Name Activities for Pre-K & Kindergarten

Hey friends!

Today I wanted to share some name activities that I use at the beginning of the year.

I teach JK/SK (which is Pre-K/K for my American friends) so most JK students and some SK students still need lots of practice learning to write their names at the beginning of the year!

During the first week of school I assess their ability to print their name by having each student complete this sheet. This will also be the first piece that goes up on the writing wall.

I pull small groups to complete this sheet and take note of the students who still need practice printing their names.

Want this writing sheet? I have included the September for the years 2021-2025 for free in the download below! Click here or on the image below to download it for free!

If you want all of the months from August to June (some educators like to do this every month for their JK students as their writing portfolio) you can find that by clicking here or on the image below:

Then I create a name bag for each student who needs practice printing their name. I

introduce their name bag to them in a guided group so they can learn the components. Then I often have volunteers or student helpers work with them through out the year!

I put the pieces in an extra large freezer bag and store them in a bin.

One activity I include is this letter matching name card. I have the students say the letter, find the matching letter and place it in the box underneath it. I make mine out of bottle caps of plastic water bottles but you can also use magnetic letters as well!

I put the bottle caps in a small snack size ziplock bag so that they are not swimming in the extra large freezer bag!

Here is another option for these matching cards. I write each letter on a clothes pin and have the students find and clip each letter. This one is great for fine motor as well!

I often start with the bottle caps and switch them out for the clothes pin after a month or so.

I also print these tracing sheets double-sided and laminate them.

On the top I have the students trace the letter with their finger while saying their name in the right order.

On the bottom I have them print the letters with a dry-erase marker.

On the back I have them print their name one more time and then print their name on their own.

I also take pictures of each student during the first week of school and make these play dough mats!

I type the student’s name and insert their picture at the top right corner so that they can find their name easily. I leave these out at the play dough centre for the first month or so. For these, I make one for every student in the class.

You can use these with wikki sticks, small beads or any other small loose parts as well!

You can download templates to make your own name bag and play dough mats by downloading the freebie below!

I use the same picture to create name cards for the word wall for each student.

They look like this:

You can make your own in PowerPoint by downloading the file below!

I make my photos 2.9 x 3.2 cm and with a black border and resize the name depending on the length.
The font I used in the photo is KG Primary Penmanship.

Need more ideas for helping your students learn their names?
Come visit my NAMES Pinterest board!

I hope you were able to grab some ideas for teaching students their names at the beginning of the year! What fun activities do you do to reinforce their names?