My favorite way to teach young children new skills is to get them up and moving! I have found that preschool-aged children are able to focus on their learning better while their bodies are active. These hands-on learning ideas for name spelling practice not only work on name spelling, but also strengthen fine-motor, gross-motor and sensory skills!
*Pair with our EDITABLE Name Games and Activities Growing Bundle!
Hands-On Learning Ideas For Name Spelling Practice
It is important to keep our kiddos engaged while learning and these activities do just that. They are definitely engaging and are sure to keep your littles entertained while they learn! Name spelling is an important skill for preschool and kindergarteners and it takes lots of practice. So let’s dive into these fun, hands-on name spelling practice activities!
Letter Jump
Materials Used:
- Index cards
- Construction paper
- Marker
For this letter jump activity, I simply wrote all of the name letters on pieces of construction paper and spread them out on the floor.
While holding an index card with her whole name on it for reference, my daughter jumped from letter to letter in the correct order, “spelling” her name!
Sometimes, I would help her by asking, “What letter comes next?” and “Can you find the letter __?”
RELATED RESOURCE: Back to School Activities and Centers for Pre-K & Kindergarten
Sensory Bin Letter Find
Materials Used:
- Plastic container
- Sensory bin filling of choice
- Plastic letters
For this sensory bin letter find, I gathered the magnet letters in my daughter’s name and buried them in a sensory bin.
We made rainbow beans for our filler by following this tutorial. Other simple ideas for sensory bins include rice, dried pasta, or oatmeal.
As my daughter dug around and found each letter, she put them in order to spell her name!
I gave her enough letters to spell her name three times. When she was finished, she wanted to bury them and find them again!
Another idea would be to place the magnet letters on the fridge to spell them. If your child or student is struggling with the order of the letters, write them on paper for them and they can match the letters as they go. You can also write their name but leave out a letter here and there and they can fill in the blanks!
Block Letters
Materials Used:
- Plastic blocks
- Dry-erase marker
For our final activity, I wrote letters on our plastic blocks using a dry-erase marker.
It was fun to use a variety of sizes of blocks and have my daughter build her name. If you don’t have plastic blocks, placing a piece of tape on wooden blocks would work, too.
Now it is your turn to get your child or students up and moving with these name spelling practice ideas. You’ll be surprised at how engaged they can be when learning looks a little different than the traditional pencil and paper!
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