Teaching Kids to Write Their Name the Fun Way!

We are working a lot on writing lower case letters these days.  My five year old has been trying so hard to write his name and is a trooper when it comes to practicing.  Sometimes it’s not a child’s interest to write letters of their name (and other letters needed in handwriting, too!)  This letter forming name writing activity is perfect for kids who need more practice and are just plain tired of writing their name over and over again.  
Adding a sensory and motor spin on forming the letters of their name can add interest and fun to handwriting and name writing.  Sometimes ordering the letters in name writing can be difficult for young kids.  This name building activity is adaptable to so many skill levels of kids who are working on writing their name.


Teaching kids to write their name and practice letter formation with sensory soup

Teaching kids to write their name with sensory and movement:

To practice our name writing with sensory and motor movements, we used these foam craft sticks that we received from our friends at www.craftprojectideas.com.  Draw lines across the sticks in 3/4 to one inch increments.  Have your child snip the craft sticks into pieces along the lines.  This scissor activity was a hit with my son.  Snipping the foam craft sticks provides a satisfying texture and allows accuracy with the thick resistance and thicker lines.  
Use the small foam pieces to practice letter formation.  The small size is perfect for kids who are working on size awareness in their handwriting. 
Pressing a pen into the foam surface provides great feedback for letter formation.  Use verbal and visual cues.
Build your name sensory soup activity
We used those foam letter pieces to make a sensory soup.  Fill a bowl or bin with water and add the foam letters.  They will float on the water surface.  Visual scanning and picking out the correct letter is a great sensory and fine motor experience.  Kids can work on the order of letters in their name as they look for the letters.  
name writing and learning activity for kids
I drew a rectangle on a plastic plate and had my son build his name with the letters.  The wet foam pieces will stick to the plastic plate.  Kids are encouraged to build their name in order while keeping the letters in a line given the visual cue of the rectangle.  This is great for kids who will soon be concentrating on line awareness and spatial awareness in name writing in Kindergarten and in older grades. Related, check out our recommendations for name practice in kindergarten.
Teaching kids to build words and name with letter order, spatial awareness, and line awareness
 
We’ve been having fun with letter formation and handwriting and will be sharing more creative activities soon!  For now, check out these ideas for handwriting

Fun ways to work on Letter Formation:

High-Contrast Letter Formation
Sensory Letter Formation Practice
Tracing Letters: Letter Formation Handwriting Practice with Chalk
Tracing Lines with a DIY Light Box

Tripod Grasp Activities for Kids:

Improving Pencil Grasp With Fine Motor Play Activities
Fine Motor Coordination with a Cereal Box (activity to improve tripod grasp)
Gift Guide: Toys to Improve Pencil Grasp

This post is part of Preschool Powol Packet’s name recognition writing series. Stop by and see all of the great ways to practice name formation.