5 tips to help your child celebrate their name

Does your kid have a name that is not as common in their class or playdate circles? Or maybe a name that sounds different, perhaps inspired by their heritage culture? 

In an increasingly diverse world, kids and their grown ups are interacting with different cultures all the time. And kids names are one of the most important parts of their identity - the first thing they recognise as their own.

Every single time an adult or peer pronounces it wrong, it chips away at their confidence and self esteem well into adulthood. Unless they can learn to celebrate it at an early age.

So how can you help kids truly love and celebrate their name?

These 5 Simple Tips are all you need...even for your littlest of littles!

1. Tell them their name story.  

Each of us has a names tory. Tell your little one theirs. Who named them? Who were they named after? Does it have a meaning? Why did we like that particular name? The more details you can add to the name story, the better. It makes your little one feel that their name is unique, special and most importantly, belongs to them. It’s who they are.

2. Teach them to say “ My Name is...."

Our names are the first thing we learn about ourselves and the first thing we share with others. Teach your little one to introduce themselves. They don’t need to wait for someone to ask them their name. Teach them to say, “Hi! My name is … What’s yours?”  This simple life skill has a long term impact in building your little one’s self confidence. The earlier they are comfortable introducing themselves, the easier their social interactions. 

3. Teach them to correct people who pronounce their name wrong. 

People may not always say your little one’s name right. But, we can teach them how to correct people when they say their name incorrectly. “My name isn’t Aash-win, it’s Ush-win. We can practice together if you like.”  When we encourage our little ones to gently correct people, we’re also teaching them to stand up for themselves and be seen. 

4. Display their name proudly.  

Putting your little one’s name up on the wall or on a door strengthens their sense of identity and belonging. It drives home the message -  ‘This is me! This is my name! '

5. Read books about different kinds of names. 

There are a billion unique names in the world. Read books or watch shows with different kinds of names. Point out and discuss the different names that you come across. Exposure to a wide variety of names will ensure that your little one not only celebrates their own name but also learns to respect others’.

Take a look at our personalized name prints inspired by heritage cultures here, order them digitally and hang it up your way! 

Follow @indigrowkids for more play and conversation about raising kids in a diverse, multicultural world. Head to https://indigrowkids.com/ for books, games, playkits, songs and more...