If you’re a regular reader of Fun-A-Day, you already know how I love teaching using kids’ names! There’s so much learning that takes place as children explore their names and the names of their friends. Previously, I shared over 15 preschool name activities to try with the kiddos. Since then, my students and I have done even more with name learning. So here are 10 more name ideas to try out with your preschoolers!
#PLAYfulpreschool learning with preschool name activities
If you’ve been following along most Wednesdays for the past few months, you’ve seen some themed posts from the #PLAYfulpreschool team. I’ve really enjoyed sharing lesson plans with other parents and educators, and I hope you all have enjoyed it too. This Wednesday’s focus is sharing a round-up of preschool ideas. Below are 10 preschool name activities to try out soon!
The main reason I like using kids’ names to teach is because names are meaningful. I am ALL ABOUT fun and meaningful learning experiences! Children have ownership over their names, which makes their names important. Therefore, kids will be more interested in anything done with their names!
Here are just some of the concepts that can be taught using children’s names (as well as their friends’ names, their family members’ names, their teachers’ names, etc.) –
Letter identification
Letter sounds
Letter formation
Reading/writing left to right
Counting
Graphing
Comparing and contrasting
Sight word recognition
What are some of your favorite preschool name activities? I love hearing how other parents/teachers integrate learning with kids’ names. I’m sure I’ll be doing even more in the next year!
More #PLAYfulpreschool ideas to use in the new year
When I was prepping by preschool lesson plans for January, I knew I wanted to incorporate some winter fine motor activities and more name activities. I use Pinterest to help organize ideas for my classroom, so I hopped over to my Winter board and scoped out a few ideas. This pin from Sugar Aunts inspired the fine motor literacy activity the kids and I so cleverly titled “Snowball Names!”
Be sure to check out Sugar Aunts’ fine motor snowmen. It looks like a ton of fun for the kiddos! Plus, it had glitter. While I love our snowball names, there was no glitter involved. Yet.
snowball names is a fun, easy-to-set-up literacy activity
Set-Up
As promised, this is an easy-to-set-up literacy activity! Write each child’s name on a piece of construction paper. I liked the blue paper the best, but the black paper made for a nice contrast too. Grab some hole reinforcement stickers.
What the kids did
In the two seconds it took me to set everything out, I was swarmed with children. I love their enthusiasm! When asked what I was doing, I said, “I thought we could make our names out of snowballs!” This brought some giggles, and the children dove in.
Their little fingers got serious workouts with this literacy activity! Having to carefully remove the stickers, then oh-so-gently place the stickers on the letters took some serious fine motor control. I was amazed at how detail-oriented and attentive the children were throughout this activity!
Keep in mind, those stickers go quickly! We went through 4 or 5 packs, and I still have a couple of kiddos who need to finish their names (they were out sick).
The learning
Here’s some of the important early learning concepts we touched on while making “Snowball Names” –
Fine motor skills, of course!
Word recognition – reading their names, as well as their friends’ names
Appropriate letter formation
Print concepts – we write and read from left to write
Alphabet identification
Letter sounds
So much learning with such an easy-peasy literacy activity. Now I just need to get our snowball names up in the classroom. I’m sure the kiddos already have a place in mind!
This valentine craft for kids was inspired by our candy cane names, as well as the preschoolers’ love for beads! The kiddos’ beaded name hearts integrated literacy, math, and fine motor skills. Check ’em out . . .
beaded name heart valentine craft
Affiliate links included below.
Materials
Pipe cleaners in various colors
Alphabet beads – we used circular beads, as well as cube-like beads
Pony beads – we chose white, purple, blue, pink, and red
How the kids created
The kiddos were very interested once the beads and pipe cleaners were laid out on one of our center tables! There is just something cathartic and fun about stringing beads onto pipe cleaners. Plus, the children love wearing their creations and decorating with them.
I encouraged the kiddos to find the letters in their names and make patterns on their beaded hearts. Some did just that, carefully patterning and adding letter beads to create their names. Others used the beads to make their names on one side of the heart, while colorful beads went on the other side.
Not all of the students were interested in making name beads, and that’s ok! We were still able to talk about letters, colors, and patterns – all while having some fine motor fun.
This kiddo made a beaded heart just focused on colorful patterns!
Once the children added their chosen beads to a pipe cleaner, I formed a ‘v’ with it. Then I curved in either side of the pipe cleaner and twisted the ends together. If needed, I evened it out to make the heart shape.
The learning
Here are some of the early learning concepts we touched on with this easy-peasy valentine craft:
Counting
Letter identification
Spelling names
Patterning
Fine motor practice
Do you have a favorite valentine craft you enjoy making with the kiddos? Are yours as into beading as my preschoolers are?
Pop on over to my Valentine’s Day Pinterest board for more ideas!
It’s no secret that we do a ton of name activities in my preschool craft. Names are important to the kiddos, and learning their names is something every preschooler strives for. A child’s name can be used to teach so many early learning concepts, too. I created two fun activities for using a butterfly craft to teach kiddos’ their names. I think they’re perfect for a butterfly or insect theme, or just for some colorful spring fun!
2 ways to use a butterfly craft to teach kids’ their names
Materials
White paper/cardstock
Glue
Paper straws
Bow tie pasta
Rotini pasta
Food coloring or liquid watercolors
If you don’t have these bits on-hand, grab some pasta and color it! Place the pasta in a bag, add some food coloring or liquid watercolors, and then shake well. Let the pasta dry completely before making the name butterflies.
Directions for the first butterfly craft name
Write the child’s name on a thick piece of paper or a piece of cardstock. If the kiddo’s name is long, you might need to staple two pieces of paper together.
Set out the butterflies (bowtie pasta) and caterpillars (rotini pasta). Have the child trace the first letter with glue, then add pasta as she sees fit! Keep going, letter by letter, until her name is done. This is a great time to talk about letter formation, letter sounds, that we write left to right, and maybe even touch on some butterfly life cycle facts.
Directions for the second butterfly craft name
Grab some of the colorful “butterfly” pastas – one for each letter in the child’s name. Cut up a paper straw so you have one piece for each butterfly. The kiddo can help with this, of course! Write a letter on each straw piece until the child’s entire first name is represented. Glue each straw letter onto a piece of butterfly pasta.
