Name activities not only help children recognize and spell their own names, but they also foster a sense of identity and belonging for our preschool and kindergarten students. By engaging in kinesthetic, visual and tactile name practice activities, young learners become more confident and develop essential pre-literacy skills. Students also get to practice and strengthen their fine motor skills, especially the pincer muscles needed to control pencils, crayons and scissors, with these 15+ fine motor name activities!

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Fine Motor Name Activities

Students can practice fine motor skills and problem solving skills independently, with a partner or in small groups with these fine motor name activities. Take your word work, fine motor tubs, literacy centers or morning work to a whole new level as your students build their name using a variety of manipulatives!

Building Bricks

Snapping and removing the building bricks from the base plate helps develop finger dexterity.

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Pattern Blocks

Strengthen your students’ fine motor skills as they form their name using pattern blocks.

Snap Cubes

Your students can snap cubes together to strengthen their finger muscles.

Craft Sticks

They can create their first or last name using plain or colored craft sticks.

Magnetic Letters

Have your little learners use magnetic letters on this editable name mat to practice sequencing the letters in their name.

Pom Poms

Pinching pom poms with tweezers will help develop their pincer muscles.

Play Dough

Rolling and molding play dough into each letter and adding the letters to the personalized name mats will help strengthen hand muscles.

Kinetic Sand

Your students can also stamp their name in kinetic sand, as they push the alphabet stamps into the sand.

If you don’t have kinetic sand, play dough and dough stamps work too!

Clothespins

Squeezing clothespins is another great fine motor activity for exercising pincer muscles.

Pony Beads

Students can also squeeze tweezers to grab each pony bead as they build their first or last name on the editable name mats.

Wax Sticks

Bending and twisting wax sticks is another easy way to improve fine motor skills.

Alphabet Beads

The hand-eye coordination needed to thread alphabet beads onto a pipe cleaner or shoelace is such an important fine motor skill.

Alphabet Cubes

Alphabet cubes provide a visual example of how many consonant and vowels the students have in their name.

Erasers

Manipulating mini erasers, animal erasers, colored erasers and any other mini manipulative takes precision, as students fill their name on the custom name mats.

Stickers

Peeling stickers is a fun way to build their name and fine motor skills.

Push Pins

Continue sharpening fine motor control, as students poke each letter in their name using push pins.

Dip and Dot

Use a cotton swab dipped in paint to precisely dot each letter.

Tools for Fine Motor Name Activities

Here is a quick list of the tools for the fine motor name activities:

1. Building Bricks
2. Snap Cubes
3. Pattern Blocks
4. Popsicle Sticks
5. Mini Popsicle Sticks
6. Magnetic Letters
7. Gator Grabber Tweezers
8. 1/2″ Pom Poms
9. 1″ Pom Poms
10. Play Dough
11. Pony Beads
12. Kinetic Sand
13. Alphabet Stamps
14. Play Dough Stamps
15. Alphabet Cubes
16. Alphabet Beads
17. Pipe Cleaners
18. Mini Clothespins
19. Clothespins
20. Buttons
21. Mini Erasers
22. Wax Sticks
23. Push Pins
24. Paint
25. Paint Tray
26. Cotton Swabs
27. Mini Stickers

More Back to School Name Activities

If you are looking for the full set of Fine Motor Name Activities, you can find them HERE!

Read more about my favorite Name Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten!

Help students master writing their names with these editable name writing practice activities!

Learn how to make these picture name puzzles that are self-correcting!

Pair any of these name activities with this complete list of name books for kids!

DON’T FORGET IT… PIN IT!