AHEAD: Create this DIY twist-off or on your name board for your preschooler to practice learning their name as well as work on their fine motor skills!
Save Those Caps
I’ve said this before, if your child eats those squeeze food pouches (and mine sure did when they were young), make sure you save the caps! They make amazing supplies for activities. I saved mine from when my 6 year old was a baby and toddler and I now have a huge stash that I can use in activities. They also make great counters for use with math activities or homework and work great for colour sorting activities because they came in an assortment of colours!
How to make your DIY Twist-off Name Board
- Cut the twist on/off spouts from the pouches using a sturdy pair of kitchen scissors. You want to make sure they are strong as some spouts can be thick and difficult to cut (depending on the brand of pouch you buy) so please be careful! You could also use box cutters but I found scissors to be easier.
- Once you have 6 or 7 spouts, use a hot glue gun to glue them to a piece of cardboard. You want to make sure that you use a fair amount of glue so that they stay in place when your toddler or preschooler is using them.
- Below each spout, write out each letter of your child’s name.
- Take dot stickers and write each letter on your child’s name on one dot sticker.
- Attach the stickers to the center of the squeeze pouch caps.
- Finally twist the caps on top the spouts.
How to Play with your DIY Twist-Off Your Name Board
Invite your preschooler to remove the caps with the letters of their name from the spouts. I found this easier for them if the board was taped down so that it didn’t move.
As they remove the caps, asked them what letter it is and what sound it makes. Once they are all removed have them to put them back on again reviewing the letters and sounds.
Other Ways to Play
Hide the caps in a box and ask them to pull one out, identify it and twist it on the board. Or ask them to choose a letter for you to twist on or off the board by having them identify the letter or sound. My twins loved this part, largely because they got to tell me what to do!
Supplies
(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)
- Squeeze pouch caps
- Squeeze pouch spout
- Scissors
- Cardboard
- Hot Glue Gun
- Paint Sticks
- Black Sharpie
- Dot Stickers
Looking for more fun Name Recognition Activities? Check out these fun ideas:
WILL YOU TRY DIY TWIST-OFF YOUR NAME BOARD NAME RECOGNITION ACTIVITY WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLER THIS? PIN IT FOR LATER!