Let the child use his butterfly letters to create his name. As with the above butterfly craft name, talk about literacy and science concepts as you go along. The child can make his name, then break it apart, and then remake it to his heart’s content. If the kiddo wants to, he can even glue his butterfly letters to a piece of paper or cardstock to display.
Which butterfly craft name would your child enjoy the most?
Learning about letters needs to be a hands-on, meaningful process for kids. Names are definitely meaningful, which is why I like to incorporate them a lot when I’m teaching the alphabet. A class alphabet book that’s centered around names definitely fits the bill!
Materials
Alphabet name book front cover (free printable HERE)
26 pieces of paper – 1 for each letter of the alphabet Markers Binding machine or book rings
Prep
Get all of the papers together. I chose to make the book itself printable, although I’ll be handwriting the kids’ names. You can download a free copy of the front cover HERE if you’re interested. I used D. J. Inkers’ Alphabet Smilesfor the alphabet pages. They correlate to the way I made my classroom word wall, and I just like them! In the past, I’ve also just grabbed construction paper and hand-written the letter pages – whatever works!
If you don’t want the lines on the paper, simply add a blank text box to the document to cover the lines up.
Putting the book together
Over the course of a few days, add children’s names to the alphabet book. I like to do this slowly, gauging the kids’ interest in the activity. So some days, we’ll add five names to the book, while other days we’ll only add one.
When adding a name to the book, the names are written on every page that correlates with a letter in that name. For example, the name John would be written on the Hh, Jj, Nn, and Oo pages. I like to write the targeted letters in a specific color, with the other letters written in black.
When writing the names on the page, talk and ask questions. Here are some suggestions:
How many letters does Liam have in his name? Let’s count them together!
Violet’s name starts with a V. Who else has a name that starts with that letter?
What do you notice about these names?
Down, across makes the letter ‘t.’
This name book is great for classroom use, but it can also be used for teaching the alphabet in a homeschool setting or as a family activity. Simply use family members’ names in the book!
Once everyone’s names are written in the book (including the teachers’ names), it’s time to assemble it. I like to laminate books like this that the kiddos are going to read over and over again! Then I bind the book or add a few book rings to it and place it in our reading area. The kids enjoying reading through it, and it’s also fun to read together during circle time.
I met my darling friend Devany of Still Playing School via blogging, and I got the chance to meet her in person recently. Devany is an amazing writer, mama, teacher, and friend, and she’s been very open about her younger daughter’s short life. When I was making an example of the Vv page for this post, I felt compelled to include Violet. You can ready more about their journey HERE.
The learning
Here are some of the early education concepts covered with this activity:
Letter names
Letter sounds
Letter formation
We write and read left to right, top to bottom
Letters work together to make words
more about teaching the alphabet
Be sure to see what the rest of the #TeachECE crew are sharing about ABC learning:
Name activities are a staple in my classroom. I thought it would be fun to create a few based around a preschool apple theme. Even better, these name ideas are perfect for extending the book Ten Apples Up On Top!
printable letter apples up on top
Materials
Letter apples (free printable HERE)
Pictures or drawings
Directions
Prep the letter apples. I printed out my own letter apples, but there are other ways to make them – letters could be handwritten on apple die-cuts or hand-cut apples. It doesn’t have to be anything super fancy!
Once the letter apples are ready, I’d suggest laminating them. They’ll hold up through repeated uses this way (I know this from personal experience)! Do the same with a drawing or photo of the child(ren).
For this activity, use a pocket chart, a large piece of paper, a piece of cardboard, or just the kitchen table. Encourage the kiddo to make her name, with the first letter apple up on top and placing each subsequent letter below. At the bottom of her name, she can add the photo or drawing of herself!
In the classroom, this activity is perfect at a pocket chart. Leave the laminated photos of the kiddos, along with the letter apples, nearby. During circle time or center time, the children can practice making their names and their friends’ names!
stamping name apples up on top
Materials
Apples
Tempera paint
Fork or corn holder (optional – to hold the apple easier)
Marker
Directions
Let the child delve into apple print making. He may want to create and explore this concept for a while, and that’s just fine! Once he’s satisfied that exploration, have him make one apple print for each letter of his name.
When the apple prints are dried, cut them out and write a letter on each. Depending on the child, he can help with this process too!
Then set up the activity just like the first one. Again, this activity would work well at home or in the classroom!
letter matching apple name activity
Materials
Printable letter apples
Apple print letters
Directions
For this, combine the letter apples from the two previous activities. Depending on the child, this activity could be done in different ways:
Place one set of letter apples out to spell her name. Then have her match those letters with the painted apple print letters.
Use either name set to put her name together on her own. Make it into a game by mixing up the letters and seeing if she can reassemble her name.
Place the letter apples near a sensory writing tray and encourage her to write her name in the tray.
Which of these apples up on top name activities would your kids like the most? If you try it out, I’d love to see pictures of the process over on Fun-A-Day’s Facebook page!
Find More
On the hunt for even more apple themed activities for kids? Check out these fun ideas from some of my favorite kid bloggers.
I do a ton of teaching using my students’ names, as regular Fun-A-Day readers know! Here’s a 5 senses activity that’s centered on learning with names. I love that it’s a simple, engaging process for the kiddos. Plus, it yields a deliciously-scented name!
make scented names with this 5 senses activity for preschool
Materials
Glue
Paper
Flavored gelatin
Directions
Write the child’s name on a piece of construction paper (or card stock). Help the child trace over the letters in her name with the glue.
Let the kiddo sprinkle gelatin all over the name. Encourage her to make sure the glue is entirely covered!
Help the child pour off the extra gelatin powder, then observe what happens next. We watched as the glue ended up getting the gelatin powder wet. This led to the color of the powder becoming more apparent. While I’m always a sucker for the color purple, I ended up liking the blue more this time around. It was just more vibrant.
Let the scented name dry. Once it is, the name can be put up around the home or in the classroom. It should remain scented for a while. If the kiddo wants to, she can scratch at it a little bit to bring out more of the scent.
The Learning
This super simple 5 senses activity yields so much early learning! Here are some of the concepts it touches on:
Left-to-right progression of the English language
Letter identification
Letter formation
Letters work together to make words
Sensory exploration – especially seeing, touching, and smelling
Absorption
Would your kiddos enjoy making scratch-and-sniff names? What’s another 5 senses activity that’s always a hit in your home or classroom?
