Sunday, July 10, 2011

6 Ways to Practice Name Writing

Name writing is an important skill for the beginning of kindergarten, but can be practiced from about the age of three.  Any activity that provides a tactile approach will draw a child into the activity.

  1. Rice and Sand Trays: Pour rice or sand into a shallow baking pan.  I actually prefer to use the 9X9 foil pans.  Write your child's name on an index card.  Have your child use his/her index finger to trace the letters in the rice or sand tray.  For those that are having trouble, you may want to place the index card in the bottom of the tray and have the child trace directly on the card.
  2. Shaving Cream:  Follow the same directions as for the rice and sand trays.
  3. Rainbow Writing: Parent writes the child's name in pencil or pen first. The child traces his/her name with crayons using correct letter formation. Do this 3 times using a different color each time. 
  4. Play Dough Words: Have your child roll play dough into the letters needed to spell his/her name. Place letters in the correct order. Read name. Orally spell name. Then, write name on a piece of paper.
  5. Magnet Madness: Have your child look at an index card with his/her name printed on it. Orally spell the word. Using refrigerator magnets, arrange the letters in the correct order to spell the word. Orally read and spell the word again.
  6. Chalk: have your child use a small broken piece of chalk to write hie or her name on a chalk board.  Use a tiny wet sponge piece to retrace the letters to erase them.
* Helpful Tip: Use broken crayons for handwriting practice.  The smaller pieces help your child grip the writing utensil properly.  

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