NAME Cheer

Our names are special, our names are unique.  There is a sense of pride when your child learns to spell their name.  I started "cheering" my son's name from day one.  I had a framed picture above his changing table and I would cheer his name all the time. 

Cheer:  S-H-A-Y, Go Shay Go, Go Shay Go, GOOOOOOO Shay!

As he got older, I moved the picture so it faced the toilet.  As he was potty training and spending some time there, he started "cheering" his name.  Then, when people asked him his name, he would spell it first, then say his name.  He was so proud of himself and people were impressed when they saw this little boy spell out his name.  After years of his first name, we moved to his last name.  It is a bit longer, so I had to get creative and find a way that would teach him the spelling.  That's when I found a tune and changed the words to the letters in his name.  In the video below is Shay at age 5, but he learned the song when he turned four and still loves to sing his name!

Anyone can cheer or sing their name.  You just have to find a tune that works.  Here is what I have come up with so far.

3 letter names: The tune of 3 blind mice (B-E-N, B-E-N, Ben is my name)
4 letter names: Spell out the letters for a cheer (see picture above)
5 letter names: The tune of BINGO (There was a boy/girl who had a name and ____was his name-o)
6 letter names: The Mickey Mouse song (H-U-N,T-E-R, Hunter is my name)
7 letter names: The tune of BINGO again, but start right out with the spelling (J-A-C-K-S-O-N and Jackson is my name-o)
8 letter names: The tune of Joy to the World (see video)
9 letter names:  (Sorry Francesca, Auntie is still thinking of a song...stay tuned!)

 

In the beginning it is important to have your child see their name written as they sing their name.  You can write it on a plain piece of paper and have your child decorate it or glue pictures of themselves around it.  I wrote the name on a piece of paper and also on post-it notes.  My son had to cover the letters with the post-it notes.  See this post for reasons why I love post-it notes. http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/2011/08/post-it-notes-why-i-love-them.html

Have fun and let me know how it worked with your kids!  They will love singing and cheering their name!!!

*Find out about Kindergarten Readiness Workshops: 

http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/2013/04/kindergarten-readiness-workshop.html