Free Editable Kids Name Cards For Preschool and Kindergarten

A child’s name is the most exciting and important word in their life. Their name is a magical word that sets them apart from others. That’s why name activities are so motivating for little learners.  Learning to recognize their name is an important first step in early literacy development.

Today I’m going to show you the free editable name cards for preschool and kindergarten that I designed.  Let’s take a look at how easily you can customize the name cards.

The cards were designed to go on an early childhood word wall….and can you imagine how exciting it will be for your kids to see their names up on the wall?  But, in addition to using the cards on a word wall, there are sooooo many fun ways you can use the free editable name cards with your kids.

Use them for your word wall, letter activities, name activities, arrival activities, writing centers, or other literacy activities for your little learners.

Don’t worry, I’m going to share all the ideas with you!

How To Make Name Cards for Your Classroom

When I first designed and used name cards at my former preschool, I created them using Adobe Illustrator. This was great at the time because I was there to customize the cards with student’s names and pictures. But when I moved across the country, my co-workers didn’t have the software to make more cards as they prepped for the beginning of the year.

That’s why I created an editable file for them. At the end of this article, you can fill out a form and I will send the editable file directly to your inbox.

1. Download and Open the File In Adobe Acrobat Reader

Before making a set of name cards for your kids, you must take an important first step. After you download the file onto your computer, you will need to open it in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program. Please note that the Adobe Reader app on your phone or device does not have the same capabilities and will not work. For troubleshooting, see the directions in the document or visit this page with troubleshooting tips.

2. Take Photos for Your Name Cards

The next step in making your custom name cards for preschool and kindergarten is to prepare square images of each child in your class. 

This is pretty easy if you take your pictures with an iPhone. Set the phone’s camera to take a square picture before you take the shots, or use the edit mode after you take the shot to crop it into a square.

 You will need to save the cropped photos in a file so that you can easily access them on your computer for the next step. Once I have a square photo, I send it to Dropbox so that I can access it on my laptop.  If you experience problems with inserting your photos visit this page with troubleshooting tips.

3. Enter Names into the Class List Form

When you get the free name card document, you will see that, just like the complete word wall file, the name set includes three different color options (green, red, and black).  Open the color of your choice and scroll to the Class List Form.  

Enter all the student’s names from your class list and they are instantly added to the name cards in the document.  I like to capatalize the first letter of kids’ names and use lowercase letters for the rest.  If you prefer, you can use all uppercase letters for your kids names.

After adding all the student names, browse through the document to make sure all the name cards look okay. Don’t worry; the blue rectangle on each card will not print.  

4. Insert Student Pictures Into the Document

As you scroll through the document, you can add student pictures to each name card. Click on the blank space on the left side of a name card. This action will open a box on your screen. Click on “Browse.”

Locate a photograph in your computer files.  When you select the image, it will be inserted into the form.  It’s pretty cool…huh? Add images to the remaining word cards, then print, laminate, and cut them out. 

Now, you are ready to cut them out and add them to your classroom word wall or use them for hands-on name activities.

How To Customize The Name Cards – Video Tutorial

I’m a visual person, and sometimes it’s easier for me to understand when I watch a video tutorial.  I created this video to help you see how to customize the free templates.

How to Use the Printable Name Cards for Preschool and Kindergarten

The best thing about these free name cards is that there are so many different ways to use them in your early childhood classroom .  Here are some fun ideas:

Name Recognition and Identification Activities

You may be asking, how do you teach a preschooler to recognize their name?  It’s easy with these name cards.  In the beginning, kids may pick out their card from an array of other cards because they see their picture on it.

Be sure to encourage your kids to examine the letters on their cards closely. Pay special attention to the first letter of their name. Show them how to finger-trace the letter so that they will remember its shape.  After they learn to recognize that first letter, move on to the subsequent letters.  You can challenge them to find their name on a card without a picture.  Can they do it?

With practice, they will be able to recognize their own name.

Arrival Activities

I like to use the cards for arrival activities.  Spread out all of the cards on a table.  When your students arrive for the day, they can select their card and add it to a pocket chart so that everyone can quickly see who is at school that day.  

As kids get better at recognizing their names, you can make the arrival activity more challenging by making a name card without a picture, name tracing cards, or name writing worksheets.

Learn Letters of their Names

The cards are great for letter activities.  Ask kids to point and name each letter in their name.  Provide magnetic letters and ask them to spell their names with the magnets.

Name Tracing Activity

Begin by asking kids to finger-trace the printed name on their card.  As their fine motor skills improve, they can also use a dry-erase marker to trace over the letters.

Name Writing Practice

Use as a small group activity or add to your writing centers.  Kids will enjoy using the cards as they practice writing their names.

Letter Recognition and Letter Sounds Activities

As you introduce letters to your class, kids can go on a letter hunt.  Give them laminated name cards with a dry-eraser marker.  Ask them to find and circle a particular letter…or the letter of the week.  Ask kids to say the letter sounds as they circle them.

Seating Cards

Place the name cards to assign seats to your kids during circle time or table time.

Name Tags or Cubby Labels

Attach the custom name cards to your kids’ cubbies so that they know where to put their stuff when they arrive. Use them as name labels by attaching the name tags to desks, notebooks, pencil pouches, or portfolios.

Matching Activity

Create two cards customized for each of your students’ names.  Use them to play a name matching game or add them to a sensory table and encourage kids to clip together the matching cards with a clothespin clip.

Name Puzzle or Cut and Paste Activity

Cut the cards apart to make a name puzzle for your kids.  Ask them to cut it apart and then glue it back together onto a sentence strip for a simple cutting and pasting activity.

Environmental Print Cards

You don’t have to put names on the cards.  I like to add a logo instead of a child’s picture to make fun environmental print word cards.

Center Signs

Insert stock photos to make custom center signs.  This is a great way to label all the centers around your classroom.

Get The Free Name Cards for Preschool and Kindergarten Today

Are you ready to get started with all these fun name card activities?  Fill out the form below, and I’ll send the editable document directly to your inbox.  I know you’re in a hurry to start, but be patient.  It sometimes takes up to 30 minutes to send them out.

Purchase the Entire Word Wall Today

Do you want the complete early childhood word wall pictured in this post?  Click the image below to purchase it from my store today. The cards are also part of my Alphabet Bundle. You can click the image below to check it out in my store or get a sample of the 9 alphabet activities here.

Purchase on TPT

Do you prefer to shop at Teachers Pay Teachers? You can also purchase the Word Wall Set in my TPT Store.

Additional Name Activities for Your Kids