I do a ton of teaching with my preschoolers’ names throughout the year. I love integrating the kids’ names into all kinds of fun activities, and the children love it too! One simple name activity I like to do at the beginning of the school year is Dot Names. Simple name for a simple, but meaningful and engaging, activity.
easy to set up name activity for kids
Materials
Dot paints
White construction paper
Prep
Cut the construction paper in half, horizontally. For longer names, tape or staple the papers end to end. Using a pencil, write each child’s name on a paper strip.
Directions
Bring the kids over, and explain that they’re going to create some dot art using their names. If the children haven’t used dot paints before, show them how to gently squeeze the paints and how to dab them on the paper.
For this activity, the children should use the dot paints to trace over the names written in pencil. I’m not too picky with how the kids do this, as long as they’re going from left to right. Some children use just one color, while other kids want to use them all. Some kids are diligent about carefully dotting all along the letters, while others want to slide the dot paints along their name.
Help them with letter formation, talking about where to start and how to go, but all in an easy-going way. No need to make this a stressful activity!
The Learning
With this super easy activity, children are learning a variety of early skills. Here are a few:
Left to right progression
Letter formation
Letter identification
Sight words (their names)
Concept of a word
Fine motor skills
Have you tried a dot name activity with your children/students before? If so, I’d love for you to share some photos over on Fun-A-Day’s Facebook page!
Kids’ names are incredibly meaningful to them, so I love using names to teach my pre-k students. One of the ways I do this is by making a Name Kit at the beginning of each school year. The children love helping me make it, and they use it often throughout the school year. Included in the Name Kit, among other things, is a simple name book.
The name book is super easy to put together, and the children enjoy helping me make it. It teaches a variety of early literacy concepts, such as:
Letter identification
Letter sounds
Left to right progression
High frequency words (names)
making name books for preschool
Affiliate links included in this post.
Grab some construction paper, then cut it in half horizontally. I usually use basic white paper, but I’m sure colored paper would be fine too.
Fold the strips of paper in half to make mini book pages. The strips of paper can be cut in half again, vertically, but I usually just fold them. Grab enough strips to create the right number of pages for the child’s name. Staple along the left-hand side.
On the front cover, write the child’s first name. On each subsequent page, write one letter from the child’s name. Be sure to write the letters in the same order as they’re found in the name. Each letter gets its own page! Be sure to write both the capital and lowercase version of each letter.
They have the child choose clipart to add to each page. I use D.J. Inker’s Alphabet Smiles download for this, as it matches my classroom word wall. Other clipart would work just as well, though! I tend to use the black and white version, but colorful clipart is also an option!
Once everything is put together, the name book goes into the child’s Name Kit – ready to read over and over. When I read it with the children, we say the name of the letter, the letter sound, and the picture. Obviously, some children need more help than others (and that changes as the year progresses). Would your students benefit from making name books?
printable name books
I am so excited to announce that there’s now a printable version of the name books HERE! Jamie of Play to Learn Preschool does a lot with name teaching, too, and she approached me with this awesome collaboration idea! Check out how she uses the editable, printable name books with her preschool kiddos.
This was one of those activities that started out one way, then took off in a different direction! My son and I had a blast with a name ice melting idea that turned into an art and science experiment.
ice melting experiment with names
Affiliate links included in this post.
I asked Engineer if he had any ice-themed ideas he wanted to try for this week’s Early Childhood Education activity. We’ve been off school for a few days due to weather, so I wasn’t able to try one out with my preschoolers. He thought about it and decided something with names would be fun because he knows I’m teaching my preschoolers a lot of concepts with their names. His idea was originally name ice sculptures!
We grabbed our well-loved letter ice cube trays and started to fill them with water. That is, until Engineer spied the glitter liquid watercolors out on the kitchen counter. I knew we’d have some time off from school because of snow, so I brought my personal stash home from the classroom. Some people stock up on bread; I make sure we have enough art supplies. The kiddo suggested adding the glitter watercolors to the water so we could have some fun ice cube letters. We decided to use glittery purple, glittery yellow, and glittery turquoise.
Once the icy letters were ready to go, we popped out some of the letters. We made a few names, deciding to start with mine. Once Engineer saw the colorful ice letters, he wanted to break out the salt. He loves exploring how ice melts, so we settled on that instead of name sculptures. Before we got started, Engineer shared some predictions about how long he thought it would take for the ice to melt once salt was poured on it.
My name was placed on a tray, and then we sprinkled it with salt. Watching the colored ice melt was such fun! I commented that it looked like both an art and science experiment, so we added some white construction paper to the mix. Next time, we’re going to try this with sturdier watercolor paper, though.
We had fun watching the salt eat away at the icy letters. Engineer, of course, decided to add more salt on top of the letters after a while. We didn’t treat this as a truly scientific experiment obviously – otherwise we would have been a bit more precise in measuring and keeping track of the salt we used. We left my name on the tray, covered with salt.
While waiting for my name to melt, the kiddo and I decided to see if it would be different if the salt was underneath the letters. We discussed a few possible end results, then decided to set everything up. We put more construction paper into another tray. Salt was added to the tray, followed by another name (hi, Peg!) and extraneous letters.
While the first experimental set up fascinated us because of the salt eating away at the ice, the second experiment grabbed our attention for a different reason. Once we added a thicker layer of salt, we loved watching the watercolorsas they were absorbed by the salt. Just beautiful!
In the end, we were both off in terms of how long it took the icy names to melt. We loved keeping track of the ice melting process, as well as observing how the watercolors added a new dimension. One of the things that entertained us the most was that the glitter stayed in the letter shape once the ice was melted! That is, until we stuck our fingers into the colorful salt and mixed everything up!
We came away from this ice melting science and art project with a few pretty pieces of art, a ton of smiles, and some beautiful pictures. I am positive we’ll be trying this again, and I know my preschool kiddos will get a kick out of it!
For more ice-themed activities, please see what the rest of the #TeachECE group is up to:
Name writing is an important skill to learn in early childhood. Read about how to make and use your own preschool sign-in book so kids can practice name writing.
Names are the . . . well, name . . . of the game in preschool! To get the kids started, I’m a big believer in using hands-on, multi-sensory activities to teach kids about their names.
In addition to all that, preschool children need the chance for basic name writing practice, too.
