How to Start the School Year off Right with a Coconut Name Tree Craft

Ok, be honest, how many of you have never read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault to your kids? I once mentioned this story to a fellow mom and she had never heard of the classic read aloud. I was floored! We love reading this story every year and doing all sorts of activities to go with it. The Coconut Name Tree Craft is our favorite though.

Using the Coconut Name Tree Craft to Practice Name Recognition

When kids are learning to spell and write their names, they often get letters turned around or they skip letters without realizing it. This Coconut Name Tree Craft is a great way to reinforce putting letters in order so they make sense. The kids can glue them down to look like they are climbing up the tree, just like the letters in the story.

Using the Coconut Tree Name Craft

Completing this Coconut Tree Craft is simple. All you have to do is download the template and print it onto colored paper. If you prefer to have your students color their own crafts, you can also print the templates onto white paper. Additionally, you can write the letters of each child’s name onto the colored circles.

Then, students will assemble the tree, including the branches and the coconuts. They will write their name on the writing template as well as how many letters are in their name. This piece gets glued to the bottom of the tree. The last step is to add the letters of their name as if they are climbing up the tree. They love it!

Ways to Use the Name Craft

This craft is perfect to use as a morning work activity. It invites students to sit quietly and put the pieces together. You can also read the story and then have students complete the craft as a whole group. The craft is also wonderful for small groups if you feel you need more one on one activities. Depending on the time of year, you can also place it in a literacy center for students to work on independently while you help other students. Since it has a counting aspect, it can also be used during math block as an extra activity!

Trying to figure out how you will display this colorful craft in your classroom? There are many options and none of them are wrong. You can simply tape or tack them up on a wall together. You can display them neatly on a bulletin board with the words, “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! Look Who’s In Our Room!”. You can also hang them in the hallway with a photo of each child. Parents love seeing things like this displayed when they come to open house or meet the teacher events. Kids also like to look for their artwork and smiling faces as they pass in the hallways.

Kids love this back to school activity! Have fun reading the story and practicing fine motor skilsl with this adorable craft!

If you’re looking for other crafts to pair with popular children’s books, check out my Book Crafts Big Bundle. There are crafts to complete Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr., The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane Derolf & Michael Letzig and The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn and Ruth E. Harper. They’re all great for August and Back to School!

Check out this cute coconut tree craft in action in the video below!