Recognising Your Name

It’s a great idea to help your child recognise their own name in different places. Recognising it is the first step towards them being able to write it!

During your child’s school day, there will be lots of times when they need to find their own name.

They might spot their name:

  • Printed on their coat, peg and book bag.
  • Stitched into the right school jumper – so they don’t pick the wrong one up!
  • Written on on their classwork.

Being able to recognise their name will make lots of classroom activities easier.

Top Tip

Don't worry if your child can't write their name yet. Their teacher will help them to learn this skill.

Activities to Help Your Child

There are lots of fun activities you can do to help your child recognise their own name.

Try the activities below!

Door Signs

Create a sign with their name on for their door. Write their name with a capital letter at the start.
Encourage them to look at the name when they go into their room!

Think about other places where you could add their name, e.g., in their coat.

Family Name Game

Write family names on pieces of paper and see if they can find their own name amongst the others. Help them at first by circling it, then see if they can spot it without the circle.

You could also stick the names on the fridge door or a wall with photos of family faces alongside them.

Playdough Name Shapes

First, draw the outline of your child’s name in pencil and ask them to fill it in with playdough.

This is great fun and can help them get used to each letter’s shape and learn to look for it in other places.

Sticker Names

Write your child’s name on a piece of paper. Ask them to place stickers on all the lines until the stickers spell out their name.

This helps them learn the shape of each letter and encourages them to look for their name elsewhere.

Top Tip

Use their name everywhere. The more your child sees their name, the easier finding it will be.

Handy Videos

These videos give more tips on how to boost your child’s recognition of their name.

This page is part of our Ready Steady School series, designed to help your little one make the most of their start to school life.

You might also find these other topics useful:

  • Personal hygiene
  • Listening and attention
  • Making choices
  • Getting dressed
  • Talking
  • Hand and finger strength
  • Mealtime independence
  • Talking about your feelings