Have children use clay or play-dough to form the letters in their first names. Place each child's name on a piece of cardboard. Let each child count how many letters are in his/her name and write that number on the cardboard. Survey the number of letters in names and create a class picture graph. Write numbers of letters (1, 2, 3, 4…) down the left side of the graph. To the right of each number, place one smiley face sticker for each child who has that many letters in his/her name. Talk with students about the graph. Ask questions such as How many students have names with six letters? and Do more students have names with four letters or five letters? or Which name length belongs to the fewest students in our class?
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Sue LaBella, Education World's early childhood editor, is a former teacher who loves writing activities and poems for young children. She lives in Connecticut with her family and her bulldog named Daisy.
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Early Childhood Activity Bank
