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Getting To Know You - Activities With Children's Names


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Hi everyone, I've been a member for a while but this is my first post so hope i'm doing it right!

Our first Reception Topic in September is 'Getting To Know You' with the first week focusing particulary on 'Names' then we will be moving on to the usual things such as 'What I look like', 'Body Parts', 'My Family' etc.

 

The only activity I have thought of so far for the first week back is glitter names (children to write names with PVA Glue pens and then to apply glitter).

 

Can anyone help me out?

 

The children are only in for half days during the first week so I shouldn't need to many activities!

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I'm pre-school so don't know if this is any help! We use the children's display names as their self-registration cards, as their registration cards for snack, we play games with them too, such as musical names, we set up chairs in a circle, seats facing outwards and put their name cards on them then play music, while music is playing one member of staff standing inside the circle of chairs changes the names around so that when the music stops the children have to find them again - nobody is ever out and we get the children to move in different ways whilst moving around the chairs. We play who am I, I hold up one of the registration cards to my forehead - depending on how far into the year we are - they either recognise their name, or someone else will do that for them, and we look at their first letter and think of other things that begin with that letter, or I may ask questions about the child's name I am holding up and I have to guess who it is (this takes a little getting used to by some!) We also separate the name cards into girls and boys, and counting how many of each we have and ask which group has more, that sort of thing.

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Hi everyone, I've been a member for a while but this is my first post so hope i'm doing it right!

Our first Reception Topic in September is 'Getting To Know You' with the first week focusing particulary on 'Names' then we will be moving on to the usual things such as 'What I look like', 'Body Parts', 'My Family' etc.

 

The only activity I have thought of so far for the first week back is glitter names (children to write names with PVA Glue pens and then to apply glitter).

 

Can anyone help me out?

 

The children are only in for half days during the first week so I shouldn't need to many activities!

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You can also count how many letters are in their respective names and then see which have more or less, longest and shortest name, put the children in that order, names that start with the same initial sound, etc.

 

I love the idea of the musical chairs without taking a chair away! That way the children stay happy all the way :o

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We play a very simple game in circle time - pass a ball round the circle, when the child gets the ball they say their name and then pass it on. Then I roll the ball to a child saying their name and they roll it back to me saying my name. Next time they can choose who they want to roll it to, saying the name of the child they want to receive it - if they can't remember the name they say 'What's your name'. This way the children soon pick up each others names - My first year in Reception I remember a child who constantly said 'that boy/that girl did something' - and it was ages before I realised that he didn't know their names and that it wasn't just a habit.

 

We also play a game where I describe a child and the children have to say who they think it is.

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Do the children know each other from nursery? You could ask them to introduce their friend rather than themselves...

We do passing a ball of string across the circle to create a web my names ***** and I'm passing the ball to *****

My names ****** and I like/don't like *****

 

My names ****** and I'm special because ******

sit in a circle, then have them take turns saying their name. First go round, they might all whisper their name, then the next go round, they’d shout their name, then sing, clap the syllables, etc.

 

Sung to: "Frere Jacques"

 

Teacher:

I'm Ms. (name), I'm Ms. (name).

That's my name, That's my name.

Glad to see you here.

Glad to see you here.

What's your name? What's your name?

 

Child:

I am (name), I am (name).

That's my name, that's my name.

I am glad to be here,

I am glad to be here.

At school today, at school today.

 

Stand Up

(tune: Frere Jacques)

 

Stand up __________. Stand up __________.

Stand up __________. Stand up __________.

Reach up very high now.

Reach up to the sky now.

Then sit down. Then sit down.

 

 

Stand Up and Take a Bow

( tune - you'll have to make your own)

 

If your name begins with the letter A

Stand up! Stand up!

If your name begins with the letter A

Stand up and take a bow!

 

repeat for all the letters ... as kids get good at this one, combine letters and use for things like lining up for lunch ...

 

 

The incey wincey spider

Crawled up on ______’s head.

He crawled all around, then used it for a bed.

He crawled down (his/her) back

and jumped down to the floor.

Then the incey wincey spider

Crawled underneath the door.

 

 

Silly Name Song

(tune: Zippety Do Dah)

 

Zippety zoo zah, zippety zay

My oh my what a silly day.

Zippety zoo zah, zippety zay

Billy sing this song in a silly way.

 

Bippety boo bah, bippety bay

My oh my what a silly day

Bippety boo bah, bippety bay

Sarah sing this song in a silly way.

 

Sippety soo sah, sippety say.....

etc.

Make name necklaces by writing the letters on pasta tubes for threading

 

Name Match: Purchase two different colour index cards. Write each child’s name once on each colour card; laminate. The children match the cards.

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Do the children know each other from nursery? You could ask them to introduce their friend rather than themselves...

