The ideas on this page include activities you can do with your
students to promote letter and name recognition.
Why is it important to teach using
students names ?
To a child, there is nothing more important
than his or her own name. Using names to teach letters and name
recognition is a very powerful teaching tool. Names are very
meaningful to children, therefore they are eager to learn to identify
the letters in their own names first; it is very empowering and
motivating for them. A child who is eager, motivated, and feels
empowered about his or her own learning is going to learn more quickly
and retain more than a child who is not.
20 Activities to use with student's names
Sort them by first letter
Sort them by length
(number of letters in the name)
Use Bingo Dot
markers to trace student's first letter
Rainbow-write them
Make names with
different mediums (wikki stix, pipe cleaners, playdough)
Scramble each name
and have the students play "guess who?"
Stamp names with ABC
stamps
Crayon resist
watercolor names
Look for names or
letters of names in books
Make an autograph
book
Make an address book
Compare two names:
how are they the same, how are they different?
Go on a name hunt in
the classroom (how many names can you find?)
Put children's names
and pictures on the word wall
Use pictographs for
names
Make name flip books
Cut letters out of
magazines and glue to paper to make names
Match names to
pictures of people
Play name
concentration
Make class books
with names (see Dr. Jean page
for examples)
