• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Preschool Toolbox Blog

Educational Learning and Play for Children 2-7

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Shop Lesson Plans
    • My Downloads
  • About
    • PR/Social Media
  •  
  • Literacy
  • Math
  • PreK
  • Science
  • Fall Theme Activities
  • Preschool Themes

Sep 2, 2015
5 Senses Theme Activities· Back to School for Preschool and PreK· Literacy

Learning Names in Preschool with ALL 5 Senses!

Thanks for sharing!

  • Share
  • Tweet

Sensory Names in Preschool with ALL 5 Senses

This week the Early Childhood Educational Team has compiled awesome activities for learning names in Preschool and Kindergarten!  With just a few simple supplies, parents, childcare providers, or teachers in the classroom can offer name explorations through playful learning!

LEARNING NAMES IN PRESCHOOL with ALL 5 SENSES

Some of the first letters preschoolers begin to know are the letters in their own names!  Exploring the letters in names through engaging ALL 5 SENSES is not only FUN play for preschoolers, but the sensory layers help encourage name and letter recognition skills.

In order to explore all 5 Senses, preschoolers need to know what primary body parts provide sensory information:  Hands, Nose, Mouth, Ears, and Eyes.   In many sensory activities, more than one body part will provide information.  Activities that provide learning opportunities that engage more than one SENSE will help young kids retain information for longer periods of time.   Come explore all the sensory ways to encourage name and letter recognition in Preschool and Kindergarten through playful learning!

Disclosure: This post and others within the blog contain affiliate/distributor links and content. Please see our full disclosures here on the blog.

Sensory Names in Preschool-TheSense of TouchLearning Names:  The Sense of Touch in Preschool

DIY Name Rubbing Plates

Materials needed:

  • Liquid Glue
  • Heavy Paper (cardstock or cardboard)
  • Unwrapped Crayon
  • White Paper

Invite the kids to “write” their names with liquid glue on a sheet of heavy paper.  Glue bottles are great fine motor work, but younger children may need assistance (some bottles are easier than others to squeeze)!  Allow the glue to dry overnight.  When thoroughly dry, have the kids place a clean sheet of white paper over the name.  Rub the raised letters with the side of an unwrapped crayon and watch the letters appear.  Preschoolers think rubbing plates are a bit magical!  The dried glue template can be re-used over and over for name and letter practice!

Cornmeal Names

Materials needed:

  • Liquid Glue
  • Dry Cornmeal
  • Heavy Paper
  • Small bowl and spoon

Have the kids use liquid glue to make the letters in their name.  For younger children, write the letters of their name on a separate piece of paper and see if the kids can copy the letters with the liquid glue.  Before the glue dries, the children can use a spoon to sprinkle cornmeal over the letters.  Show the children how to dispose of any leftover cornmeal by holding the paper upright and shaking it gently into a tray or garbage can.  Allow the cornmeal letters to dry overnight.  Invite the kids to trace the cornmeal letters with their fingers for tactile letter and names play!

Learning Names with the Sense of Smell in PreschoolLearning Names:  The Sense of Smell in Preschool

Disclosure:  this post and others within this blog contain affiliate and/or distributor links.  Please see the ABOUT US Page for full disclosures.

Spicy Names

Materials needed:

  • Any spices the children might like (our kids used pumpkin pie spice, cloves, and nutmeg).
  • Liquid Glue
  • Heavy Paper
  • Small bowls and spoons (one per spice used)

Have the kids write the letters of their name with liquid glue – assist younger children as necessary.  Place a small amount of the chosen spices in small bowls and invite the children to carefully smell each one (supervise so the children do not inhale the spices, but gently smell them). Before the glue dries, have the kids sprinkle a different spice onto the various letters in their name.  Dispose of any extra spices on the paper by lifting the paper and carefully shaking the excess into a tray or garbage can.  Dry the spicy names thoroughly.  When dry, invite the kids use their sense of smell to determine which spice was used on each letter.  Do the children remember the scents from the smell alone?  The sense of smell is powerful learning for children and it gives the room a delightful fragrance, too!

Sensory Scented Names

  • Scented Markers
  • White Paper

Scented Markers make letters and name writing a sensory exploration for kids!  Our kids love the Mr. Sketch markers with all the various scents! For a playful learning game to try, make random letters on a page with the scented markers (include the letters that make up your child’s/student’s name).  Invite the kids to circle all the letters that form their name and see if they can tell which scented marker was used to make the different letters.  Once the children locate the letters in their name, see if they can write the letters in the correct name order with a marker of their choice (see photo above).

