Empowering children through names

Children come to school with one important word in their mind.  Each child has a unique name and it brings ownership and self pride when you use there names.  It also helps children learn each other's name and builds a community.  


This is why starting with their names as the first letters and words they learn is so important.
 I always start everything with the child's name

Word Work center-previous post with lots of fun ideas
Art center- invisible name

Label-label everything with their name, point out their names as you walk down the hallway

Say it- Add their names to poems, fingerplays, and games.



 Here in a previous post, I made Name Stick Puzzles for all the children in my child's class.


Letter work center-
Rowdy in Room 300 has this free printable you can use with letter pasta, magnetic letters,letter beads, or any other manipulatives you can find.

This could also be used with your sensory tub that is filled with beans, rice, shredded paper or whatever.  Add letter for children to sort.

What about the older kids?
You can use their names too.  collect words that start like your name or end  the same.  I have made their names with bubble letters and they decorated them as decoration in the classroom. 

I will be using their names to do math. 
 This worksheet will be great for first and second graders at the beginning of the year.



Or what about graphing our names.  Kids love graphing.  It would be a great time to measure and graph them also.  It makes for a great keepsake for the end of the year.


Here is another one that compares names.


I can't wait to find out the names of my new kidos.
Do you do something special with their names?

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