What is Your Name?

What is your name?
I do not know.
What is your name?
I want to know!
What is your name?
(show a name card )

Greeting Song
(Tune: London Bridge)

This is __________
We're glad he's here,
Glad he's here, glad he's here!
This is _________
We're glad he's here.
Come on now say, "Hello."

Everybody
Has a name.
Some are different,
Some, the same.
Some are short,
Some are long.
All are right,
None are wrong.
My name is ___________,
It's special to me.
It's exactly who
I want to be!

Name Chant

Strawberry  shortcake
Strawberry shortcake
Huckleberry Finn.
Huckleberry Finn.
When you hear your name
When you hear your age
 You jump in.
You jump out.


This chant is done around a drawn circle or several small hula hoops.

Alphabet Name Game
(Tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb")

If your name begins with __,
Begins with _, begins with __,
If your name begins with __,
Stand up please.


Hold up a letter and ask the children, "Whose name begins with this letter?'. Encourage children whose names begin with that letter to stand up.

Plate Sail
(Tune:  If You’re Happy and You Know It)

If your name is on the plate pick it up.
If your name is on the plate pick it up.
If your name is on the plate,
Then you’re really doing great.
If your name is on the plate pick it up.


Write each student’s name on a small plate.  As you sing the song standing in a circle, throw down one plate.  Whoever’s name is on the plate has to pick it up. Sing until all the plates are gone.

Name Song
(Tune: Allouette)

Gather round
It's time to get acquainted
Sing this song
I'll show you how it's done.
All you do to play this game..
Stand right up and say your name!
Say your name ( _____  )
Say your name ( ______)
Oh, oh, oh, oh,
Gather round
It's time to get acquainted
Sing this song
I'll show you how it's done.


(Point to a child and have them stand up and tell everyone their name)

Hickety Pickety Bumble Bee

Hickety Pickety Bumble Bee. Won't you say your name for me. (Child says name)
Hickety Pickety Bumble Bee.
Can you clap your name for me?
(clap syllables),
Hickety Pickety Bumble Bee.
Can you whisper your name for me?
(whisper child's name).

Willobee-Wallobee
 
Willobee-wallobee wee, an elephant sat on me.
Willobee-wallobee, woo, an elephant sat on you.
(use each child's name and substitute W for the first letter)
Example.
Willobee wallobee winda
an elephant sat on Linda

Chrysanthemum
by Kevin Henkes

There's an Ant in Anthony
by Bernard Most

Andy: That's My Name
by Tomie De Paola

A- My Name is Alice
by Jane Bayer

What's Your Name
From Ariel to Zoe
by Eve Sanders

The Name Jar
by Yangsook Choi

Santa's Book of Names
by David McPhail

Tikki Tikki Tembo
by Arlene Mosel

Star of the Day

1. Have everyone's name on a sentence strip cut to length of name. Draw one out of a box each day.
2. Cheer the name:

Give me a M!
Give me an A!
Give me a R!
Give me a K!
What’s that spell?
Mark!

3. Notice things about the name. How many letters, any
double letters, any vowels, etc.
4. Ahead of time, make a sentence strip of each child's
name and one to cut up into letters. That person puts
his/her puzzle together in a pocket chart.
5. Interview that person. The kids ask questions like
What is your favorite food? Do you have pets, etc.
6. Look at the features of that person. Draw a picture
of the student.
7. Class goes back to tables and draws that person and
write the name...the best they can.
8. Put those pictures together into a book and give it to
the child. Put a cover letter on top telling the parents
that their child was the star of the day.. Tell them
what we did with their name, etc.
9. Add the student's name and photo to the word wall.
10. Add the child's self portrait and name card to a
bulletin board.

Word Wall

The children's’ names are the very first words on the Word Wall.  Put them all up at the beginning of the year and we go over them every day.  Point at them with a very long pointer as you read them.  As the children learn them, stop reading with them and let them read the words to you.

Word Wall Bingo

Provide each student with a piece of paper divided into 9 boxes or whatever is appropriate for your students.  Have them copy a name from the Word Wall THAT THEY CAN READ into each box.  As you call out a name from the wall, write it down on a sheet of paper (Keep a clipboard loaded with paper and handy for this).  When all the names on their page are covered, check for accuracy against your list.  If they are correct, then they’re the winner.  Stress to the other students not to clear their paper until you have announced that the student is a winner.  You can use edibles markers for this such as Fruit Loops, M&Ms, etc.  After play is finished, then everyone’s a winner and gets to eat their markers. 