Enter the preschool sign-in book, a surprisingly simple idea that has always been a hit with the kiddos. I can attest to the fact that kindergartners get a lot of benefits from it, too.
Why Use a Preschool Sign in Book for Name Writing?
Signing into class every day may seem silly to an adult, but it’s actually quite meaningful for children. First, because it’s all about THEM — their name, and they are doing the writing.
Secondly, it’s part of a book that the class works on together.
It’s a super fast way for the kids to work on learning their names. Finding their names in the sign-in book helps them learn to identify what their names look like in print. Taking the time for name writing every morning gives them a no-pressure way to practice writing their names.
The sign-in book also allows me to keep a record of each child’s progress when it comes to name writing and recognition. I sometimes jot notes to myself in the margins of the book once the kids are done. These notes might include comments about the children’s pencil grasp, if they wrote their name in order and left to right, or if they need more help with letter formation. At the end of the year, the sign in book shows each child’s name writing progress from the beginning of the year.
I love looking back through the book at different parts of the year. I look at how the children wrote their names the first week of school, and I usually compare that to how they’re writing in December, then February, then May. In addition to helping me see the changes in their name writing, it’s also a helpful tool during parent conferences. Such a simple way to show parents what a great job their kiddos are doing in preschool!
How to Make a Sign-In Book for Your Classroom
This sign-in book is pretty simple, and I like it that way! It has a front cover that says “Our Sign In Book”, and there’s a laminated back cover as well. The front cover is printed out, mounted on colorful construction paper, and then run through the laminator. To make a back cover, I just laminate a second piece of construction paper. Take my word for it, if you want your sign-in book to last the year, make sure to laminate the front and back covers!
The actual name writing sign in sheets get placed between the covers, and everything’s held together with loose-leaf rings. For the sign-in sheets, I use a very basic grid with 8 rectangles to house the students’ names. I usually just type it up in a Word document, but sometimes I simply write their names within the rectangles. The names are at the top of the rectangle, with room underneath for the kids to sign in.
Since it’s held together by loose-leaf rings, it’s easy to add more sign-in sheets as the year progresses.
You can grab your own free printable version of my sign-in book below. Bonus – it’s now editable!
Teach Name Writing Using a Sign-In Book
At the very beginning of the year, many children are still learning the correct formation of their names. Because of this, I sometimes use a yellow marker to help them out. Underneath the type-written name, I write the name again in the yellow marker. Then, when a child is signing in, he can trace over the letters I wrote in yellow.
Much of the time, I am sitting next to the child, walking him through the name writing process. This includes moving from left to right when writing, and I also focus on the correct letter formation. Despite how much detail I’m going into here, it really is a quick process. Some children need more help than others, and that’s perfectly fine!
If you are teaching your children or your students how to write their names, I would like to stress one point. PLEASE teach them to write their names with the first letter capitalized and the rest lowercase. This is how they’ll usually write and see their names. Plus, they’ll need to write their names this way in elementary school, so why not do it this way from the start? Yes, I’m aware that this is a hotly contested topic in the early childhood field. To each her own, so let’s not fight about it if you disagree with me. We’re all working hard for our students!
Grab Your Free Editable Printable Sign-In Book
Click on the button below to grab your own copy of the sign-in book. It comes with a front cover, as well as multiple sign-in sheet pages. The cover and the name writing pages are editable so you can include your own class name, as well as the individual students’ names.
When you download the free printable, you’re agreeing to my my terms of use. You also get to join my email list, which gives you access to subscriber-only freebies and fun, meaningful preschool ideas in your inbox throughout the month.
Do you use a sign in book for your early childhood classroom? Do you find it’s beneficial for the kiddos? If you’ve never used one before, what do you think of the idea? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
More Ways to Explore Name Writing and Recognition
The sign-in book is just one of many strategies to help children learn to read and write their names. It’s also just one of many ways preschool children can sign into their classrooms. Here are more name activities to check out:
Why use the kids’ names to teach? Because kids’ names are important to them. Which makes total and complete sense when you take a moment to think about it.
3 Heart Name Crafts for Preschoolers
With Valentine’s Day approaching, why not try some heart name crafts with the children?
We came up with a few different ways to use hearts to make kids’ names. Pick your favorite and try it with the children!
Sticker Names
For this heart name activity, you’ll want to grab some fun stickers. We used glitter foam hearts, but a simple Valentine’s Day sticker book would work just as well.
Write each child’s name on a large piece of construction paper in pencil. Depending on your students, they could write their names on the paper instead. Just make sure the names are large enough for the stickers.
The children give their fine motor skills a workout peeling the stickers and placing the stickers on the letters in their name.
While the kids are making their sticker names, talk about the letters. Encourage the children to apply the stickers to the letters based on correct letter formation. Talk about the sounds each letter makes, and come up with other words that start with those letters.
Hole Punch Names
Of the three name activities, I think this one is my favorite. We used a heart hole punch from a local craft store, along with small squares of scrapbook paper.
Again, start with the kids’ names written on a large piece of construction paper.
Have the children hole punch hearts out of their favorite colors of scrapbook paper. This will help them with fine motor skills and hand strengthening, depending on the hole punch you use.
Once the hearts are punched out, it’s time to make the names. Have the children add glue to each letter individually. Then they can add the heart cut outs.
As mentioned above, this is a great time to chat about letter names, letter sounds, and letter formation.
Printable Heart Names
While the other two heart names were focused on letter formation, this one is focused on name formation. Since the letters are already printed, the kids use them to explore putting the letters in the correct order to make their names. A bit like a Valentine’s Day version of an early childhood name kit.
Print out the heart letters needed for the child’s name. If the hearts are too large for you, just reduce the size before printing. I’d suggest laminating the letters if you want the children to use them over and over again.
Grab an envelope and write the kid’s name on the front. Then add the heart letters to the envelope. Call the child over and explore putting the letters together to form the kiddo’s name. Talk about the letter names and letter sounds along the way.
To extend the activity, add some magnetic letters for the child to to manipulate and match to the heart letters. You can also have the child write his name on a white board or in a sensory writing tray.
Alternatively, you could use the heart letters to make a slightly different heart name craft. Perhaps turn the hearts into flowers and let the children draw the stems and an environment. So many different ways to use them!
Do you have any fun name crafts you love doing with the children?
