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avatar Anonymous

How do I encourage my kindergartener to work on writing his name?

My son wants nothing to do with school when he isn't in it. His teacher said that he needs to practice it at home, but I can't get him to sit still long enough.

Question applies to ages: 4, 5, 6

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avatarRebecca
# of Thumbs Up Received (14)
Top 5 in: Discipline, Transitions and Readiness, Motivating StudentsTop 5 in 3 Topics		 When there's a subject my kids shy away from, I try to make it as fun as possible. For writing practice, some ideas include:
• pour uncooked rice into a rimmed cookie sheet and have him write his name with his finger in the rice
• same pan, but this time use shaving cream--cover the pan and let him use his finger (and then straight into the tub!)
• turn him loose with a dry-erase board
• buy packs of "position" paper with the dotted/solid lines—this can be found everywhere school supplies are sold—so the same paper used at school is available at home. Leave it out all the time with smooth-flowing (washable) markers rather than pencils.
• Be patient! All kids eventually pick up on handwriting, but I've found that boys especially can be slow to gaining this skill.
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avatarElizabeth.Johns
# of Thumbs Up Received (76)
Top 5 in: Choosing College, Discipline, Families and Relationships, Family Activities, Growth and Development, Health and Wellness, Learning Disabilities and Special Needs, Learning Styles, Parents and Schools, Safety, School Policy and Education Issues, Study Skills and Academics, Summer Learning and Camps, Teens and Jobs, Transitions and Readiness, Motivating StudentsTop 5 in 16 Topics		 My daughter is in kindergarten, too. I try to give her many opportunities to write her name, without making it seem like practice or homework. For instance:

Buy a card for grandma (or grandpa) and ask him to sign it, and let him know how pleased they will be to see that he wrote his own name.

If he draws a picture, ask him to put his name on it and post it on the fridge.

Ask him to help you put his name on his lunch box or his back pack (a laundry marking pen works well for this).

Many children's books have a place on the inside cover where the owner can write his or her name. (I love the ones that say: My name is _______. This is my book. Please read it to me.) Encourage him to write his name on the inside covers of his favorite books--just make sure they're not library books!

Your goal is to give him a sense of confidence and mastery, but to make it not seem like "work." I think it helps to connect his name with his sense of self: his artwork, his books, his card to his grandparents. His name represents him and that's something to be proud of!



References:
mom of a kindergarten (and three older kids)
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