Little Vikings Students Build Early Literacy Skills One Name at a Time

For young learners, learning to write their name is a big milestone, and in Ms. Bethany Tyndall’s PreK-4 classroom at the Little Vikings Preschool, students are building the skills and confidence they need to reach that milestone one letter at a time.

Students have been spending time practicing their names while developing a variety of early literacy skills along the way. They are learning to recognize the individual letters that make up their names, identify and name those letters, put the letters in the correct order and practice forming the letters through writing.

The activities also incorporate a little rhythm and movement as students clap out the syllables in their names. Breaking names into syllables helps students begin to hear and understand the different parts of spoken words while making the learning experience fun and engaging.

For preschoolers, recognizing their own name is an especially meaningful part of early literacy development. Their name is a familiar and important word, giving them a natural starting point for learning that letters have specific shapes and sounds and that those letters can be combined in a particular order to create words.

“As students work with their names, they are also developing fine motor skills and becoming more comfortable with the physical act of writing,” said Dr. Elizabeth Cherico, Little Vikings Principal. “Holding a writing tool, forming individual letters and attempting to reproduce the letters in their names all provide opportunities for students to strengthen the coordination and control they will continue to use as they progress toward more advanced writing.”

Perhaps most importantly, the activities are helping students build confidence. Each time a student recognizes a letter, correctly arranges the letters in their name or proudly writes a familiar letter, they are developing a sense of accomplishment and seeing themselves as writers.

The learning taking place in Ms. Tyndall’s classroom reflects the developmentally appropriate, play-based approach used throughout Little Vikings, where students are supported as they take their first steps in their educational journey.