5 Fun Name Writing Practice Activities

Name writing practice often begins in preschool and is perfected in the early months of kindergarten.  As a kindergarten teacher, I am often asked by parents how to teach kids to write their name.

Whether you are a parent looking to prepare your child for school, or a kindergarten teacher searching for activities to teach name writing, here are  5 tips for name writing practice.

Name Writing Practice for Preschool

Before expecting kids to write their name, they must first know the letters in their name.

When my daughters were just months old, I began singing their name to them.  For example “S-k-y…l-e-r….Skyler!” By the age of two she could recite the letters of her name, because she had repetition of letters presented through song.

Brain based learning research shows familiar songs evoke strong positive memories, and stronger emotions correlate with stronger memories (Jensen Learning).  This, my friends, is also why I am a huge advocate for using nursery rhymes and poems to teach reading.

Start building their foundation, and set the stage for them to be strong readers, now! Once a child can recite the letters in their name, you will want to practice name building activities, and expose them to seeing their name in print as often as possible.

5 Fun Name Building Activities

After reciting the letters, and being exposed to seeing their name in print, your child can begin name writing practice.

1. Magnetic Letter Scramble

Grab a set of magnetic letters, and let’s have some fun!  Using only the letters of the their name, scramble the letters, and have your child put them in order.

I suggest keeping a visual of their name close by.  For example, write their name on a piece of paper (make sure to write the letters the same as the magnets, such as capital or lowercase), and hang the paper above where they are building their name.

2. Leap Frog Fridge Phonics

This classic letter and letter sound toy is a must have for kids learning the alphabet.   I have used these sets with both of my daughters, and my kindergarten students,  when teaching them their names, letters, and letter sounds.

3. Printable Alphabet Letter Cards

Enhance your kids name writing activities with these ABC letter cards, picture cards, and word card sorts.

Let the kids use the letter cards to practice building their name.  After mastering their own name, let them try and build the names of family members or peers.

4. Pom Pom Name Craft

This bright and colorful name craft is perfect for back to school!  Simply write their name in glue, and have them cover the letters with small pom poms!

5. Name Writing Practice Worksheets

During the first week of kindergarten, I would always read the children’s book about letters and names, From Anne to Zach, by Mary Jane Martin.

This name writing activity is a great worksheet for back to school, writing names, and all about me lessons. Great for Pre-K, Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and 1st grade.

Students identify and paste the first letter of their name, trace a sentence starter, write their name independently, then color a picture of themselves.  Display on a kids art wall, on a bulletin board, or put in a binder to make a class book at the beginning of the year. It will become a class favorite, and an engaging way for the kids to learn how to read their friends names.

This printable name writing practice activity includes:

• Directions for prepping and lesson
• Girls worksheet
• Boys Worksheet
• Black/white letter tiles
• Colored letter tiles

5 Tips for Name Writing Activities

1. Write out your child’s name with a highlighter or marker, and have them trace over it. This is my NUMBER ONE STRATEGY!
2. Use playdoh to build the letters in their name, then have them trace the letters with their finger.
3. Rainbow writing: encourage them to write their name in all different colors ~ using crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc.
4. Name Writing Worksheets:  There are lots of printable worksheets to help your child practice writing their name. See more below.
5. Writing your name in shaving cream.  Shaving cream is a wonderful sensory based learning activity for kids.  Once they master writing their name, you can have them practice writing sight words in shaving cream, too.

 

Final Thoughts about Name Writing Practice

Name writing is an important milestone in early childhood development.

Typically around preschool and early kindergarten, kids develop the ability to write their name independently.

Name writing begins with exposure to the printed name, reciting the letters in order, and building the name using letter tiles, magnetic letters, or letter cards.  Then, your child can begin practicing name writing with activities, such as tracing, rainbow writing, and name writing worksheets.

Get your kiddos engaged in name writing activities as soon as possible.  There are many ways to practice name building and name writing, with printable resources and games mentioned throughout this post.  Start with these printable name writing worksheets, today.

Before you go, here are a few blog posts you may enjoy:

20 Tips for Teaching Concepts of Print

25 Must-Have Back to School Books 

35 Ideas for Indoor Recess Games

Name writing practice