Name Writing

[Guest]

Hi everyone

 

Was just thinking aboout the large proportion of children in the cohort who still can't write their name and starting to panic! We have only just started to teah phase 2 of letters and sounds and so the letter formation has not reallly kicked in yet.

 

I was really hoping that you clever people might have some good, fun, inspirational but effective ways of teaching and helping children to write thier names.

 

I am really looking forward to hearing what other people have done.

 

Thanks XXXX

[dottyp]

We encourage children to select their named registration cards on arrival each morning.

 

In our 'writing' area we have a cardboard display to which small laminated 'name' cards are attached

with adhesive velcro. When children show an interest in writing their name they take their card from

the board and work from the printed letters.

 

We have recently been asked to show a child how to write 'cursive' but we have advised the

parent we teach all children to print the letters of their name in pre-school.

 

We use letters & Sounds phase 1 (sparkle box have some excellent ideas covering many of the activities)

and these are very popular with our 3+ group.

 

dottyp

[Cait]

In our Preschool children put their name badge on the magnetic whiteboard when they arrive and then if they want to, write it on the adjacent whiteboard, with or without support, as they wish. All children leaving us in July can write their names or at least the bulk of it, for those with long first names like Johnathan.

[Guest]

Thanks for your replies dootyp and cait

 

We also have a self registration system, children find thier names on the IWB and move to show they are present. But they are still struggling to write thier name / initial sound even from a model.

 

How I wish children came to my school writing thier name. Your feeder schools must really appreciate your hard work.

[Marion]

I don't teach name writing until I've taught correct letter formation otherwise I just have to spend longer correcting bad habits.

[Cait]

we do it concurrently using the letters of their name, we never put any pressure on the children do do it, and enclirage parents not to feel pressured to do it. We just find that they want to do it

Edited November 6, 2009 by Cait

[Marion]

Most of my class are writing their name but not one of them is writing it correctly even those who can now for letters correctly as bad habits are well and truly established and need to be untaught...

[Guest]

I encourage mine to practise their names lots of ways - magic paint, tracing over their letters, practising writing it on stickers. We also draw the letters in the air a lot - sometimes really exagerating the movements so we look very silly, but it does seem to have some impact. Mine have name cards, and almost everything paperbased they do - even independent drawings - they are asked to write their name. Some have learnt to do it without their name card, but most still use their name card, tracing each letter before writing it. One today correclty told me how to form each letter before writing it on his drawing - a huge plus as previously he had draw two marks and said that was his name, even with the name card in front of him.

[Posy]

Mine use sandor salt trays to practise name writing.

 

Posy

[Guest]

I'm a reception and nursery teacher, and what has worked for us has been really effective. As the chn come into nursery we have pre handwriting sheets for them to copy vertical lines, zig zags etc (communication for all called cutting skills booklet) I have just laminated these and the chn use a witeboard pen. When they are confident at writing over the top of vert lines, they move onto their name sheet. This simply is, again laminated, i use the wooden letter templates and write their name. I then use a green felt tip, to indicate where they begin and a red dot where they should end. I THEn laminate it, and it gets used over and over again. Parents are encouraged to stay with their child untill that is complete. Some are happy to, others cant wait tio et out of the door. By the time they enter rec most of them can write it independently. For the first half term, rec chn would write it on the whitebaordr daily. now i just have two rec chn who are still on the namecards as in nursery. hope that helps xx

[Panders]

It's good to see that you use parent power in this way - at pre-school level, I often find that parents or perhaps grandparents have had a go at teaching children to write and in a well meaning way, still teach them what might appear to be the easiest route - all capital letters! The children often say to us that the way we are trying to teach them to write their letters is wrong!

 

I use a similar system to misspink, but often find that our children want to do things their way and their way only - so after they have written their name independently I may choose just one letter to practice again, doing it the correct way, I model it, they have support to write it and then they have a go on their own.

[Guest]

Im in the nursery we started in september with the children having their names written on different coloured ladybirds and have now given the children all the same coloured ladybirds with their names on. I now think that the children should be starting to write their names. Has anyone any ideas what to start with I would prefer to use paper and pencils rather than white board pens as the children struggle more to control the pens. Should I start with them just writing the first letter of their name forming it correctly and move on when they have mastered it or has anyone got a better idea.

Thanks

[Marion]

Personally I think it is too early for most children and paper and pencil is harder to use than white boards and pens because more wrist and finger strength is required to make a mark.

[Guest]

We are encouraging the children to write their name on their 'work' but I dont want them to have to relearn how to form their letters once they start phase 2 phonics

[Susan]

Personally I think it is too early for most children and paper and pencil is harder to use than white boards and pens because more wrist and finger strength is required to make a mark.

 

I'm doing alot of recorded work in yr1 on whiteboards because it is so much easier for children to write successfully in this medium. Only tasks I need to keep are paper based and should something amazing happen on a whiteboard it can be easily photocopied as evidence.