Mini Eraser Name Activity

Preschool hasn’t started for me yet, but I focus a lot of energy on names at the start of my school year. Not just students’ own names but on learning each other’s as well. This mini eraser name activity is a great way to construct names while also working on a little fine motor. Name recognition is important not just for practical reasons like finding cubbies and taking home the right jacket; it’s also an important part of early literacy. Names are words, but they are the most meaningful words around. Children learn a lot from names, like that they are made up of letters and that print = speech and vice versa. Focusing on names shouldn’t just be for the first week, but it does also help to build community and create bonds when children start to recognize names beyond their own. For more name activities, check out this post.

How To This Make Mini Eraser Name Activity

Gather your materials. You will need a marker, circle labels, some apple mini erasers, and a drawing of an apple tree or this free printable.

Start by writing your student’s name on the labels and the apple mini erasers.

Write out extra letters on the mini-erasers too. If you are making these for your whole class, no need to worry about extras. Remember part of this activity is finding the correct letters, so having some extras is a must.

Now it’s time to pop the stickers on the tree. You can make a sheet for each student or laminate and just write the letters on the tree with dry erase. I like using the stickers because, yes, I have to print out many trees, but at the end of the day or week I am using these, I can peel the stickers off and use the trees again next year. Peeling them off is even easier if you laminate the tree but I am trying hard to avoid laminating since it’s not environmentally friendly.

I like to include a photo of the child so students can find their tree or intentionally work on a friend’s name apple tree instead of or in addition to their own. Clip the photo to the tree and scatter the apples with letters on them around the table.

Match them up.

I use this mini eraser activity at free choice so I can have a whole bunch of trees out for my students to explore, but you could also do it at small group. If you are doing it one on one, make sure you have more apples than are needed. Part of the lesson is to find the letters as well as match them up.

This is a quick game, and you can re-use the apple mini erasers for this roll and cover game for your next small group activity.

Looking for more great preschool activities?

HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO FIND INSIDE EVERYDAY PRESCHOOL:

Over 170 simple preschool activities that use everyday materials. You don’t need to invest a lot of money to teach your child at home.
Activities are short, with minimal prep, so you can fit some learning into your busy day.
The book is organized into nine categories of learning; literacy, math, science, sensory, art, fine motor, gross motor, social-emotional, and bedtime reading tips.
Everyday Preschool activity book was created using various state standards for PreK and has tips for making activities easier or harder to fit your child.
An Appendix filled with an extensive book list links to free printables, song lyrics, nursery rhymes, my favorite playdough recipe, and more.