The Brain and Childrens Names

Using Names to Encourage Literacy

The brain naturally makes meaning by detecting relationships and making

connections between prior knowledge and new information. Names are a natural
way to bridge the gap between prior knowledge and new information about literacy.
Also, since there is a very positive emotional connection to their own name,
learning about literacy using the childrens names is motivating and fun.
Here are some facts about the connection between childrens name and literacy
learning:
Names hold great meaning for children and are, for many, the first word they
learn to recognize by sight.
Children have very personal, emotional connections to their own names, and
they have a great interest in learning to write their names as well as the
names of their family and friends.
Research has shown that names serve an ongoing role in helping children
make connections to letters, words, sounds, and reading and writing
concepts.
Activities that use children's own names provide a natural, easy approach to
helping children understand functions of print, increasing their phonemic
awareness, introducing letter-sound correspondence (the alphabetic
principle), and fostering letter and word recognition.
Almost every language skill necessary to learning to read can be introduced
by using children's names.
Take advantage of this natural interest to introduce a variety of early literacy
concepts in the older classes.

Rebecca Putman 2015