Name Tags

So, at the beginning of the school year, my to-do list is too long and my wallet is too thin. Of all the things that need to be purchased each year, name tags are at the top. The variety of name tags that are offered at the different teacher stores are overwhelming, and in my first couple of years I bought the ones that had a cursive line and multiplication tables and geometric shapes on them for students to use as a reference. Not only do they cost a lot more, but I had to take them off and put them back on when we take our state standardized test. 

Last year, I wanted an activity to fill up some time during the Meet the Teacher session on the last day of school, but I wanted that activity to be meaningful. I decided that it would be a great time for students to make their name tags for the year! And I really loved the idea that they had ownership for their tag! After doing a little brainstorming, I decided that a ransom-note style would be super cute! 

I dug through some of my old magazine, cut out large-sized letters, and organized them into bags of individual letters. 

Because the letters were organized, the activity didn't take very long - maybe 10 minutes. It was fun for me to watch the kids pick out their letters and choose their desired color scheme. Below is a picture of the name tags that my students this year made.

I will write the students' class number on each name tag before I laminate them. I was impressed with their durability throughout the year last year. This name tag took a lot of time (cutting out the letters), but it didn't cost me anything, and I really believe that they are proud of the work they did!

~ Ashley