Hi Friends!
Your name: we write and hear it often.
Have you ever thought about how important your name is? I know that I write, see, hear, even smell (when someone needs me, but doesn’t want to admit it) my name multiple times per day. I never thought about how it all began though.
As a four or five-year-old, my name is the most important word that I know. I can write it on my paper so I know which is mine. I can spot it on a keychain while I wait in line at the gas station. I can show my friends how to spell it with chalk on the sidewalk between our houses. I can find many things that start with the same letter as my name.
I never was expected to sound it out, analyze the letter sounds or study it for a spelling test. I have known what my name sounds and looks like since I can remember.
As a teacher, this is also an important feat. All of the letters in a name can be connected to something else. For example, a student whose name is Ellie will most likely recognize the word elephant (no pictures included) before many of her classmates. In addition, a student named Shane will identify that the letters “s” and “h” make one sound, “sh”. A name is important and it is crucial that adults help their children to see these connections.
If we find one time a day to connect what children already know to something new, they will excel. They will also be more inclined to make that connection again, on their own. It is amazing what these little people can do!
Tip: Ask your kindergartener to listen or find the same sounds in their name (first or last) with something they encounter during the day. This could be while driving, playing or reading.
Trick: Model with your own name. Show your children that you can do it too. It might be helpful to use your last name so they have that same connection, too! J
Morgan
Teaching Tips + Tricks 