Preschool Lesson Plans for Valentine’s Day
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes book suggestions, printable plans, over 30 learning activities (both whole group and centers) related to the theme, and corresponding printables.
Green pipe cleaners
Red and green pony beads Letter beads
Red ribbon
Directions
Have the kiddos choose which pony beads they’d like to use for their wreath. They may need some help sorting through the letter beads to find the right letters for their names.
Once all the beads have been chosen, let the children plan out where the beads will be placed. Some kids may want their names in the middle of the wreath, with colorful beads surrounding the name. Others might want to integrate the letter beads into the other beads. This is also a great time to practice patterning!
Once the beads are decided on, let the children start beading their pipe cleaners! (Of course, some kids might not want to plan out their beads first. If that’s the case, let them get beading right away.)
After all the beads have been added to the pipe cleaners, bring the ends together and twist them. Some children can do this themselves, while others may need help.
After the pipe cleaner is made into a circle, add a red ribbon bow to the top! Kids can use their wreaths as ornaments, decorations, or even bracelets.
Skills Taught
As I mentioned above, this wreath craft is a fun way for the children to practice early skills. Here’s a peek at what this simple idea works on:
Letter identification
Names
Left to right progression
Patterns
Color recognition
Fine motor skills
How would your children like this name wreath craft?
Here’s how to set up a fun and meaningful winter activity for preschoolers using a name snowman. Be sure to grab your free printable version of this activity at the bottom of the post.
Working with 4 and 5 year old children, I tend to use names a ton in my teaching. I find it fun to create new ways for children to have fun learning their names, their friends’ names, the letters and sounds in their names, etc.
With a snowy theme for winter, I knew I wanted to do something with snowmen and names. Combining arts and crafts, letters, children’s names, and snowmen is a perfect winter activity for preschoolers to try.
We started with some pre-cut circles out of white construction paper, and some of the children cut their own out as well. They were all about 3 to 4 inches across. I also traced some hat shapes on different color papers.
When the children sat down at my table during centers, I explained the plan. Each letter in their first names would have its own “snowball” (white paper circle). The face of the name snowman would also get one snowball.
Each child created his snowman’s face and hat first, and there was a lot of creativity at play! We had upside-down hats, wiggly eyes on hats, huge button noses, and so many more interesting creations. It’s always nice to see each child’s personality and individuality come across in activities like this.
Once the snowmen faces and hats were complete, I had each child write the letters in her name on “snowballs”. The kiddos did a wonderful job writing just one letter on each circle.
Only 1 or 2 children needed help putting the letters in the correct order or writing certain letters.
Winter Activity for Preschoolers with a Focus on Literacy
Then it was on to assembling the name snowman. The kids stacked the letters in their names, then added the snowmen’s heads on top. They all turned out even cuter than I thought they would!
In addition to the fun, creative side of this project, the children touched on many valuable educational tidbits:
The letters need to be in the correct order to form their names. “Where’d my ‘e’ go? I can’t spell my name without the ‘e’!”
Some children have longer names than others. “Hey, your snowman is taller than mine! How many letters are in YOUR name?”
There are some commonalities within the children’s names. “My name ends in ‘-er’ just like his name!”
Capital letters versus lowercase letters. We discussed this as the children were writing their names, but the kiddos didn’t always apply it correctly while writing (and that’s okay).
Letter formation. There was much discussion about the different ways we form the letters of the alphabet.
The extra circles were set out during center time so the kiddos could make even more snowmen, with and without their names. Have you ever made a name snowman with your students?
Here’s a video to show you the multiple ways kids can create their own name snowman.
Remember, you can grab the free printable version at the end of this post.
[VIDEO COMING SOON]
Free Printable Name Snowman Activity
As I mentioned above, I’ve also created a printable version of this activity. I definitely think the hands-on crafty version is worth doing with the kids. But having a printable name snowman could be used a few additional ways!
Materials for the Printable Name Snowman
Name snowman printable (grab the printable at the end of this post)
Laminator (optional)
Prepping the Printable Version
Once you have your printable name snowman, open up the file in Adobe Reader. It’s an editable printable – this means you can change it before printing it, so that each child has a customized name snowman.
Bring your cursor to the snowman’s hat. Highlight where it says “name” and type in the name of the child. Then go to the snowballs. Highlight the letters there and replace them with the individual letters in the child’s name.
Next, print out the pages that you will be using.
Cut the pieces apart. You’ll likely want to laminate the pieces, unless you plan to have the kids write on each individual snowball.
How to Use the Printable Name Snowman
There are a few different ways you can use this. It all really depends on what you’d like to do with the kids. Here are a few suggestions:
Make each child a name snowman baggie. This baggie will contain the individual pieces of the snowman. Have the kids assemble their snowman during centers or small groups.
Combine the name snowman craft with the printable version. Let the kids design the hats for their snowman, but use the printable snowballs with the individual letters on them.
Print out the snowman’s head and hat (with the kid’s name on it), but keep the snowballs blank. Let the kids write their letters out before assembling the snowmen.
Turn the snowmen into a math graph, comparing the number of letters in their names.
There are really so many ways you can use this printable!
Preschool Snowman Lesson Plans
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for classroom teachers and home preschool families so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
This set includes active hands-on learning ideas, book suggestions, and the following printables:
Measure the Snowman Activity
Roll a Snowman Game
A to Z Build a Snowman Activity (focusing on uppercase, lowercase, and beginning sounds)
Snowman Pattern Cards
Roll and Cover Snowman Math Game Boards (numbers 1 to 12)
I’m not the only teacher who sometimes ends up with stale items sometimes, right?
You know what I mean. When you’re cleaning out your classroom cabinets and you find an old bag of marshmallows that fell behind everything, way in the back?
No, it’s just me? Well, at least my shortcomings will help give you some ideas should you ever find yourself in this situation!
In the middle of a winter purge of my teaching cabinet, I found a broken partially-filled bag of marshmallows. I set the bag on the back counter to deal with after school. One of my students saw the bag from across the room and asked, “Hey, Miss Mary Catherine! Why do you have baby snowballs in a bag?!”
I have to admit, I just love that he called the mini marshmallows “baby snowballs”! That comment sparked the idea for these marshmallow names.
That, and the fact that I hate wasting anything and was trying to figure out how to use the old, stale marshmallows.
First, cut the construction paper in half horizontally. Because I used 9″ x 12″ paper, I ended up with strips of paper that were 4.5″ by 12″.
This wasn’t long enough, so I ended up stapling pieces together. In hindsight, I realized I should have used the larger pieces of construction paper.
Once the paper strips are reader, write each child’s name using a white crayon. Make sure to write the letters large enough so that the marshmallow letters don’t overlap.
Once the name strips are prepped, it’s time to introduce the activity to the children.
Call the kids over and show them the name strips. Explain that they’re going to make their own “snowball” names using old mini marshmallows.
Since actual snowballs would melt, the mini marshmallows are a great stand-in. And they create a lot less puddles.
Inevitably, at this point at least one of those kids will ask if they can eat the marshmallows. Just accept that this will happen (and be sure to have a small stash of fresh mini marshmallows the kids can have a taste of). Reiterate that the marshmallows used for their names are old and wouldn’t taste all that good.
In small groups, call the children over to work on their marshmallow names. Have them trace over the first letter in their name and then add marshmallows over the glue.
Some of the children may need some help, and that’s okay! Squeezing the glue is a real hand workout for preschoolers. It’s a great way to strengthen those muscles.
The marshmallow names were super duper easy, but so much learning was involved.
I am a huge fan of simple, but meaningful, learning activities! Below are just some of the early learning concepts the children explored with the name marshmallow craft.
The kids practiced left to right directionality. This is a great way for them to learn that we read and write from left to right.
A ton of name learning takes place here, too! The children see their names start with a capital letter, with the rest letters lowercase. They work on correct formation of each of the letters in their names. It’s very simple to mention where to start and where to go as they are gluing the marshmallows to the paper. The order of the letters in their names is also observed and practiced here.
Basic letter concepts can also be taught and explored with the marshmallow names. Chatting with the kids about the letters in their names can lead to some great conversations. “Gabriella, your name starts with a G. G says /g/ just like goose. I wonder what other words start with your letter?” Children love talking about things that are related to their names, and so much learning can be integrated here.
Once the marshmallow names are completed and all dried, they are a wonderful spark for comparing and contrasting. I spent quite a bit of time talking with the children about how many letters are in their names, who had the longest name, who had the shortest, etc.
Have you ever tried making marshmallow names with your students?
Winter Themed Teaching Resources for Preschool
Want to save time planning for preschool? Check out these preschool teaching resources from Preschool Teacher 101. Click on the photos below for more information on each item. Even better . . . take a look at our membership options for more ways to make your teaching life better.
In the craziness of the last week of school before Christmas break, I have often brought out the pipe cleaners and beads. I loved playing with these materials when I was little!
While I now know how many skills are being practiced, back then all I knew was I was having a blast.
In this particular craft, the children work their fine motor skills, creativity, patterning, and I even add a literacy twist by including their names!
Three cheers for Christmas crafts that teach! So much learning and so much fun at the same time.
This name craft is super flexible and adaptable for your students’ interests and needs. I’ve used it with small groups, put it in a literacy center as an independent activity, and have made it with my own little one at home!
It’s perfect for preschool, but kindergarten and older kids still love it, too.
Materials for Beaded Candy Cane Ornaments
I know the traditional candy canes are red and white, but I generally include beads of various colors for the kids to choose from.
You can, of course, keep things super simple with your students if you prefer!
I think center time is perfect for making these candy cane ornaments. You can also make them during small group time.
To prep, set out the pony beads, letter beads, and pipe cleaners. I usually place the materials in a tray or small bowls.
If possible, I suggest having multiple sets of materials. This way, all of the children can reach what they need.
When everything is set out, I sit down at the center with the kiddos and start to make my name as a candy cane ornament.
Watching me do so always leads to a variety of children wanting to make their own, of course!
I’ve found it’s best to have the children design their name candy cane ornaments on the table before using the pipe cleaners. This will allow them to make any changes before threading the beads.
If needed, bring your students’ name cards over so they can ensure they’re spelling their names correctly.
Completing the Candy Cane Ornaments
Once the students like how their candy canes are designed, have them grab a pipe cleaner each.
First, you’ll need to help the children bend over the edge of the pipe cleaner to prevent beads slipping off.
Then you can show the kids how to add the beads to the pipe cleaners.
Once all of the beads have been added, have the kids bend the opposite end of the pipe cleaner over. Again, this helps to prevent the beads from falling off the pipe cleaner.
If you like, this can be a little more open-ended! Present the materials to the kids and let them create as desired. We end up with a variety of candy cane name ornaments by the end of the day!
Some are done as patterns, alternating between letter beads and colored beads. We have great discussions about what patterns are, how the letters have to be in the correct order to spell our names, and our favorite colors.
Others ornaments are strings of random letters, while still others are made of just the letters in the kids’ names.
No matter the final product, the children always have a blast while learning and creating with this easy candy cane craft!
Learning with the Candy Cane Names
It’s up to you to decide how you want to treat these candy cane names.
Do you want the children to choose how they make the ornaments? Or would you prefer that the candy canes be focused on a concept like name spelling or patterns?
The sky’s the limit here, really. Here are some of the ways the children can create their own beaded candy canes:
Using a random assortment of pony beads and/or letter beads
Making patterns using the colorful pony beads
Making their names with the letter beads
Creating patterns with both the colorful pony beads and the letter beads
Making candy cane name ornaments for their friends and family members
Sorting the pony beads by color and creating candy cane ornaments using just one color (they can make their names this way too)
Save time planning (and, really, you can use all the time you have around the holidays!) with already done-for-you resources from Preschool Teacher 101.
This pony bead Christmas tree craft will make the perfect Christmas keepsake to send home with students. Plus, they’ll love having their names as part of the ornament. Be sure to add it to your list of Christmas activities for preschoolers.
I don’t know about you, but I love to decorate for the holidays using the kids’ creations. This hand-crafted Christmas tree is no exception.
It can be used as an ornament for the Christmas tree, a magnet for the refrigerator, or even as a keychain for their backpacks.
Perfect if you’re looking for gifts the kids can make their families for the holidays!
Pony Bead Christmas Tree
Preschoolers LOVE the holiday season. It’s such a magical time of year for them. And, I have to admit, I get such a kick out of watching their excitement.
Even though this activity is super simple, the kids will still absolutely have a blast making their own little name tree.