The Sense of Sight_Sensory Names in PreschoolLearning Names:  The Sense of Sight in Preschool

Sugar and Mirrors Name Writing Trays

Materials needed:

  • Granulated Sugar
  • Acrylic Mirrors
  • Writing tools (paintbrushes, Q-tips, craft sticks)

Allowing kids the opportunity to use various writing tools helps promote fine motor control for letter formation skills.  We use sugar on mirrors for writing (and playing) as it’s a great visual activity for gaining important sensory information.  Provide index cards with the names of each child for practice with letter formation and transferring skills!

For another way to play with visual transferring and sensory names, see Chalk Dust and Feather Writing in Preschool!

Pudding Sensory Names in PreschoolLearning Names:  The Sense of Taste in Preschool!

Pudding Names

Materials needed:

  • Any flavor of pudding (homemade or commercial)
  • Various Writing Tools (fingers, paintbrushes, small sponges, or Q-tips)

Beware:  Messy Play!:)  Pudding Painting and Writing is a hands-down favorite activity for our own kids.  Pudding writing is a great way to encourage letter formations with a “taste-safe” base for kids that still mouth materials.  Our Pre-K and Kindergarten kids still love to practice pudding writing with our preschoolers!  Set out a variety of paintbrushes and small sponges and invite the kids to create the letters in their name!  Be sure to take plenty of messy pictures as the kids will LOVE looking at themselves when the activity is finished!  The pictures make a great class book idea for the kids to read the names of their peers throughout the year!

Cool Whip, Sprinkles, and Whipped Cream are also fun for doodles, painting, and taste-safe letter/name writing!

Learning Names with the Sense of Hearing in Preschool
Voice Changer Plus by Arf Software, Inc. is a FUN app to try with kids!

Learning Names:  The Sense of HEARING in Preschool!

Voice Recorders

The sense of hearing is crucial when learning the names of peers in preschool!  Kids love hearing their own name and those of the other children.  Children learn to discriminate sounds and gain literacy skills when they have plenty of opportunities to enhance listening skills.  Our own kids love playing with digital voice recorders!  We have recorded parents at the beginning of the school year and played the game – Who Does That Parent Belong To?  We also voice record our kids saying the names of their peers.  We play the recorder back at another time to see if the kids know who is speaking by voice alone.

For a fun free voice recording app to try, see Voice Changer Plus by Arf Software, Inc. on iTunes for iPad and iPhone.

The Name Train Welcome Song

As our preschoolers come together for circle time in the morning, we sing the Name Train Song.  It’s a simple song that calls each child by name to form a seated train on the floor.  We choose the “caboose and engine” as part of our weekly classroom jobs list.  The song goes like this:

Alan (student’s name) is here today, here today, here today.

Alan (student’s name) is here today, we’re glad to have you here.

As we sing each child’s name they sit in a line (one in front of the other) to form a train.  As the last child (the engine) is called, we call out, “ARE YOU READY?” and “GO!”  The children scoot forward on their bottoms yelling, “CHUGGA, CHUGGA, CHUGGA, CHUGGA, CHOO-CHOO!”  It is one of our favorite name greeting songs to sing!

Learning Names using ALL 5 Senses will allow preschoolers opportunities to practice and play with names while encouraging the growth and development of important early learning skills!

ABCs and 123s Playful Learning eBook for Kids

For even MORE ways to play with ABC’s and names, check out our newest title published by Nuturestore UK!  ABC’s and 123’s  contains 40+ ideas for sensory learning with letters and numbers.  It’s a MUST HAVE resource book for your home or classroom library!

Buy Now

The ABCs and 123s ebook is published and sold by Cathy James at NurtureStore.co.uk. Please direct any customer service queries regarding purchases of the ebook to [email protected] or refer to the NurtureStore FAQ

The-5-Senses Theme for Preschool, Home Preschool, or Childcare

The 5 Senses Thematic Unit comes with 100’s of activities for playful learning.  The Unit is an instant download with Literacy, Math, Science, Arts/Crafts, Pretend Play, and Gross Motor ideas for home, childcare, or the classroom.

Checkout Added to cart

 

For MORE great NAME ACTIVITIES, please visit some of the articles from the dedicated Early Childhood Education Team below:

Erase Me Rhyming Activity via Growing Book by Book

Spell Your Name Sensory Bin via Mom Inspired Life

All About Me Early Writing Activity via The Educators’ Spin On It

All About Me Booklet via Tiny Tots Adventures

Scratch and Sniff Names via Fun-A-Day

Fun Kindergarten Math Activities Using Their Names via Capri + 3

All About Me Math Race via Still Playing School

DIY My Name Puzzle Printable Template via Learning 2 Walk

Name Recognition Snack via Munchkins and Moms

Build my name via Rainy Day Mum

All About Me DIY Puzzles for Preschoolers via Life Over C’s

 

 

 

17 Comments

Join our newsletter & receive the FREE DOWNLOAD:
Explorations with ALL 5 SENSES!

