sbegnamerecog

Name Recognition Game: Here's a little poem I wrote to use for a name recognition game a few years back. I simply substituted other words for the ones in "The Donut Shop" (a game you will find in my October pages). To play the game, spread children's name tags out on a table in front of them as they sit together. Change the number in the poem below to the number of children in your class and change the name "Alice" to each child's name as you repeat the poem. Children may need help finding their names at first, but by the end of the school year, it should be a breeze. To add pre-math to the activity, after each name tag is taken away, have the children help you count how many are left:
The Preschool
Down around the corner in the preschool that was best
There were 15 little name tags on the teacher's desk
Along came the teacher with something to say
She said, "Alice, come and take your name tag away."

Practice Printing: Print the first name of each child on individual pieces of posterboard. Place each one in a 3-ring notebook sheet protector then place all of them in a notebook. When introducing the activity, show children how to scotch tape a piece of tracing paper over their cards and trace their names.

Name Matching: Print the first names of all the children in the class on a posterboard chart. Children then match name cards to the names on the chart.
Variation: Print children's full names on strips of posterboard and let children match loose letters to the ones in their names.

Where Do I Play? In advance, post children's name cards in various learning centers. After your Greetings Group Time, have them play in the learning center where they find their names (provide assistance as needed).

How Many Letters? Put a posterboard list of the children's names on the table. Each day, place a box of tiny round rubber bands (or other game tokens) and a plastic (or paper) letter at the top of the list. Let's say you put out a plastic "c." Children then find all the letter c's they can find in the list of names and place a rubber band on them.
Variation: Put out name cards (rather than a list) and a box of paper clips. Children slide a clip onto the edge of the cards (on all the letter c's, for example).

My Placemat: Print each child's name in the center of a posterboard placemat and let them decorate around their name as they choose using flat collage materials, making it their own placemat to use for snack time. (Laminate.)

My Name Card: At the beginning of outdoor time, everyone sit down on the sidewalk or concrete area of your playground facing you (make sure they can spread out a bit). Call a child by name, roll a ball to them, and then say, for example, "Jill, when I hold up your name tag, please roll the ball back to me." Then hold up the name cards one at a time for "Jill" to see. When she sees hers, she rolls the ball back to you, and then she goes to play on the playground.

Initial Jigglers: In a large bowl, have children carefully help you stir 2 1/2 cups boiling water (or boiling apple juice) into 2 pkgs (8 serving size) JELL-O BRAND GELATIN for at least 3 minutes, or until completely dissolved. Pour this into a 9 x 13" pan. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until firm. Then dip the bottom of the pan in warm water for about 15 seconds. Have children take turns with cookie cutters and cut their first name initials into the Jello. Then eat!

Options For "Name Initials" Snacks:
*Serve alphabet soup or alphabet cereal and let children find their initials.
*Let children fingerpaint their initials in chocolate pudding on a paper plate and then lick their fingers.
*Let children cut their first name initials from a piece of cheese and their last name initials from a piece of bread.
*Let children mold and then eat peanut butter playdough name initials (Recipe: 1 cup Peanut Butter, 1 Cup Honey, and 1 cup Powdered milk)

Creative Dance/Music: One of my favorite songs to dance to in the classroom is the Paul Simon song that was a hit several years ago called "You Can Call Me Al." It's also a great way to introduce the "trumpet" musical instrument.

From Russell, Bruny Island, Australia:
Name Tracing: We make "Puff Paint" with the children (equal parts flour and salt, then add water until it is a nice squeezeable consistency). Add powdered tempera, dye, or food colorings -- the brighter you make it, the better! Pour it into squeezable containers (we used BBQ sauce bottles). Print children's names on black posterboard (tagboard) using chalk then have them squirt/trace over the top of their names in whatever color takes their fancy. Let it dry lying flat (takes a while). They can make free designs on a clean piece of black posterboard.
Variation on mixing of ingredients: Use equal parts water, flour, and salt. If you use a cheaper brand of salt, it tends to sparkle when dry.

Here's a great name recognition activity from Maria, in Costa Mesa, California:
Find Your Name: Hide shapes around the classroom with children's names (or beginning name initial) on them when focusing on letters of the alphabet. Have children (whose names begin with that letter) find their names (or letter) and bring them to you for a sticker or other reward. For example, if the letter of the week is "Aa," hide apple shapes with the children's "A" names on them, or "T" names on a triangle shape for "T" week, etc.

