You may have noticed in our last newsletter that we have introduced name cards for children to use at school. Each member of our class has a card with their first name printed next to their picture. The cards are all attached to the wall with Velcro so that children can easily grab their own or someone else’s if they’d like to know what a name looks like.
Children have been interested in the name cards and are using them in various ways. Some were excited to use the cards to start writing some or all of the letters in their own names. Some are eager to get their card and look at it, but ask for a teacher’s help to write their name. In these cases, we are coaxing kids to try one letter, or even one part of the letter (such as the vertical line in the letter T, E or L) or writing the letters with children, holding our hand over theirs. Some children are interested in looking at the cards, but aren’t yet interested in trying to write any of the names. Many are noticing similarities and differences between names and there have been many discussions about this. Each of these approaches is valuable and reflective of where children are in their understanding about words and letters.
Last week, we made a sign-up sheet for some new toy trucks we are introducing to the classroom. Kids are very interested in these new toys and teachers set up a table with the sign-up sheet, a marker and a basket with the name cards in order to facilitate signing up. As children signed up for turns, we encouraged them to look at their name cards and attempt their letters. Some were up for this challenge, while others needed some help with it.
Now, the sign-up sheet is hanging up on the block rug, for children to reference as we give everyone a turn using the new trucks. This has generated new interest in names, as children search the sign-up list to know when their turn will be. We encourage all efforts, no matter how closely they resemble actual letters. We know that every mark a child makes on a paper represents their current stage of understanding about letters and are happy to see this. At this age, our job is to encourage each child’s attempts and recognize them as real writing. For those who aren’t yet attempting to write their names, they are gaining familiarity with names, letters, and reasons for writing.
In addition to being a meaningful tool for literacy learning, sign-up sheets give children a concrete way to understand that they will get a turn with something, even if they must wait and a way to know when their turn is coming. As the year continues, we will introduce more activities that require signing up and look forward to seeing how each child approaches this task and supporting their growth in the coming weeks.
Now, children are busy exploring the new vehicles at playtime and are further experimenting with letter forms as they play with magnetic letters.
