to make homemade play dough.
- Danya Banya bakes and spells their name with letter shapes cookies!
- Make name rockets like Ms. Solano’s Kindergarten!
- Play Teach Repeat uses a paint stick and clothespins with letters of their name.
- The Busy Toddler likes to use Post-it Notes for a fun name spelling activity!
- Make necklaces with letter beads like the Little Giraffes!
- Make a name cube, roll it and spell your name with a game from Toddler Approved.
- Unscramble the letters to spell your name, as seen on Kids Activities Blog.
- Hunt for letters of their name on a walk with an idea from NurtureStore.
- Label rocks with letters of their name and use it to spell, just like Time for Play.
- Fish for letters of their name, like Fun Learning for Kids, and spell it out!
- Frugal Fun 4 Boys & Girls like to stamp their names with paint.
- Create a name mobile, as seen on Cere’s Childcare! Stamp or print the letters and have your child string them up in order!
- Shoot for the letters of your name in order with a cork! Some archery fun from Toddler Approved.
- Make your own customized handwriting worksheets on HandWritingWorksheets.com.
- Happy Hooligans makes these easy name puzzles for your child to put together!
- Having Fun At Home uses ABC blocks to spell their name (though there’s usually a catch if you have a name that more than two of the same letter).
- Teah Mama likes to use letter magnets to spell their names! (Teach Mama)
- Learn to spell their name while making a rainbow!
Not quite to names yet? Letter learning comes first.
Find 20+ letter learning activities that are perfect for preschoolers!
Learn to Spell Your Name & Make a Rainbow
Unscramble & Fill in Your Name
50 Simple & Fun Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers
Triple the Name Tracing Fun
Sticker Name Recognition Activity & Personalized Books for Kids
Fossil Rock Sharjah says
This a very great post. I must tell you that you are a very wonderful writer.
Forsal says
Really helpful information. Can’t find such great content for kids activities anywhere online.
Malisa says
preschoolers is the main time to build kids brain development, so i think mom’s should pay extra attention there,
thanks for sharing this amazing post,
regards,
malisa
parenting kids says
This 35 name activities are very interesting for the kids. My kids really enjoy to do this type of activities. Thank you for sharing this ideas with us.
Cindy says
Lovely..to receive a activity day by day. My kids have lot of energy
Lori Kerr says
I am psyched to start working on some of these activities with my grandgirl! She turned two in July and these ideas seem like a lot of fun! Lots of creativity going on within your site. Sure am glad I came across HOAWG?
Melissa says
Please please please do not teach your kids to write in all capital letters or to recognize it with all capital letters. 10 kids go to preschool at kinder garden and do it the wrong way and have to relearn it
Sandra Smith says
I work in a Pre-k classroom and with our assessments that is the way we suppose to teach them to write with all captital letters and I do not like it either. But, we teach them both ways some get it and some do not because it is easier for them to write capital letters.
Taryn Nicholson says
Thank you for sharing so many great activities for name recognition and writing. It was inspiring! We created crayon resist name art using white glue, crayons, and watercolour paint. It works well for all ages of toddlers. Please see it here:
http://pi-in2ndgrade.blogspot.ca/2015/07/name-art-crayon-resist.html
Taryn Nicholson @Perfectly Imperfect in Second Grade
leeneh says
Wow! This site is so helpful. Now i have tons of activities for my less privileged students in Liberia. Learning for them is going to take an uphill turn and thanks to you for that. Learning + Fun + creativity….. just can’t wait to see their reaction!
Claire says
I’ve been following your website since I first opened my home day care and love it. Such quality stuff. I’m having some trouble pinning from Facebook and just tried to look you up on Pintrest to no avail. Do you have a Pintrest that I can follow? If not, please start one! It’s so much easier to follow you there!
Jamie Reimer says
Yes! You can find me on Pinterest here: http://www.pinterest.com/handsonaswegrow/
oyeronke says
I run a preschool for about nine kids- one of which is mine- from home. When we started in October, I had their names taped on their chairs. By the end of the term, some could identify their own chairs and amazingly, my daughter could identify everyone’s chair. She’s two plus. This term when we started to introduce sounds and letters, she would look at the sound and match it to the beginning letter of a classmate’s name. Not too long after that, everyone else in their class- oldest child is three- could tell the beginning letters of the names of his peers.
We shall be trying out many of these activities, seeing that they are already interested in names. Thank you for all these great ideas!
Mukesh Panchal says
Preschoolers’ this many of activities would be a big wonder themselves; word arrangements by certain age would surely be a challenge and should therefore be supported with a proper education and of course parental support. What they actually start learning a bit time before they are enrolled in preschool is their real comfort in learning the things much easier than others. Name recognition for a child, learning steps to progress and therefore the supportive tips provided herein are just amazing – cheers, good advice!
Jamie Reimer says
Thank you
amy says
ive pressed to subscribe for a free activity planner but ive not received an email
Jamie Reimer says
Hey Amy – Have you gotten it now? It shows that its been sent.
Linda Jones says
These are really great ideas!
Jamie Reimer says
Thanks Linda :)
Clare Harvey says
These ideas are great, only change I’d make, is just initial letter capital and the rest, lower case.
Diane says
As a kindergarten teacher, I have regarded upper case letters as a preK skill, and lower case letters as more of a K skill.
Niranjana says
Really great! thanks for it
Amanda says
As a former teacher, I recommend teaching your little one to write and recognize his or her name with the first letter capitalized and the other letters lower-case. Might as well start them off right, rather than confusing them with all caps.
OneMommy says
Wow! Who would have thought there would be so many great and creative ways to help kids recognize their written name? What a great list!
Andie says
this is a great resource! this fall in our home preschool we are starting writing/sounding out words. these will be great activities to try!
Jackie @ Happy Hooligans says
Wow! What a great collection of ideas, Jamie! This will be great to have as a go-to for letter/name activities. Pinning now. Thanks for mentioning our name puzzles. :)