Name Writing for Beginners

Since young children are discovering more about themselves everyday, teach them to write their name.

Materials:
orange construction paper
yellow construction paper
washable markers
glue stick
laminator (FedEx Kinko's has a self serve one)

Preparation:
Fold the yellow construction paper long ways and cut on fold. Write your child's name neatly on the paper in black. Glue it to the top of the orange construction paper. Laminate the finished product.

Activity:
The best way to learn something is to do it often. Using a dark colored marker (other than black), have your child trace his/her name on the yellow portion of the paper. Then have him/her write name on the orange portion of the paper, using name above as a guide. Once name has been written, it will erase with a paper towel. If it needs to be cleaned, use a baby wipe or water. Your child can reuse this page to practice writing his/her name.

Once your child has mastered writing his/her first name this way, make another name card that includes first and last name.

Suggestions:
You can also use this card to teach your child the letters in his/her name. At first, you will need to point to each letter, say its name, and have your child repeat it after you. Eventually, your child will be able to point to the letters and name them without your help.

Child Journaling

Journals are a fantastic way to document your child's development.

Materials:

spiral sketch notebook

crayons or colored pencils (markers will bleed through the paper)

Activity:

You can have your child journal everyday or a few times a week as well as after an important event/outting. This will provide a way for your child to express him/herself freely. Teach your child how to open to the correct page (so the journal entries will be in order). As they draw, listen carefully to what they say. You will discover a lot about your child. When the picture is complete, date the top of the page and ask your child to tell you about the picture. As they talk, write exactly what they say (even if it is not correct). By exactly, if they say "gwass" for "grass" - write gwass (over time you will see the development in their language skills). Or if they say "This be a spider." This is their creation, therefore it is important that you do not add your own ideas (or corrections) to it.

Suggestions:

As your child becomes more familiar with the process, you can encourage them to start trying to write some letters/words. Beginning sounds will be the easiest at first. For example, have them write B for balloon. It is okay to show them how to do it or they can trace the B you make. Tell them the sound that B makes as you work on it.

If your child has a hard time deciding what to draw, give some ideas through questions.

* What is your favorite color? Draw something that is that color.

* What did you have for breakfast?

* Who did you play with today?

It is also normal if your child draws the same thing over and over. It is likely that you praised your child initially and they are wanting to make you happy. After about a week of the same picture, encourage through questions that they draw something new.

Welcome to Create & Play!

The mission is to teach children through hands-on experiences. The best way for a child to learn is through the parent(s). Each activity will come with a list of materials and suggested instructions. Most activities are grounded in literature. The literature is linked to amazon.com if you want to purchase. However, we suggest taking full advantage of your local library. Get your child a personal library card. The materials used for each activity are meant to promote creativity ~ not to empty your pockets. We will research places to find any purchased materials at a great price.

We desire to hear feedback about your experiences doing the activities. Please email us or leave messages/pictures. We want to know what works, what does not work, or any ideas that were developed in the midst of the activity.

Things might get messy. Remember the best way to learn something is to truly explore it. Roll up your sleeves...