Enjoy in the classroom or at home!



Previous Post: « Teaching Responsibility in Preschool Through Practical Life Skills! #TeachECE
Next Post: Mouse Paint: Learning About Colors in Preschool! #TeachECE »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amanda says

    September 2, 2015 at 6:29 am

    YUM! I want to try the pudding one with MY name =) Does it come with whipped cream??? he he he

    Reply
  2. Jodie @ Growing Book by Book says

    September 2, 2015 at 6:50 am

    I love this multi-sensory approach. We might try the smelly activities today!

    Reply
  3. Danielle says

    September 2, 2015 at 8:46 am

    So many great ways for children to use their senses while learning names!

    Reply
  4. Clarissa says

    September 2, 2015 at 9:23 am

    Love the way you used all the senses to teach name recognition! we have got to try that pudding idea!

    Reply
  5. Theresa says

    September 2, 2015 at 1:09 pm

    Those are such great sensory projects! Pinned.

    Reply
  6. Devany says

    September 3, 2015 at 8:56 pm

    This is so much fun! I wonder while sense and activity my kids would like best! I’ll let you know when we try these!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 5 Senses Activity with Scratch and Sniff Names - Fun-A-Day! says:
    September 2, 2015 at 4:03 am

    […] Writing Activity via The Educators’ Spin On It All About Me Booklet via Tiny Tots Adventures Learning Names in Preschool with ALL 5 Senses! via The Preschool Toolbox Scratch and Sniff Names via Fun-A-Day Fun Kindergarten Math Activities […]

    Reply
  2. Erase Me Rhyming Activity says:
    September 2, 2015 at 6:07 am

    […] Learning Names in Preschool with ALL 5 Senses! via The Preschool Toolbox […]

    Reply
  3. Spell Your Name Sensory Bin Hunt - Mom Inspired Life says:
    September 2, 2015 at 8:34 am

    […] Learning Names in Preschool with ALL 5 Senses! via The Preschool Toolbox […]

    Reply
  4. Name Recognition Snack - Munchkins and Moms says:
    September 4, 2015 at 10:18 am

    […] Learning Names in Preschool with ALL 5 Senses! via The Preschool Toolbox […]

    Reply
  5. All About Me Booklet | Tiny Tots Adventures says:
    September 29, 2015 at 12:37 am

    […] Learning Names in Preschool with ALL 5 Senses! via The Preschool Toolbox […]

    Reply
  6. Super Simple Sensory Name Recognition Bags for Preschoolers! • The Preschool Toolbox Blog says:
    May 20, 2017 at 7:01 pm

    […] For more ways to PLAY with Sensory Name Recognition, try some of the activities here. […]

    Reply
  7. All About Me DIY Puzzles says:
    July 20, 2017 at 8:38 am

    […] Learning Names in Preschool with ALL 5 Senses! via The Preschool Toolbox […]

    Reply
  8. All About Me Activities for the Start of Preschool! • The Preschool Toolbox Blog says:
    July 15, 2018 at 2:35 pm

    […] Help Preschoolers Learn Their Name Using ALL 5 Senses […]

    Reply
  9. All About Me DIY Puzzles for Preschoolers says:
    February 23, 2019 at 7:02 pm

    […] Learning Names in Preschool with ALL 5 Senses! via The Preschool Toolbox […]

    Reply
  10. Ways to Play Every Day: July Activity Calendar for Preschoolers • The Preschool Toolbox Blog says:
    July 6, 2019 at 5:22 pm

    […] Write your name in sand or other with fun sensory materials. […]

    Reply
  11. Heart-Themed Preschool Activities: 10+ Ways to Learn through Play • The Preschool Toolbox Blog says:
    January 27, 2020 at 8:01 pm

    […] Heart Name Game #11 – Write each letter of the child’s name on a heart. They can then arrange the hearts in the correct order to spell their name. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

SEARCH for an ACTIVITY or SEASONAL THEME HERE!

Subscribe

Theme Activites, Parenting, Education

Copyright © 2023 · The Preschool Toolbox · Become an Affiliate · Web Hosting & Design by Servously

The Preschool Toolbox Blog uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and to personalize content. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. Click READ MORE for details: Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT