Winter Name Activity

In preschool, children learn to recognize, spell, and write their own names.  This is a BIG early literacy goal and acts as a springboard for all kinds of learning.

Today I want to share an easy, hands on winter name activity that is perfect for little ones at home or school.  I call this SNOWY NAMES and it can be done 3 different ways.  For each version you will need a sheet of blue paper with each child's name written or printed out on it.

Snowy Marshmallow Names

This first version is favorite because it involves FOOD!  Have each child outline their name with Elmer's glue and then stick on mini marshmallows to form each letter.  Be sure to set aside a few extra marshmallows for your kiddos to snack on while they work.  ;)

Snowy Dot Sticker Names

In this version give each child a few sheets of plain white dot stickers then have them peel and stick them to form each letter.  I found the dot stickers at the dollar store, but binder reinforcement stickers would work great too.  Using stickers is a great way to build fine motor skills.

Snowy Cotton Ball Painting

If you don't mind a little mess this version is super fun!  Pull out the white paint, add some cotton balls, and clothespins then let your little one get busy forming the letters in their name by painting and dabbing snowy dots.

And while this activity looks like play, these simple name activities provide lots of learning too!  Don't forget to chat about letter names, letter sounds, how a capital goes at the beginning of a name, the proper way to form letters etc.  Learning is FUN!  

Which activity is your favorite?

Fun with Names

Today I finally completed and uploaded my Fun with Names product!  I had started it awhile back and then got side tracked doing other things, but it's now DONE!  Hooray!  

I know a lot of kindergarten teachers incorporate name activities into their beginning of the year plans and I created this resource to help with just that.  It's full of printables, whole class activities, centers, crafts and more!  I tried to include activities that could be used during different subject areas and I wanted a mix of styles.  Also, some of the activities might be better saved to use until later on in the year depending on student ability levels but I figure kids always love some name fun!

Here's a quick look at the printables included in this set.  For these pages you could either hand write in student names, let them write in their own names or type in student names if you decide to use the included editable pages.  The printables are great for morning work, homework, independent time, centers or mini-lessons.  

I also included a few whole group activities and center activities for a little more hands on fun.  The whole group activities are perfect to complete as a class then display.  I really like the little class book "My name is _____ and I like ____."  And I'd use the class charts as questions of the day where students would complete and then we'd talk about the data together.  

For the centers I included student direction pages and a recoding sheet if I felt it needed one.  

*Please don't mind my ALL capital letters in the pictures I didn't have any magnetic lowercase letters at home. 

Lastly, I included a book list, printable name tags and a craft and display activity.  The apple name craft is super simple and you can choose what art material you want students to use to decorate their names with.  And the Our Ten Frame Names would make a cute math display!  

This product can be found in my store HERE and will be 50% off for the next 24 hours so grab it while you can!