Children's names provide a powerful starting point for early literacy and numeracy learning. These developmentally appropriate activities use play dough, name cards, letter materials and counting tools to help learners explore their own names while developing letter recognition, name recognition, one-to-one correspondence and fine-motor control.
Designed especially for the beginning of Kindergarten, these activities are easy to introduce and can be used during independent activity time, literacy centres, math centres, morning tubs, small-group instruction, intervention or homeschool learning.
ACTIVITIES INCLUDED
1. PLAY DOUGH NAMES
Learners roll and shape play dough to build the letters in their names. They say each letter as they build and then read their completed name.
Resources include:
- Build My Name with Play Dough mat
- Build, Trace and Write My Name page
- Opportunities to build, trace, write and read
- Quick assessment checklist
- Curriculum connections
2. NAME MATCH
Learners examine their own names and the names of their classmates. They look carefully at the letters, find matching name cards, build the name in the correct order and practise writing it.
Resources include:
- Name Match activity mat
- Classmate name cards
- Optional spaces for learner photographs
- Name-building and writing opportunities
- Quick assessment checklist
- Curriculum connections
3. COUNT MY NAME
Learners write their names, touch and count each letter, record the total and represent their names in another way. The class can then compare name lengths using the included graphing activity.
Resources include:
- Count My Name activity page
- Touch-and-count spaces
- Number recording choices
- Name-length class graph
- Comparison and discussion questions
- Quick assessment checklist
- Curriculum connections
TURNKEY SUPPORT INCLUDED
- Mini-pack overview
- Educator quick-start guide
- Three I Can cards
- Whole-class observation tracker
- Differentiation and next steps
- Family connection cards
- Colour reusable name cards
- Ink-friendly reusable name cards
- Completion certificate
SKILLS DEVELOPED
- Name recognition
- Letter recognition and sequencing
- Oral language
- Early writing
- Fine-motor strength
- One-to-one correspondence
- Counting and cardinality
- Representing quantities
- Comparing name lengths
PERFECT FOR
- The first weeks of Kindergarten
- Back-to-school learning
- Literacy and math centres
- Independent activities
- Morning tubs
- Small-group instruction
- Name inquiry
- Preschool and Pre-K
- Homeschool Kindergarten
- Early intervention
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
This resource includes connections to the Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum 2026 and relevant U.S. Common Core Kindergarten standards.
PLEASE NOTE
This is a printable PDF resource. Play dough, counters, loose parts, letter tiles and other hands-on materials shown in the photographs are not included.
This mini resource is taken from the complete September Independent Literacy and Numeracy Activities Package from Sweet Little Learners. Purchase the complete September package to receive the entire collection, along with exclusive planning and comprehensive assessment tools.
