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Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Name tags, cubbies and the first week

Checked October 30, 2026

Label everything a child owns or uses in the first week (cubby, coat hook, cot, name tag) with the first name only, big, in plain letters, and the same picture each time. Leave surnames off anything families can see. Print on card and cover with clear tape so the labels last the month. The label maker prints six tags or ten cubby labels a page from a pasted list.

What to put on a label

  • The first name, big, with a capital letter and the rest lower case (it's how they'll see it in books).
  • The same picture on every label for one child, so a child who can't read yet can find their own.
  • Nothing else: no surname, no birthday, no photo, on anything the whole room can see.

Make them last

Print on card stock, cover with clear packing tape on both sides, and stick them at the child's eye height. Reprint with the week's theme picture for a fresh start in January.

The first week

Name tags help the grown-ups more than the children: wear one yourself. Run the All about me theme in the first week, with names at circle time every day.

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