Spring Tulip Name Puzzle

Let the name puzzle fun continue!  If you have read How Wee Learn for any length of time, you have likely seen one of our name puzzles.  When I taught Kindergarten I absolutely loved using name puzzles, as they incorporate so many different learning skills and can be simply adjusted to fit any learning level.  Fine motor skills, cutting skills, literacy skills, comparing and contrasting skills, matching skills, and gluing skills too! I’m talking a BIG bang for your buck!

Our latest name puzzle had a spring theme.  I drew a simple tulip, divided it with 4 lines (some zigzag, some straight), and wrote Sammy’s name.

Little ones could write their own names, draw their own lines, and even their own flowers depending on their strengths and ability levels.

Sammy has been working on scissor skills lately, so this was one of our big focuses.  He carefully cut along each line, tongue stuck out in full concentration.

Once each line was cut, he put his tulip back together forming his name.  We have started working on lower case letter recognition, and Sammy was simply able to make connections to the lower case letters in his name.  Sam is almost 4 – I did not rush the alphabet learning, which you can read all about in this post.

Finally, he glued the tulip together on a piece of paper and added a stem and leaf.  Beautiful!

This was a quick and easy, fun filled way to practice my little ones name.  And it can be changed and adapted for anything your little one is working on!  Letters, numbers, colours, you name it!  It can also be changed to the exact level of your little one: the tulip could be ripped, instead of cut, the name letters could be matched, instead of formed from memory …

These name puzzles could be laminated, or covered with clear adhesive to be used again and again – and a dry erase marker would make them great for practicing a variety of words.

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