Does your little one know how to read and spell their first name yet? If not, it’s a good time to learn before heading off to kindergarten. Even children who are very familiar with their own names will benefit from the practice and enjoy this fun activity!
Materials:
- Paper
- A table
- Tape (Scotch tape or masking tape—something easy to remove from your table)
- Post-it Notes (The mini kind or standard-sized ones cut in half)
- A Sharpie or bold marker
First, the prep!
On a single piece of paper write your child’s name in large, clear, easy-to-read handwriting—first letter uppercase, all other letters lowercase. [Example: John] Tape this paper down to the table for your child to reference.
Next, tape down a few other pieces of paper and write their name again several times on each.
THE KEY: for each of these names, omit at least one letter and leave a blank space (___) instead. This space should be about the same size as your Post-It. (See where we’re going with this?) Make each name different. Leave out a different letter or two. Each missing letter gets its own ___. [Examples: J_hn J_ _ n _ ohn]
Now, provide the missing letters on the Post-it Notes. Make sure to give plenty of each letter needed. Give extra letters, in fact, to ensure they don’t run out. Also, remember to make the missing first letters uppercase and the rest lowercase.
Finally, let the fun begin and invite your child to build their name!
Teaching moments:
- For a challenge, have one name to build that is all blanks.
- For an additional challenge, provide letters on Post-its that are not in your child’s name. Only do this if your child is quite comfortable with the original version of the game.
- Modify the game to help your child learn their middle and last name or their parents’ phone numbers.