Predictable Chart Ideas

I like_______.
I am ________.
My name is _____.
I love _____.
I can _____.

Name Activities

*Count the syllables (beats)
*Add the name to a class ABC name book
*Write names like a "rainbow"
*Think of words that begin the same as the name
*Make-up tongue twisters using the name (Ex: David likes to
dig for dinosaurs
*Mystery person: Pull a name, but don't tell the children who it is
Write the number of lines to represent the letters
Have the children guess each letter - if they are correct, say "yes, that is the third letter in our friend's name", Have the child come up and write the letter. (Continue until they know who it is)

Name Graph

Graph the number of letters in each student’s name.  Afterwards, discuss who’s name has the most, who’s has the least, which letters have the same amount, etc. 

Letter Classification

Using letters in students names, classify by shapes, sizes, and positions
i.e., straight/ curvy,
tall/small,
under line/ over line

More Graphs

Begin by graphing the number of letters in each child's name. The next day, graph the names beginning with each letter of the alphabet. The third day, clap each student's name and graph
according to number of syllables.
Use sentence strips with each child's name on it and then put a piece of rolled masking tape on the back. Let each child come up
and place their name in the appropriate column.

Letter Tiles

Give the children paper letter tiles.  Have them glue the tiles onto a piece of paper in the correct order of their name.  Provide students with a name plate so that they can put the letter tiles directly underneath those on the name plate.  Once that’s mastered, then begin trying without the name plate as a model.  Use the name plate to self-check.

Rainbow Writing

Furnish the children with a copy of their name written rather large.  Instruct them to keep tracing over their name using different colors to form a rainbow.  Or, you could instruct them to use the 7 colors found in a rainbow, so that when they’d used all 7 colors they would know that they were through. 

Write the Room

Provide small groups with a clipboard and let them go around the room and copy names from the word wall, charts, cubbies, etc.

Magnetic Letters

Use magnetic letters to form their name and those of their friends.  Cookie sheets can be used as magnetic boards. 

Pocketchart Activity

Take each students picture and have it laminated along with an index card containing their first name.  Place the students’ pictures in the pocketchart and have the students match the names to the pictures.  Later you could make a card containing their last names and have them match first and last names. 

Memory Name Game

1.  Cut and place a child's photo on the inner side of a baby food jar lid
2.  Write the child's name on construction paper and cut a circle out to fit inside a 2nd lid.
3.  Repeat one and two above for the number of children you need.
4.  Turn the lids upside down, scramble them up, and play memory!!!!!

Hole Punch Names

• Use a hole punch to punch out many small circles in as many different colors of construction paper as possible. Have them help you do this if they can.
• Write the student's name on half a sheet of construction paper after they chose the color of paper they want.
• Then let the child trace their name with the glue.
• Then let the children put different colors of small circles on the glue to make their name.

Name Necklaces

Dye enough raw pasta (Tubettini works well) for each letter of your students’ names.   Then remove and allow to dry on newspaper.  Using a Sharpie marker, write one letter per noodle, until you’ve spelled each student’s name.   Put the noodles for each student in a ziploc bag along with an appropriate piece of yarn.  The yarn should have a small piece of masking tape put around the end of it to form a “needle” and to keep it from coming unraveled.  Label each bag with the student’s name.  The student will use the noodles to form his/her name on the yarn.   
Modeling for the students before having them do theirs is a good idea.  They should understand that the letters have to be put on in the correct order and facing the correct way (not upside/down).  Provide name plates for the students to use for models as well.

TEACHER TIPS!! You dye the pasta by putting it into a gallon size ziploc bag, adding a capful of rubbing alcohol, and a few drops of food coloring.   Move the bag around until all the pasta is colored.  For a deeper color, let it sit a while. 
If you tape the left end of the yarn to the desk/table, it will prevent MANY mishaps of the noodles sliding off the unused end. 

Name Clouds

Cut a sheet of white construction paper or tagboard into a cloud shape. Glue each of six 1x12" tissue-paper strips near the bottom of the cloud. Have the children write, copy, or trace their name using different colors of markers. Punch a hole in the top of the cloud. Tie yarn through the hole and suspend the cloud and rainbow from the ceiling.

Tactile Names

Write each child's name on tagboard or construction paper. Let the children glue beans, sequins, macaroni, etc. on the letters of their name.