From Robin Halbedel, in Pataskala, Ohio:
Bubbleletter Fishing: (Good to do outdoors on a warm day): Place plastic letters of the alphabet (upper and lower case) in a small pool with water and lots of bubbles. Let children "fish" for a letter. (If a child needs help, you can hook a letter to a fishing line from under the water without them seeing.) When a letter is brought up, have the child name it (if developmentally ready), then look at his/her own name card (protected in a plastic bag) to see if their name has that letter in it. Children have fun but are learning name and letter recognition at the same time.
From Sandra, in Detroit, Michigan:
Name Fishing: Stormie, an idea on your website called "Bubbleletter Fishing," led me to stumble onto this version of the same game: In advance, place paper clips on children's name tags and place them in a large container in the center of Group Time (this is the pond -- no water though). Children take turns using magnetic fishing poles to "catch a name fish." The child whose name is on the card then speaks up, letting everyone know it was his/her name that was caught.

I love this idea from Cheryl Kronberger that combines name recogniton with enjoying the outdoors:
Finding My Name: I cut paper shapes from a boy and girl cookie cutter. I printed the boy's names on the boy shapes and girl's names on the girl shapes. I went into our school garden before class and used paper clips to clip the figures onto plants. In class, during our morning group time, we discussed names and I gave each child a piece of paper with their name on it and told them we were going on a treasure hunt walk and they needed to hunt their own name, exactly the way it is written on their piece of paper. We all went out and had loads of fun, and every single child managed to find his/her own name. Once we were back in class, they were allowed to take a treat from our "treasure box." They loved it!

From Angie:
Roll Call: Make taking role call a part of your first morning group time by holding up a name tag and if that child is here and recognizes their name, they say "I'm here!"

From Shawna Wilton, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:
Practice Printing: Hi Stormie, At the beginning of the school year, the children come in and find their laminated name cards at a table. They use markers (washable ink) to practice printing their name by following the letter shapes on their cards (the cards wipe off for use the next day). By the end of the year, they can print their names on their own. It works great!

I love this idea from Sharon Winter, Baltimore, Maryland:
Letters Create Names: By way of introducing the alphabet to the children, I first read Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom, by Bill Archembault. We then find alphabet letters throughout our classroom and talk about other places where we might find them. To further demonstrate how words are created from letters, I place letters of the children's names on our magnet board (could also be done using a flannel board). For instance, I call out a child's name, like "Joey," then I place a magnetic "J" on the magnet board. Then I'll place an "o" next to the "J" and so on until the child's name is spelled. I do this for each child. (To involve the children more, have THEM place the letters on the board.) After we finish this circle time activity, I have each child tear green and brown paper and glue them onto blue construction paper to create a Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom Tree. I give each child the letters of his/her name (previously die cut) to glue onto their trees. I don't have the children glue the letters of their name in order, they are just encouraged to glue the letters of their name anywhere on the tree, the idea being that letters of the alphabet form words, such as our names. (The children really love this lesson because it relates to the story.)

From Heather, Charleroi, Pennsylvania:
My Own Seat: We attach pieces of Velcro to the back of the chairs. The children each have a laminated seasonal shape (apples, mitten, etc) with their names on them (with the opposite type of Velcro on the back). The shapes are "stored" on Velcro around the calendar. The children get their shape and take it to their chair where it stays all day. This helps with name recognition. It decorates our calendar area! And it's a great way to keep children from fighting over where they will sit.

From Mur, Preschool Art Teacher, Idaho:
Spelling My Name: First, I collected lots of milk jug caps (parents will save them if you ask). I purchased some sentence strips and printed each child's name on them, followed by their name printed in "connect the dot" type letters, and at the end, I provided a space for them to print their name (especially the ones going on to kindergarten). I printed off the letters of each child's name onto sticker paper (you can use the kind with small circles, laser cut also), and then I cut them out with a circle cutter and placed each individual letter onto a milk jug cap. I laminated the sentence strips with their names and placed their individual caps into a small ziplock bag. To "play" this game, children must arrange their caps to spell their name by looking at their printed name on the strip, usually directly under it, and matching the letters. Then using a washable marker, they trace over their name and at the space at the end, they try printing it. It has been great practice for them in our Language Center. They take them home at the end of the year to practice throughout the summer.

From Holly Corin, Sharpsburg, Georgia:
Name Cards: Hi Stormie! Our three year olds were always asking "which one is mine?" when we displayed there artwork on the walls. So I made 3 x 5 cards for each child's name and laminated them. When we hang artwork, we place the child's name card next to his piece. Now when they ask this question, I point to the name card and one or more children will shout the name. They love the importance this gives their artwork and it's a great way for all the children to recognize their classmates' names.
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