Name Recognition

At school my class of three and four year olds have name tags for their bags, name tag charts and  various name labels around the room. They are becoming quite familiar with their name in the written form.

Here are a few examples of how to incorporate the children's names into different activities that are great fine motor activities and lots of fun - especially when you add a shaker of glitter!!

Playdough cakes with name candles:

I wrote the children's names on popsticks and added some glitter, patty cases and the regular playdough utensils. I then invited the children to make little cakes with sprinkles and of course pretend candles. The children were looking for their own name and some even recognised their friend's names. They were talking about the letters in their names and it stimulated a lot of great language. The children were learning while playing.

At home you could make family candles and make multiple names so that the children could sort all of the "Mum" candles and put them on one cake.

Pegging their name

At this activity the children needed to find their name that was attached to a container and then look for pegs that had the letters from their name. The children were talking, helping, sharing, problem solving, laughing, learning and having fun. Many children helped their friends look for certain letters and attempted to make their friends names.

This is a great fine motor activity. It reinforces the letter names and also helps the children learn the left to right orientation of their name.

Writing their name

Some children are showing an interest in beginning to write their name. Of course we encourage all attempts and don't put any pressure on the children. One good idea is to attach the child's name tag to a sketch book with a long ribbon. The child can then trace or copy their name if they show interest in doing so. The front of the book has a pocket to keep the name tag safe.