My Name Gift

  Using a graphics program, print each students name in large letters on construction paper with a coloring book style.  At the bottom type, "My name is my first gift from my parents." Have students color in names with markers.  Decorate   names using markers, sequins, mini stickers, dot-stamps, etc. to resemble wrapping paper.  Add a bow for a pretty gift box!

Look At Me!

• Take an individual headshot of each child in the class.
• Cut butcher paper to fit a bulletin board.
• Paste pictures of the children on the butcher paper, leaving enough room for children to draw bodies below their headshots.
• Have children draw their bodies underneath their pictures.
• Invite children to write their names below their portraits.
• As part of the daily routine, have children chant "Look at" and then the name of each child as you all point to his or her picture. End the chant by having everyone say, "Look at us!" as they stretch their arms open wide.

Caterpillar Names

Students write each letter of their name on a construction paper circle and the glue the circles together to form a caterpillar. They then glue either two wiggly eyes on the first letter of the name or two small construction paper circles for caterpillar eyes. 

Name Prints

The children use foam letters and print  with acrylic paint onto  cardboard. When dry the children use scissors to cut loosely around each printed letter and punch a hole in the top with a hole punch. The children then hunt for the letters in their name and with some teacher assistance hang them in order on the coat hanger creating a "Name Mobile". The children may add extra decoration if they wish

Name Game

Have your students sit in a circle, then have them take turns saying their name.  First go round, they might all whisper their name, then the next go round, they’d shout their name, then sing, clap the syllables, etc.

Hot Cow

Have the students sit in a circle. Pass around a stuffed cow (or any other stuffed animal) to music, when the music stops the student holding the cow has to say his/her name. Continue until everyone has had a chance to tell his/her name. The students love this and ask to do this again and again!

Name Practice

Fold a sheet of white paper into thirds vertically.  There will be a top flap and a bottom flap that will fold over the middle section.  Open the paper up, and in the middle section write the student’s name with a broad tipped black marker.  Demonstrate to the students how to fold the top flap down over their name and trace their name using a pencil or crayon.  When finished, they fold the top flap up, then fold the bottom flap up and over their name.   Again, they trace their name.  Afterwards, if needed, the two flaps they traced their name on can be folded backwards, and it will form a name plate showing the name written in marker.  The students can then practice copying their name from the name plate onto paper, a slate, or small dry-erase board.

The Name Game

Have children sit in a circle on the floor. Hold up a beanbag and say, "My name is _______, and I like__________."Pass the beanbag to the child beside you and have him repeat the sentence, inserting his name and the thing he likes. Continue around the circle until everyone has had a turn. Then go around the circle again and have student volunteers try to retell each child's name and the specific thing he likes.

Whisper My Name!

This quiet game helps students learn the names of their classmates. To play, silently mouth the name of a student. The student having this name stands up and says his name aloud. If, after a few seconds, a student does not recognize his name, invite all students to say the name in unison. The identified student then silently mouths the name of a classmate. Continue play until all students have been identified.

Everyday Name Recognition

Use Polaroid photographs to help children recognize their names.   At the bottom of the Polaroid adhere a label with the child's first name.   Place an attendance board at the entrance to the door.  The board is a large piece of pegboard with two hooks for each child.  Put a tag with the child's name on the top hook and the child has to find his/her name and place their Polaroid picture on the hook underneath. Punch holes in the name tag as well as the Polaroid picture so that you can move name tags each day.  Use Polaroid's throughout the day as children "sign into" play areas or "sign into" class using a dry erase easel.   Having the child's name on the Polaroid is a nice way to self correct and help with letter identification.

Roll-A-Name

Make a large pair of dice out of cardboard and on each side placed a photo and name of each child.  As you roll the dice, the child identifies the picture, says his or her name, and the class sings a "Hello song" to them.

Name Recognition Activities

Have the children sign in every morning.  This takes care of attendance for the day and also practices name recognition.  Here are several ideas

1.Label a fish with the each child's name.  Have the children find their fish and put it in the fish bowl.
2.Label a bone for each child.  Decorate a box that looks like Clifford and have the children feed Clifford their bone.
3.Make a flower for each child.  Paint a paint stirring stick green. make a flower head and laminate.  Glue onto the stick.  Have the children find their flower and "plant" it in a flowerpot filled with rice.
4.Label a teddy bear shape for each child.  Have them put the Teddy Bear in the honey pot.

Name Theme Page

Name Theme Ideas