One of the most important things that young children learn is how to write their names. It makes life much easier if children can write them when they enter kindergarten, so that the teacher will know which paper/picture/book/project belongs to each student. Many students practice every day in preschool, but making customized sheets for each child is time-consuming. That’s why these easy, editable Name Practice sheetsare amazingly helpful!
One great way to practice is to have students sign in every morning. Children can start with the first initial of their names until they gain more skill.
Once students are ready to trace a conventional form of their name, the sign in sheet is easily adaptable.
Others are ready to write the whole thing. It is perfectly acceptable to allow children write in capital letters. Follow their lead! Most times, they write their names based on the fact that they have memorized how to spell it orally (B-E-N, etc.). They are not writing it based on the model given to them. That’s OKAY! It’s an important step in their writing development. You can read more about it HERE.
It is an excellent idea to keep all of their sign in sheets to reflect on the progress that students are making. For example, at the beginning of the year, this student could write only some letter-like representations for his name. (Also note that this practice sheet was probably not the best choice for him!)
Look at how well he is doing with his name, just a couple of months later. Amazing! It is important to keep track of these changes, not only for the parents, but also for learning standards in some states. It’s also a helpful tool for teachers to monitor a student’s progress.
By the end of Pre-K, most students are able to write their first and last names conventionally because of the daily practice that they’ve had each morning. In this sample, the student wrote “Olivia S White.” Her middle name doesn’t start with an S. She wrote the “S” because you’re supposed to put a space between your first name and last name. I love these little ones!!
At the very end of Pre-K, bind all of the pages together and send home a keepsake Name Portfolio. It is always so astonishing and rewarding to see the progress that they make. (And the parents love it!)
It is so simple to type in your class list and print customized practice sheets for each child. Please give it a try! (These worksheets will only edit correctly if you open them in Adobe Reader. If you try to edit them in a default or generic PDF reader– often the one on your mac or iPad– the fonts will be wonky. Use Adobe!)
If you’re looking for even more ways to create customized name practice for your children, you’re going to love these:
