- name cards
MA Standards:
English Language Arts/Speaking and Listening/SL.PK.MA.1a: Observe and use appropriate ways of interacting in a group (e.g., taking turns in talking, listening to peers, waiting to speak until another person is finished talking, asking questions and waiting for an answer, gaining the floor in appropriate ways).
English Language Arts/Foundational Skills/RF.PK.MA.3.c: Recognize one’s own name and familiar common signs and labels (e.g., STOP).
Head Start Outcomes:
Social Emotional Development/Self-Regulation: Follows simple rules, routines, and directions.
Language Development/Receptive Language: Attends to language during conversations, songs, stories, or other learning experiences.
Literacy Knowledge/Print Concepts and Conventions: Recognizes print in everyday life, such as numbers, letters, one’s name, words, and familiar logos and signs.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Language 1: Observe and use appropriate ways of interacting in a group (taking turns in talking; listening to peers; waiting until someone is finished; asking questions and waiting for an answer; gaining the floor in appropriate ways).
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 12: Listen to, recite, sing, and dramatize a variety of age-appropriate literature.
Greeting Song: “The More We Get Together” #2
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Concepts of Print, Follow Directions, Phonological Awareness
Tell children that you are going to sing “The More We Get Together.”
Explain that you are going to hold up name cards in the third verse as you sing and that you want each child to say his or her name out loud when they see their name.
- Tell children that you will look directly at them and hold their name card in their direction to help them recognize their name.
Sing the first two verses. On the third verse, when you sing, “Here’s,” hold up a name card at random and look directly at that child.
- Wait for the child to say his or her name, then continue singing and picking name cards until everyone has been recognized.
- Encourage children to sing along with you.
The More We Get Together
(sung to the tune of “Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?”)
The more we get together,
Together, together.
The more we get together,
The happier we’ll be.
For your friends are my friends,
And my friends are your friends.
The more we get together,
The happier we’ll be.
Here’s <child’s name> and <child’s name>,
And <child’s name> and <child’s name>,
Here’s <child’s name> and <child’s name>,
And <child’s name> and <child’s name>.
The more we get together,
The happier we’ll be.
Adaptation: For groups with very young children, or children not recognizing their name in print, you may need to add photos or stickers to name cards to help children recognize their name cards.
Educator Tip: To help children learn the names of other children in their group, you may want to have a child stand as you hold up his or her name card. Then have the group call out the child's name in response.
Social Emotional Tip: Help children build their concept of self as they say their names: remind them to use a strong, clear voice to acknowledge that they are important members of the group.