If it's back-to-school time for you, or if you're at least THINKING about being back to school, you're probably busy planning ways to build up your classroom community!
These fun interactive activities are perfect to practice names and integrate skills across the curriculum.
Your students will have fun as they get to know one another, and you will begin creating a positive classroom environment from Day 1. It's a win-win!
Here are 3 of my favorite Name Activities to use with your class:
Here are 3 of my favorite Name Activities to use with your class:
1. "EVERYBODY HAS A NAME" (LITERACY)
We love to sing "Everybody Has a Name!"
Adding this activity into your daily routine at the beginning of the school year will make all the difference when it comes to giving each one of your students a sense of belonging.
2. A MY NAME IS ALICE MORNING MEETING GREETING (SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNING)
This fun Morning Meeting activity integrates SEL with Language Arts. Students will be having so much fun, that they won't even realize you snuck in a mini-lesson about verbs and alliteration!As students are greeted around the circle (or with a partner - however you want to set it up!) they would say:
"A my name is _____. I like to _____."
Using the first letter of their names, students should name an activity they like to do that matches that letter.
For example:
"B my name is Brooke and I like to bake."
"C my name is Charlie and I like to collect."
The best part is, that students will have follow-up questions that will further allow them to make connections. ("What do you like to bake?" Brownies! "What do you like to collect?" Seashells!).
There are many variations you can do with this activity.
For example, instead of using verbs, you can encourage students to think of an adjective that describes them! The possibilities are endless as students celebrate their names in a fun, interactive way.
3. NUMBERS IN OUR NAMES (MATH)
This interactive activity is meant to be used with the mentor text Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.
In this activity, students collect data and count the letters in each of their classmates' names! Then, students tally, graph, and interpret the data.
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What are some of your favorite ways to have fun with names as you build a classroom community? I'd love to know!
Happy teaching,
