Teach your child to write and spell their first name.

Your child’s name is extremely meaningful to them.  Introduce them to letters and writing by utilizing a word they need to know and want to know, their own name.

Play with Letters

Gather up magnetic letters, bathtub letters, or letter blocks that spell out your child’s name.  Show them the letters and let them play with the toy letters.  Throughout play, tell them the name of each letter.  By limiting the letters to only those in their name, there are fewer options to trip them up.

Write the Letters

Giving your child the opportunity to trace or draw over their name will help accelerate their ability to write common letters.  In the simplest form, write your child’s name using large letters on a piece of paper.  Give them a favorite color marker or crayon and have them write over the letters.

I will be posting some more fun ways to write the name soon, but until then, just get them tracing their name.

Find the Letters (Visually)

Once your child is able to say the letters in their name play some games with them.  Have your child find the letters from their name on the page of a book or in a large printed word.  Lay out your toy letters and have your child find the letters that make up their name.

Find the Letters (Listening)

Once your child is able to identify the letters in their name play some advanced games with them.  Have them listen for letters from their name, as you say some common words.  Use words that start with the same letter first.

Next Level

Once your child is able to achieve all the activities above, repeat the process with their last name.  Your are building on what they have already been successful with, and will likely cover some of the same letters.