Names
ABC Center
No word is quite as important and meaningful to children as is their own name! At our names ABC center, students read, write, and manipulate letters to form their name as well as compare letters among their own and many of their classmates' names.
Students may choose from the following tasks…
- In My Name/Not In My Name Sort (Printable Sheet)
Students choose a board and the corresponding color set of letter cards. Students sort each letter by whether it is in their name or not in their name. Students may choose to have their name card in front of them while completing this task.
- My Name/Your Name (Printable Sheet)
Students complete this activity with a partner. Students choose a board and the corresponding color set of letter cards. Students sort each letter by whether it is in their name only, in their friends name only, in both of their names, or in neither of their names. This can be very tricky! Students need to have their name cards in front of them while completing this task. You will hear a lot of discussion going on about the letters!
- Flip and Match
Once the teacher makes a simple flipbook containing all of the students' photos and all of the students' first names (in a differing order), students flip either the names or the pictures to match up names with photos of their classmates.
- Name Bags
Each bag contains a photo and written name of a student. The bag also contains all of the individual letters that make up the child's name. Students choose a bag and manipulate the letters to spell their own or a friend's name.
- Name List
For this activity, their needs to be available several copies of a list of the students' names, small sheets of paper (lined and unlined), glitter crayons, regular crayons, pencils, gluesticks, and pre cut letters. Students may choose to simply copy a friend's name using a pencil or they may decide to use glitter crayons to make a sparkly name. Some students may choose to write rainbow names by writing a name multiple times using different colored crayons. Other students may wish to find the letters of a friend's name and glue them in order. Lots of times, students will either practice writing as many of their classmates names as possible or they may choose to make one friend's name several different ways, draw a picture, and give it to that child.
