Do you ever have days that you just need something to help your burn your kids’ seemingly never ending energy? I know I’ve been there many times especially in the last several months. If you’re feeling even the slightest bit like me, then it’s your lucky day! I’ve found several physical and educational name games for kids that are completely screen free!
The first name game I want to share with you is the What’s Your Name Activity! The idea is simple. Let’s make a game both educational and physical for them to stay busy and learn without even realizing it!
Obviously older kids are very well versed in their letters, especially spelling their name, but this can be fun for them too! In fact, you can even use it to work on those tricky spelling words they may get stuck on.
What’s Your Name Activity for Kids
Next time your kids are bored on a rainy day, play the What’s Your Name game! Here’s the gist:
- Print off your free copy of the What’s Your Name Activity to have on hand.
- Have your kid spell out their name.
- Look through the letters on the chart and see which activities they will perform.
- Start with the first letter and tell them what to do!
- Once you get to the end of their name, see if they’ll choose another name or word! Maybe their middle name, a siblings name or even a silly word.
- This is a great way to also practice letter recognition and sounds for your younger kids!
You can print off a copy to keep at home right here! No email required! But if you are interested in grabbing other printables from my VIP Free Printable Library, you can sign up here!
Physical Activities for Kids
There are so many fun options for kids to get up and moving both indoors and out! Here are a few quick and easy examples:
- Tag
- Hide & Seek
- The floor is lava
- Scavenger hunts
- Hopscotch
- Keep the ball/balloon off the ground
- Dance party
- Simon Says
- Obstacle course
These are just a few and there are TONS of ways to get your kids moving even if you’re stuck inside on a rainy day. Sometimes you just have to get a little creative.
You can also check out these screen free activities with physical, educational and imaginative ideas for your kids! (There’s even a workout for kids if you really need to get them moving.)
If you’re looking for some other physical activities for kids, check out some of these fun games that you can snag from Amazon! Fun for the whole family! I personally love these Kidnasium Activity Dice.
Educational Spell Your Name Activities
Name games for kids don’t have to be all physical. They can be calming and educational too. If you’re more focused on the name, letter and spelling aspects of the What’s Your Name activity, here are some other fun name activities for you to try with your kids.
Nature Name Activity
This fun outdoor activity from Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station encourages kids to create name art by gluing together foliage they find outside!
Spray Art Name or Letters
Use masking or painters tape to create letters and words for your little one. Then let them spray the canvas with different color spray paints! You can also use foliage found around the yard like in the activity above. There are several other ways to use this spray art, so be sure to check them out.
The Nature Name Activity above would be the perfect pair with this Spray Art Activity. Have them create two different pictures with foliage, one glued down to the page and the other left loose. The loose foliage can then be sprayed with paint to create spray art! Once both pieces are done, you can talk about the differences between the two images.
Bubble Wrap Name Activity
Fantastic Fun and Learning shares this bubble wrap name sequencing game which is perfect for toddlers! It teaches them the order of the letters in their name while letting them play with fun bubble wrap.
Name Game Dot Sticker Activity
This dot sticker name game from Busy Toddler is perfect for your little ones. It combines letter & color recognition and fine motor skills!
Post It Notes Name Hunt
How fun is this? Hide post it notes with letters all around the house for your kids to search, find and put together. Such a creative way to use sticky notes. You can find several other sticky note activities from School Time Snippits!
Name Scavenger Hunt
Have your kids search inside or outside for items that start with each letter of their name. First have them find the items in the order of their name. Once they’ve mastered that, try it backwards! You
Introduce something new and keep them busy!
Some days it’s all about introducing a new activity to keep them busy! Try any of these or get creative and come up with something new. These name games for kids definitely kept my two littles busy for a while. During the What’s Your Name Activity, they did probably 8 different words before they there done!
Don’t forget to grab your What’s Your Name Activity printable to try with your kids before you go!
Download Your PDF
I love these ideas! Especially as I want to start teaching my toddler how to spell her name! These are such interactive ways to still introduce letters and spelling. And activities that take up tons of time are always a win for toddlers!
I’m glad you like it! It’s been so fun to do with my little ones. My daughter is just learning to write and my son is just learning his letters. It’s perfect because they both enjoy it!
Oh I’m in love with this list of fun activities in a name! Thank you for the easy PDF download! x
I’m so glad you like the game! I hope your kids enjoy it!
Sounds super fun and tiring! Haha, thanks for sharing!
This is such a fun idea! You can make so many different combinations with spelling out words other than names too!
Yes! That’s why I definitely suggested using it to work on things like spelling words for elementary school kids too!
This is such a great list of ideas! There’s so much you can do with littles when you think outside the box! I love the physically active ones (especially for boys!). 🙂
I agree. Sometimes we get stuck with the same activities, but all you need is a little inspiration for something fun to start!