35 Name Activities 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 backwards, which shocked me!

Now, its onto our last name… which for reason seems daunting to me. 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!

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Name Recognition

Put their name up every where. Label everything of theirs with their name. Use their name in your activities! Have fun with it!

1. Squirt their name! Create a fizzing reaction using baking soda sidewalk paint and vinegar!
2. Try the Paper Plate Name Song and Game that Little Giraffe shares!
3. Fish for names! If you have a group of kids, this would be terrific. If not, use family names [like Mom, Dad, Baby, and include their name too]. [Miss G’s Aussie Kindergarten]
4. Write their name first and have them trace it with pipe cleaners! [Parents.com]
5. Use candles to write their name and watch as the magic happens when they paint over it with watercolors! [Fairy Dust Teaching Kindergarten]
6. Make homemade playing cards with photos and names of family. This would make a great take-along activity for traveling or a busy bag. [Teach Mama]
7. Similarly, Busy Kids = Happy Mom creates a ‘Who Am I’ book to label important people [and your child!] with their names.
8. Create a name place mat for tracing! [Playdough to Plato]
9. Roll out play dough on pre-printed mats to trace their name. [Moms Like Me]
10. Write out their name with food. Play Dr. Mom uses “ants on a log“.
11. Use these color by number name printables to have your child color their name! [Royal Baloo]
12. Try a sensory bin letter hunt to recognize letters that are in their name. [Smiling Like Sunshine]
13. Spell or write out their name and count how long it is! [Spell Outloud on Squidoo.com]
14. Collage their name with paper scraps onto their prewritten name. [Teach Preschool]
15. Write their name in glue and color over them to make prints! [Excellence in Early Childhood Education]

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Spelling their Name

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.

1. Use the computer [or other form of technology] and have them type their name using the keyboard.
2. String up letters in their name around the room and have them go on a hunt for their name!
3. The Imagination Tree spells out names using play dough letter impressions.
4. JDaniel4’s Mom bakes and spells their name with letter shapes cookies!
5. Make name rockets! The longer the name, the bigger the rocket! [Ms. Solano’s Kindergarten]
6. Mrs. Drake’s Room uses a paint stick and clothespins with letters of their name. Clever and works on fine motor skills too!
7. Post-It letters in your name game. Hunt for the letter in their name and put them in order. [The Domestic Notebook]
8. Make necklaces with letter beads! [Little Giraffes]
9. Make a name cube, roll it and spell your name! [Toddler Approved]
10. Unscramble the letters to spell your name! [Kids Activities Blog]
11. Hunt for letters of their name on a walk. [NurtureStore]
12. Label rocks with letters of their name and use it to spell! [Time for Play]
13. Fish for letters of their name in a water tub and arrange spell it out! [House of Baby Piranha]
14. Stamp their names with paint. Can they spell it themselves? [Frugal Fun 4 Boys]
15. Create a name mobile! Stamp or print the letters and have your child string them up in order! [Cere’s Childcare]
16. Shoot for the letters of your name in order with a cork! Some archery fun from Toddler Approved.
17. Make your own customized handwriting worksheets… [HandWritingWorksheets.com]
18. Make these easy name puzzles for your child to put together! [Happy Hooligans]
19. 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].
20. You could also use letter magnets to spell their names! [Teach Mama]
21. BONUS NAME ACTIVITY! Learn to spell their name while making a rainbow!

http://handsonaswegrow.com/35-name-activities-for-preschoolers/