If there is one thing I know (besides how to knit hats for chickens), it is name activities for preschoolers! Whether in the classroom as a Kindergarten teacher, or in my home with my own children, I have had plenty of experience teaching little ones their name letters.

Why name letters? Well, when children start learning letters, the very best place to start is with their names. Those letters hold so much meaning, after all! Next, I like to teach the letters in the order I chat about in this post: Teaching Letter Recognition.

I put together a handy little guide for you all about Teaching Letter Recognition and Name Letter Games that you can grab right here:

But wait! Did you know that while learning letters is important, there are actually seven other critical skills little ones need to know before they can learn to read? These are called phonological awareness skills, and you can read about those right here: What is Phonological Awareness?

Now, I know this is a lot of information coming at you all at once. But don’t fret, my friend! We can break everything down into easy, simple, playful steps. In fact, that’s exactly what I did in How Wee Read—my learn-to-read resource.

How Wee Read covers it all, from rhyming to reading in 70 sequential, simple, and playful lessons:

• Step One: Phonological Awareness (7 lessons)
• Step Two: Letters, Sounds, and Blending (12 lessons)
• Step Three: Special Rules (4 lessons)
• Step Four: Decodable Readers (47 lessons)

Easy peasy and oh so beautiful! Take a peek at How Wee Read right here: https://shop.howweelearn.com/pages/how-wee-read

Name Letter Activities for Preschoolers

Name letters are awfully important to little ones, and they hold a lot of meaning—making them a perfect set of letters to start with! There are so many fun ways to practice a name too. SO many.

As in, 45 ways were super easy to find.

So for those of you with little ones just on the cusp of learning letters, these activities are just for you (well, I suppose for your little ones, it might be a little odd for you to do on your own. But hey, whatever blows your hair back friends, no judgments here.)

I bring you 45 Awesome Name Activities for 3 and 4 year olds (or anyone else interested…)

Name Hockey – My youngest loves playing hockey, so I thought this was a fun way to bring in some name practice.

A Year Full of Name Puzzles – Name puzzles for every season! I love how these puzzles can be adapted to different holidays, seasons, and interests.

Name in a Jar – Take the kids on a name-based scavenger hunt around the house or out in nature.

Building a Name – A real hands-on activity as kids use blocks to make a name tower.

A Sticky Preschool Name Craft – Grab some sticks from the backyard and a potato peeler and get set to make some awesome name art with your little one! This cute art project is perfect for displaying in a bedroom. 

Name Books for Preschool and Kindergarten from Fun-A-Day – Use simple materials to make books all about the children’s names!

Foaming Names from Fun-A-Day – Kids can turn their names into a colorful, foaming science experiment!

Marshmallow Names from Fun-A-Day – What a fun way to make tactile name art together!

Rainbow Name Puzzles from Still Playing School – Explore the colors of the rainbow while learning letters and names.

Easy Toddler Name Art from Learn with Play at Home – This tape resist name art encourages creativity while working on name recognition.

Painted Name Rocks from Mama.Papa.Bubba – There’s just something about rocks that most kids love, so why not make them into names!?

Name Activity Using Toy Cars from Buggy and Buddy – Make letter roadways for favorite toy cars to travel on while children explore their names.

Clothesline Names from Pre-K Pages – What a fun fine motor or pretend play activity using children’s names!

Leaf Name Game from The Pleasantest Thing – This would be perfect with the changes of the seasons, especially when the leaves are falling.

Crystal Names from Playdough to Plato – Kids can “grow” their own names with this science experiment!

Squirt Their Name from Hands-On: As We Grow – Get outside, make some fizzy paint, and then paint names on the driveway or sidewalk.

DIY Name Stamps from Preschool Inspirations – Kids can use these name stamps in play dough or with paint, all the while exploring the letters in their names.

Glue and Watercolor Names from Happy Hooligans – Take the classic salt, glue, and watercolor art to another level with kids’ names.

Button Worm Apple Name from Fantastic Fun and Learning – Kids thread the “worm” through the apple letters to make their names.

Name Practice with Play Dough from Stay at Home Educator – Play dough always provides endless opportunities for playful learning!

Toddler Art Name from Love, Play, Learn – A fun and meaningful way to paint with letters and names.

Build Your Name Sensory Soup from Sugar Aunts – Grab some letters from the “soup”, then stick them together to make names.

Mouse Shapes Learn to Spell Your Name Activity from Growing Book by Book – Love how this book-inspired activity can easily be adapted depending on the child.

My Sticker Name Activity from My Nearest and Dearest – Focus a child’s love of stickers on creating her name!

Pop That Name from Coffee Cups and Crayons – Kids can use their little fingers to pop bubble wrap names.

Spring Flowers Name Activity from Stir the Wonder – Decorate doors and windows with these interactive name flowers the kids can put up, take down, and rearrange.

Our Names in Watercolor from Teach Preschool – Simple, colorful way to practice writing names with young children.

Clothespin Dinosaur Names from Play to Learn Preschool – Dinosaur-loving kids will get a kick out of making their names become part of these dinos.

Name Bowling from School Time Snippets – Put together a miniature bowling kit focused on names, and let the kids knock down the letters in their names.

Name Practice Water Game from Inspiration Laboratories – The would be fun in the backyard during the summer! Using the garden hose as a learning tool!

Name and Sight Word Smash from I Can Teach My Child – Smash some baked cotton ball names!

Preschool Name Puzzles from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds – Children mix and match letter cards to learn how to make their names.

Clothespin Name Recognition Activity from Munchkins and Moms – Kids manipulate letters as they make their names. The picture is such a nice addition!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Name Craft from Toddler Approved – Let children make a name craft based on a well-loved children’s book.

Textured Names from In the Playroom – Grab different materials to make multi-textured name art with the kids.

Letter Name Game from The Domestic Notebook – Such a fun way to create names while sending “letters” and playing postman.

Name Search Activity and Printable from Mom Inspired Life – Kids get to be detectives and search for their names using this free printable.

Spell Your Name Game from No Time for Flash Cards – Grab some dice and pompoms to challenge the kids to this name activity.

Craft Stick Name Puzzle from Frugal Fun for Boys – Children add their artistic touch to a simple craft stick puzzle about their names.

Alphabet Fishing Name Spelling from This Reading Mama – Children go fishing for the letters of their name with this engaging activity.

Name Web Preschool Lacing Activity from School Time Snippets – New sewers will get a kick out of making this name web.

Ladybug Names from Here Come the Girls – What a fun way to turn shells into name learning materials.

Building My Name from Rainy Day Mum – Encourage children to use various shapes to engineer their names.

Rainbow Names from Mamas Like Me – Delve into colors, textures, and scents with this simple name activity.

Straw Name Collage from Childcare Land (link no longer available) – Kids can use bits of straws to make their names.

Rainbow Name Bottles from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds – Add another dimension to sensory bottles with kids’ names. Perfect for games of I-Spy!

 

Loads of ideas, right? I hope you find a few that are just right for you and your little ones.

We are in the midst of a doozy of a snowstorm right now. Our power has been on and off, as has our internet. So should it happen to get a little quiet around here over the next couple of days, you’ll know why. And if it stays quiet longer than a couple of days… please… SEND COFFEE! I am running dangerously low.

I hope you are staying warm, friends, thank you for being here!

xo
Sarah

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