Name Writing MAGIC!

Do you want a magic way to have your students practice writing their name 17 or 18 times in about half an hour- and to LOVE doing it?  Well, here you go!

I am not kidding. I almost felt guilty-like it wasn't school-enough- the kids had so much fun. 
First, I made everyone one of these homemade  fabulous clipboards and opened some new skinny markers for the occasion.  I do have some clipboards, just not enough. My thinking was that if they were all sad looking and homemade, there would be no arguing about who got what.  They all thought these were "cool," because they didn't know any better. 

 After we read this story about being a friend (one of my favorites...),

I explained that each person would have a clipboard, paper, and marker.  Our job was to go around to each person, and ask each friend to sign our paper as we signed our friend's paper.  We would only be writing our own name every time, once on each paper.  We would collect all of our friends' names.  I modeled this with a few children. I said, "Would you please sign my paper, and I will sign yours?"  We switched boards, signed, and moved to another child. 

They could write anywhere they wanted, with any color marker they chose.  That was enough joy for the entire day.  I wish I had taped the entire lesson.  They were so sweet and polite asking each other for names. Of course they love to have your name on their paper, too. (And I sort of felt like a celebrity when they were each excited to have me write my name for them. It doesn't take much to make me happy...)

If you want a copy of the simple sheet I used for recording, just click the picture below.

Feel free to make a "fancier" sheet! :) I liked this simple sheet, because  I told the children that the paper would be so colorful and pretty after they each wrote their names with different color markers.  The minute they got the paper, they started reading, "I like, I like, I like..." so even that was great!

 

I told my sweet little Christopher (who had worked the letters in his name up to writing 'Christ' a while ago, which made me chuckle) that he only had to write 'Chris.'  He was determined to write 'Christopher'- which he did on the first two.  Then he sort of dropped letters one by one til we got to 'Chr.'  The year is still early.  :)

Enjoy the rest of your long weekend! :)