As the Seedlings embarked on their first days at our Early Childhood Center, teachers and children alike worked together to create a bright, welcoming door display: the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Welcome Board. Inspired by the beloved children’s book, this project was designed to help our youngest learners recognize their names, make connections to classroom stories, and feel a sense of excitement and belonging right from day one.
Entering preschool is a big transition, especially for two-year-olds. Creating a visual and interactive welcome display doesn’t just brighten the classroom—it sets the stage for friendships, routine, and early literacy skills. The Seedlings’ custom board, filled with the children’s names, coconut trees, and colorful letters, offered each child a special place in the classroom community.
Learning Focus
At the heart of the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Welcome Board project are important early learning goals that set a strong foundation for preschool success:
- Letter recognition: Children begin to associate printed letters with the sounds and names they know.
- Name recognition: Each Seedling sees, touches, and identifies their own name, reinforcing familiarity in a supportive setting.
- Book connection and early literacy: By linking the classroom board to a favorite story, students experience books as living, interactive tools.
- Spelling fundamentals: Repeated exposure to their own names and other classroom words begins the journey toward spelling and writing.
- Sense of belonging: Displaying all student names makes everyone feel included and valued, strengthening classroom relationships.
These learning focuses match developmental expectations for two-year-olds and create opportunities for daily practice as the welcome board remains a classroom centerpiece
Project Details
Time required: 2 days
Materials needed: Punch-out letters, construction paper, butcher paper, markers
Step-by-step instructions:
- Prepare the board: Teachers covered the bulletin board with cheerful butcher paper to set the backdrop for the palm tree and names.
- Create the coconut tree: Together, the class drew and cut out large palm leaves, coconuts, and a tree trunk using colored construction paper.
- Personalize with names: Each child’s name was carefully written on a sentence strip, using upper/lowercase according to each Seedling’s learning stage and modeled letter formation.
- Assemble the display: With support, children helped place their names on the palm tree, either independently or with gentle prompting, so everyone’s name had its own special place.
- Final touches: Teachers and students added grass, extra leaves, and colorful accents for a lively, cheerful look.
Student Engagement
Throughout the experience, teachers read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom aloud, encouraging children to repeat phrases and point out letters they recognized both in the book and on the board. Excitement grew as each Seedling’s name was added, with children eagerly running to point out their letters and helping friends find theirs too.
The project extended naturally into playful games: name-hunting, letter-matching, and group story time where the children clapped and cheered for each other. Families shared feedback about students proudly talking about “their tree” at dismissal time and searching for photos of the board on classroom updates—evidence of lasting engagement.
Teacher Reflection
Meticulous planning pays off. Teachers recommend writing all names and cutting out all letters before final assembly. This allows for spacing adjustments and last-minute classroom enrollments. Thinking through color contrast also helps make every letter and name visible at a child’s eye level. The team found that helping each child place their own name provided a boost of confidence—and a meaningful first-day memory.
By combining creativity, storytelling, and hands-on interaction, the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Welcome Board has become a cherished Seedlings tradition and a powerful early literacy tool in our Early Childhood Center.