Teaching Your Child to Print Their Name

A child's name is the most important word he/ she will learn to print. Learning to print his/ her name is an important literacy skill for any youngster as it helps master letter formation and internalize printing principles.
What is important isn't necessarily good handwriting, it's the automatic letter formation which then frees children to focus on more letter and word acquisition without having to concentrate on the mechanics.

Make printing a positive, motivating, fun and creative process in an individualized and encouraging way that emphasizes the effort.

Credit to Nellie Edge (www.nellieedge.com) a kindergarten resource site for this information.

Our 'Signature' Stamp

Little learners love the sense of accomplishment when they learn to print their names. Our 'signature' product helps the printing process in a fun and interactive way.
With a large 'dotted' font children can stamp their own name on paper, coloring pages, artwork etc. which allows them to trace the letters of their name.

Now I know my ABC's....

So what comes next? Using something as non-threatening and familiar as their names is a great way to get children to make that move from letters in a song to words on paper. Understanding concepts like letters and words is a big leap for some pre-schoolers and kindergarteners. By utilizing their names parents and educators can introduce a variety of literacy concepts to children in fun, imaginative and interactive ways.

Here are some ideas that I've tried with my kids...

- play "I Spy" looking for letters from their name on signs, books, products, toys while in the car or waiting at the doctor's office, while shopping, in line at the grocery store, etc.

- Sing songs with the child's name. i.e. Replacing BINGO with KATIE, longer or shorter names require a bit of creativity in your singing cadence! Any name in a nursery rhyme can be replaced with your child's (Matthew be nimble, Matthew be quick, Matthew jump over the candle stick)

- Incorporate your child's name into silly songs or fun poems

I have a friend
Whose name is _____
And we have fun together.
We laugh and play
And sing all day
In any kind of weather.

(color) is my hair.
(color) are my eyes.
I'm _____ years old
and just the right size.
My name is _____ and as you can see
I'm very happy to be me.

What truly matters is that you and your child get to spend some fun, quality time, while learning a new skill. There is no need for pressure, the finished product is less important than the enjoyment of the process, and once your child gets better you can move on to new words to trace, and recognize. The great thing about these stamps is that while you start with their name, you can also get stamps that say CAT, MAT, DOG, BALL, and so forth...and with a few properly chosen words, eventually build a short sentence that they can write themselves. Cat sat on mat. You little genius will be miles ahead of his or her classmates come time for school! And you will have had fun, learning together, along the way!