Name Game! Name Game!

At the end of the year I have each one of my students write their name in the big letters. We first have to complete the name game worksheet. At the top of the worksheet I have written out their name. Then below it I have each of their letters written out with one of the dotted letters for them to trace before I make them write each letter three times. I know this may seem babyish for the end of the year, but I have found that children often times will become very lazy when they are writing their names. They are moving at a fast pace and just simply do not care what it is they are writing. By making them slow down and trace out each letter I am making them understand and know what it is that they need to write each time they write the letter. I explain to them that practice makes perfect and when they are moving on to first grade the teacher is not going to put up with children who are not writing their name correctly.

Below the place for them to write down their name I have them writes out their whole name five times. Each time they should get better and better. The improvements may be small but nonetheless there needs to be some sort of improvements for the kids to follow. Once each child has written out their name five times I then have them pick one person at their table and then try to write out their name. This person that they have picked will then pick another person to write their name down. Most kids usually just exchange their names on paper and call it a day. Try to encourage them to pick different people so that they are not just copying names and not caring but actually picking a name that they are not good at writing. For example if you have a child who is not very good at writing “s” then you need to have them find someone with a name with lots of ‘s’ so that they are to be sure they will become pros at writing the letter s.

Once they have their friends name written down I then have them drawl what their friend looks like at the bottom of the sheet. This is important because most kids will not like the patience that they have to put into writing their name so diligently and they will want an outlet to color or drawl. While this does not seem as an expression of writing it is for my kindergarteners. Most kids will express what they are trying to say through picture. For example if the friend is tall they will drawl long legs. Although it is not written out because they do not know how to write it out the reader is aware that the friend is tall because they have been drawn with long legs.

The name game is fun and a good project to bring home and put up on the fridge!