We do passing a ball of string across the circle to create a web my names ***** and I'm passing the ball to *****

My names ****** and I like/don't like *****

 

My names ****** and I'm special because ******

sit in a circle, then have them take turns saying their name. First go round, they might all whisper their name, then the next go round, they’d shout their name, then sing, clap the syllables, etc.

 

Sung to: "Frere Jacques"

 

Teacher:

I'm Ms. (name), I'm Ms. (name).

That's my name, That's my name.

Glad to see you here.

Glad to see you here.

What's your name? What's your name?

 

Child:

I am (name), I am (name).

That's my name, that's my name.

I am glad to be here,

I am glad to be here.

At school today, at school today.

 

Stand Up

(tune: Frere Jacques)

 

Stand up __________. Stand up __________.

Stand up __________. Stand up __________.

Reach up very high now.

Reach up to the sky now.

Then sit down. Then sit down.

 

 

Stand Up and Take a Bow

( tune - you'll have to make your own)

 

If your name begins with the letter A

Stand up! Stand up!

If your name begins with the letter A

Stand up and take a bow!

 

repeat for all the letters ... as kids get good at this one, combine letters and use for things like lining up for lunch ...

 

 

The incey wincey spider

Crawled up on ______’s head.

He crawled all around, then used it for a bed.

He crawled down (his/her) back

and jumped down to the floor.

Then the incey wincey spider

Crawled underneath the door.

 

 

Silly Name Song

(tune: Zippety Do Dah)

 

Zippety zoo zah, zippety zay

My oh my what a silly day.

Zippety zoo zah, zippety zay

Billy sing this song in a silly way.

 

Bippety boo bah, bippety bay

My oh my what a silly day

Bippety boo bah, bippety bay

Sarah sing this song in a silly way.

 

Sippety soo sah, sippety say.....

etc.

Make name necklaces by writing the letters on pasta tubes for threading

 

Name Match: Purchase two different colour index cards. Write each child’s name once on each colour card; laminate. The children match the cards.

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Hi sorry I clicked the wrong button. Thank you for sharing those lovely ideas. This year at preschool we have very young as well as lots of new chhildren. These ideas will really help them to link names and faces as well as begin to raise their confidence.

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I make a knock, knock book (idea copied from my daughter's reception teacher!). Each child has a page. Each page says, 'Knock, knock! Who's there?' and below is a lift-the-flap door, coloured in by the child with a photo of the child underneath and the child's name, written by the child on the back of the door.

We read the text together, guess who is behind the door, lift the flap and see if we were right.

Last year it was the children's absolute favourite book for AGES and really encouraged and supported their early reading. As the doors all looked different, the children soon began to remember who was under each door. Reading this book AGAIN and AGAIN (as requested!) realy helped children to learn their new friends' names.

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I make a knock, knock book (idea copied from my daughter's reception teacher!). Each child has a page. Each page says, 'Knock, knock! Who's there?' and below is a lift-the-flap door, coloured in by the child with a photo of the child underneath and the child's name, written by the child on the back of the door.

We read the text together, guess who is behind the door, lift the flap and see if we were right.

 

Lovely idea - thanks for sharing :o

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What fab ideas, thank you so much! Am starting back next Monday and these have really got my brain going....I think it had gone into hibernation after the Summer!!

 

Miffychick :o

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  • 1 year later...

These ideas are fantastic!!! I think I'm going to try the "Stand up" name song that marion suggested! I really like emmajess's 'knock knock' book idea too!!!

 

As I haven't yet met many of the children in my class, on the first day back I'm going to play some PSED focus circle-time name games similar to harricroft, passing a ball around to help us learn each other's names and getting to know each other. I'm going to follow on from passing the ball around by challenging the class to remember each other's names by rolling a ball of wool around and across the circle, saying their names/each other's names as they pass it to make a 'name web'. Children hold onto the wool as they recieve it but can only be rolled to once (this way everyone gets a turn before the wool runs out!!!) The last child to recieve the wool ball then gets to wind it back in (another chance to name everyone as a class too!)

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we use a shaker and sing ........... has the shaker the shaker the shaker, ...................has the shaker and passes onto ............

 

dont know what tune we use sorry can sing it in my head but dont know where its from

 

buttercup

 

 

here we go round the mulberry bush fits....

 

and so does Peter hammers with one hammer....

 

Great ideas!!

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we use a shaker and sing ........... has the shaker the shaker the shaker, ...................has the shaker and passes onto ............

 

dont know what tune we use sorry can sing it in my head but dont know where its from

 

buttercup

 

I can imagine the tune you sing this too but I can't think what it's the tune to either! It's really annoying me now! Someone help!!!

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I can imagine the tune you sing this too but I can't think what it's the tune to either! It's really annoying me now! Someone help!!!

 

Ooo I think I've got it but I'm pretty sure there's a more 'proper' song with this tune! When I was little we used to sing 'Cat's got the measles, the measles, the measles, cat's got the measles, the measles got the cat'!!!

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