As kindergarten and TK teachers gear up for a new year, one of the most meaningful ways to begin the year is with an All About Me unit. This unit allows teachers to not only get to know the children in their class but also begins to build classroom community and friendships among children. I love starting the year this way, and I’ve enjoyed doing a variety of activities with my students over the years. Over the span of about two weeks, I’ve been able to lay a strong foundation for community and respect among children as they got to know more about each other. I’d love to share how I’ve done my identity study in both kindergarten and TK!
Name Activities
Early learners may come into school with different name recognition and writing skills. Having some accessible and engaging name activities gives all students more practice with their own names while letting them learn each others’ names! It’s also a great way to introduce how to use various materials in your classroom like crayons, scissors, and glue. I usually do a few types of name activities during my identity unit: Name puzzles, friend name comparing, dot paint names, names with Playdoh, and names with loose parts.
I have used these name activities for displays around the classroom, for portfolios, and for name practice center activities. They’re also a great way to assess how your students’ fine motor skills and letter recognition skills are early in the year. Most of these activities are done after a whole group lesson with a read aloud whose topic is either self-confidence, acceptance, or names.
Identity Activities
Along with name practice, I love incorporating activities centered around identity. We discuss how everyone has unique traits, things that make them special, and their own preferences and interests that all make them who they are. These activities are a great way for children to learn even more about each other. You can create an All About Me display or class book to show everyone’s uniqueness. The activities I do include self portraits with name writing, an “I am special” activity, friend illustrations, family illustrations, and favorite things activities.
The self portrait activity is one I usually do very early in the year so that it can be displayed in the classroom. You can add a colorful piece of construction paper behind the self portrait, laminate, and hang up somewhere that visitors to your room can see. The remaining identity activities could be displayed, filed into portfolios, or combined into an All About Me book. I like to take the “I am special” activity and combine it into a class book that is displayed on our shelf!
Lesson Plans and Morning Meetings
This identity unit takes about two weeks, but it could go longer when combined with feelings and emotions. I have written 10 days of lessons that include the name and identity activities from above as well as book suggestions, co-created charts, and entire morning meetings that support community building and identity. These plans are simple but packed full of meaningful activities and discussions with your kindergarten or TK students.
Morning meeting is a huge part of community building, and it’s a great time to incorporate some All About Me activities. I like using songs about names in morning meeting as a way to introduce the children to one another in ways that help them remember each other’s names. The morning meeting activities include games and share topics that help students hear things that they have in common with each other but are also fun and silly. I love using morning meeting for community building in both kindergarten and TK!
All About Me: An Identity Unit
This unit is such a fun way to start the year with your early learners. It helps you begin to create an accepting, warm classroom community. The All About Me displays and activities can fill your classroom with student ownership and joy! Get everything you need to have your identity study planned and ready for your students all in one place. Enjoy your All About Me unit with your class!