Students will not only adore this Christmas craft, but they’ll also learn so much in the process of making it. Here are just a few early learning concepts that can be explored with this activity:
Fine motor skills
Name recognition
Letter identification
Shape recognition
Color identification
Simple patterns
This list is not, in any way, exhaustive. You can include more concepts as they come up in your classroom.
Beaded Tree Craft Materials
As I mentioned earlier, this activity is pretty simple and straight forward. Sometimes the simplest activities leave the most room for children to be creative.
An added benefit of such a simple activity is that it doesn’t require too many materials.
Here’s what you need to get started making the pony bead Christmas tree:
I suggest putting a bowl or two of beads out at the table. It will encourage peer interaction as the students talk to one another about what they’re seeing or what they need.
The materials listed are just what we used in our craft. You can certainly change those up as much as you’d like to better suit your students and lesson plans. Check out the name wreath craft for a variation of this activity.
Now that you’ve gathered all of the materials, it’s time to get creating!
How to Make a Pony Bead Christmas Tree
First, consider giving the kids a few moments to explore the materials. The pony beads and fuzzy pipe cleaners can be a fun sensory experience on their own.
You might notice the children feeling and bending the pipe cleaners, counting out beads, or making shapes with the materials. Some children will even search the beads to find the letters in their names.
Once they’re acclimated to the materials, let the kids search through the letter beads to find the letters in their names (if they haven’t already).
When the letters for their name are in order, have the children slide the beads onto the pipe cleaner, adding in the green as they go.
If you included number beads with the other materials, make sure that the students put the date on their pipe cleaners too.
As long as the children are putting the letters of their name (and/or year) in order, they can really have free reign over the design or pattern they choose. Some will make patterns, while others will just focus on stringing the beads. Either way is just fine!
Then, help the children shape the pipe cleaner into a triangle and have them twist the top points together. You may want to add a dab of hot glue where the pipe cleaners meet, just for good measure.
Lastly, hot glue the yellow button on top for your students. If the students did not add the date with number beads, I would suggest writing the year somewhere on the button.
Let your students wrap up this pony bead Christmas tree craft, along with something like the fingerprints Christmas lights picture frame. Together, they will make the perfect Christmas gift to send home for parents.
Christmas Books for Preschoolers
There are some books that every child just HAS to read every year at Christmas time.
So, I thought it could be helpful to include some of my Christmas book recommendations here:
Read a Christmas story, along with one of these preschool Christmas songs, for the perfect circle time.
Done-for-You Preschool Resources
Christmas time is always so exciting. It can also be very hectic. Let Preschool Teacher 101 give you the gift of some extra time this holiday season! We offer complete and comprehensive lesson plans and many other early learning activities.
Click below to learn more about our full set of preschool Christmas lesson plans.
Don’t forget to take a look at our membership options, too! Here are some other available Christmas resources:
I like to work a lot with students’ names when I’m teaching. Their names are incredibly important to the children, as are their friends’ names. If it’s meaningful to them, the kiddos are much more active and involved in the learning process!
Four and five year old children are learning how to write their names, so this is a logical offshoot of that.
At the beginning of the year, my students and I make these “name kits” to keep in their book boxes for the year. I include a few different items in each child’s name kit, and each can be tailored to the specific needs of individual children. These are perfect for preschool and kindergarten name practice, and of course homeschool!
Materials Needed for the Name Kits
You can make adjustments to the name kits based on what you have on-hand or what you’d rather include in them.
First, neatly write the child’s name on a sentence strip and laminate it. The student uses this as a reference for how his name should look. Laminating it helps it to last all year, and it allows the child to trace over my writing using a dry erase marker.
Next, make a name puzzle. This is basically the child’s name written on a sentence strip, laminated, and cut apart into individual letters. This allows the student to explore name practice by putting her name together in the correct manner.
The next “ingredient” is magnetic letters. I love to have the students pick these out themselves. These are the letters in his name, of course, and go into a baggie for the name kit. I find that snack-sized bags are large enough for most children’s names, but sandwich-sized would work well, too!
Magnetic letters are just a different take on the name puzzle. The letters are a bit more tactile, and they allow for use on magnetic easels/boards.
Lastly, the students also make a name book for inclusion in their name kits. These books are simple to make, but are very engaging to the kids! Their name is written on the cover, and then each letter of their name gets its own page in the book.
You can make the name books yourself or with your kids, or you can grab our printable version! They are entirely editable and customizable, and each letter gets its own fun picture for reference. Thanks to my friend Jamie of Play to Learn Preschool for making these with me!
Storing Our Name Practice Kits
To hold all the pieces of the name kits, I use a small manila envelope. I cut off the metal tab on the back, then run it through the laminator for added durability (this works with my school’s big laminator but doesn’t always work with a small home laminator).
Then I use scissors to gently cut through the laminate on the back of the envelope, thus opening it up. A simple, unlaminated, envelope would work just as well!
Don’t miss the free printable (found below) for a cover for the kit! It includes the words, “My Name Kit” and the child’s name. It’s completely editable and customizable.
I use the name kits as a fun way for teaching young children about their names, their friends’ names, letter names, and letter sounds. Do you use name kits with your students?
Additional Name Practice Activities with the Name Kit
There are so many opportunities for hands-on learning with the name kit!
You can pair the sentence strip name with kosher salt poured into a tray to make a sensory writing tray!
This is super easy to set up and a great way to practice early writing skills in preschool and kindergarten. It’s also another great way to practice the letters in their names.
Additionally, you can make a name practice sensory bin. Colorful dyed scented rice is fun to use if you have some on-hand, or plain works just as well.
You could even use colored popcorn kernels or dyed chickpeas! I fully admit that I’m a bit addicted to colorful sensory materials – they’re irresistible for kids, and it’s so easy to make your own!
Dump the rice (or corn or chickpeas) into a basket or bin. Then add the pieces of the name puzzle and the magnetic letters from the name kit. Add cups, scoops, tweezers, or other fun tools as desired.
Encourage the children to sift through the rice to find each of the letters in their names! Can they match the letters to the example on the sentence strip and put them in the right order? As they add letters underneath their name, talk about the letter names, sounds, and formation.
There are a ton of other ways to play with this sensory bin! Check out some additional ideas we explored when we used an Earth Day sensory bin for literacy practice.
Done-For-You Preschool Resources
Let Preschool Teacher 101 make your teaching life easier with fully fleshed out lesson plans, math activities, literacy plans, and even more.
Click on the images below for more information about each resource. Be sure to check out the membership options while you’re there.
First Letter Name Activities
Build It Name Activities
Write It Name Activities
Editable Name Books
Free Printable Name Card and Cover
Members of Fun-A-Day’s free email community can grab the name kit cover, as well as a name card/puzzle. They’re both editable so you can make a set for each of your students. Fill out the form below and get the printable sent to your email.
If you’re not a member, no worries. Add your information to the form to join, and you’ll get the printable as a welcome gift.
Make your own scratch and sniff name art with just a few simple materials! What a great way to explore early literacy concepts with a simple 5 senses activity.
Kids love their names! That’s one of the main reasons I always suggest starting with kids’ names when asked how to teach the alphabet. Children are very interested in their own names, thus making names a meaningful base to teach from.
This scratch and sniff name art came about because many of my preschoolers, at the time, were really into anything that engaged their sense of smell.
It’s a simple, engaging process for the kiddos (which makes my teacher heart happy). Plus, it yields a deliciously-scented name!
Scratch and Sniff Name Art
As I mentioned above, the scratch and sniff names don’t require many materials. I already had everything on-hand (I tend to keep a stash of Jell-O for a wide variety of activities).
And that’s it! You can likely swap out the Jell-O powder for another type of scented ingredient if you’d like. But I tend to have a lot of Jell-O on hand so that’s what we used!
To start, write the child’s name on a piece of construction paper. Card stock would hold up even better, I’m sure.
Next, help the child trace over the letters in her name with the glue. Some children can do this mostly independently. Others will need help since squeezing and manipulating a glue bottle takes a lot of work.
I think the scratch and sniff name art would also be perfect during a preschool all about me theme. Here are more ideas you can include if you like to teach such a theme:
Preschool Teacher 101 has so many early childhood education resources that are already done for you, from lesson plans to math to literacy. If the scratch and sniff name art was a hit, I bet your students would love delving into an entire week (or longer!) of 5 senses learning!
5 Senses Lesson Plans
Be sure to check out the membership options for even more savings. Click on the photos below for even more resources you might like:
All About Me Lesson Plans
Editable Name Activities Bundle
This post was originally published on September 2, 2015.
Kids can explore a variety of early literacy skills with these butterfly name activities for preschool. Be sure to add them to the rest of your butterfly activities for preschoolers!
Young children need hands-on, meaningful activities to learn. And what’s more meaningful than their names?! Incorporate these butterfly name crafts into your next butterfly theme. Kids will be excited to make the butterfly crafts focused on their names.
Below you’ll find two ideas for name learning activities with a butterfly twist. I even have a few additional suggestions for you, in case you want to tweak things a bit.
It’s no secret that we do a ton of name activities in preschool! Names are important to the kiddos, and learning their names is something every preschooler strives for. A child’s name can be used to teach so many early learning concepts, too.
Butterfly Name Activities for Preschool
As I mentioned above, I’ve got two butterfly crafts for you that are focused on kids’ names. You can make some changes to what we did, or try things exactly the same way.
Materials for the Butterfly Name Crafts
Here’s what we used for the butterfly-inspired name fun (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
You can change up the supplies if you need to or want to. For example, use cardstock in place of regular paper if you want a sturdier surface. If you don’t have liquid watercolors, food coloring is a good option.
How to Prep the Butterfly-Themed Preschool Name Activities
We have a lot of colorful butterfly life cycle pasta right now. We used them to make a butterfly sensory bin, as well as a butterfly life cycle necklace. So all we had to do was grab the rest of the materials and we were good to go!
If you don’t have these bits on-hand, grab some pasta and color it:
First, place the pasta in a bag or container.
Next, add some liquid watercolors and close the bag.
Once the pasta is dry, and you have the rest of the supplies, it’s time to jump into the butterfly name activities for preschool!
Butterfly Name Craft Directions
Let’s take a look at the first butterfly name activity! This one is focused on tracing over the letters in the kids’ names. The children can practice letter formation as they choose which “butterflies” and “caterpillars” to place on each letter of their names.
To begin, write the child’s name on a thick piece of paper or a piece of cardstock. If the student’s name is long, you might need to staple two pieces of paper together.
Next, set out the butterflies (bowtie pasta) and caterpillars (rotini pasta). Have the child trace the first letter with glue, then add pasta as they see fit!
Encourage the child to keep going, letter by letter, until their name is done. This is a great time to talk about letter formation, letter sounds, that we write left to right, and maybe even touch on some butterfly life cycle facts.
Once the names are all done, help your students place them carefully out to dry. When everything is dry, you can post the butterfly name art up on your classroom walls!
Straw and Pasta Butterfly Name Activity Directions
The second of the butterfly name activities for preschool creates individual letter manipulatives that look like butterflies.
To make these, grab some of the colorful “butterfly” pastas – one for each letter in the child’s name. Cut up a paper straw so you have one piece for each butterfly. Your students can help with this, of course! Write a letter on each straw piece until the child’s entire first name is represented. Glue each straw letter onto a piece of butterfly pasta.
Let the child use their butterfly letters to create their name. As with the above butterfly craft name, talk about literacy and science concepts as you go along. The child can make their name, then break it apart, and then remake it to their heart’s content. If the kiddo wants to, they can even glue their butterfly letters to a piece of paper or cardstock to display.
Additional Butterfly Name Activities for Preschool Kids
We had a ton of fun making our names with the colorful dyed pasta. We even tested out making some sight words, too! If your students are ready for that, I suggest you give it a go.
As promised, here are a few other ways you can make names during a butterfly theme. Instead of the pasta, use:
If the butterfly name activities for preschool were a hit, I bet your students would also enjoy the following ideas. Click each link for more information:
Planning meaningful lessons for students week after week, all while balancing other teaching responsibilities and a personal life, can be a daunting task. That’s where Preschool Teacher 101 comes in to save you time!
We have over 100 fully-developed lesson plan sets, literacy activities, STEM challenges, dramatic play packs, math games, and more. Click on the images below to check out some that would pair perfectly with the butterfly name crafts:
Butterfly Lesson Plans
Editable Name Activities: Set 1
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