Introducing Myself: Name and Age in Full Sentences

Hello! In the last lesson, the child practiced hearing the sounds at the beginnings of words such as pig, ink, and nose. This lesson puts the sound cards aside for a while so she can use English to meet someone. By the end, she should be able to greet a person and answer two questions in full spoken sentences: “What’s your name?” and “How old are you?”

Plan for about 40 minutes. You will need a soft ball or toy, a puppet or stuffed animal if available, paper, and a pencil. Keep the emphasis on speaking; any writing today should be supported rather than treated as a spelling test.

Hear a whole conversation

Begin by acting out this short exchange with the toy. Give it a different voice, but speak at a natural, unhurried pace.

You: Hello! What’s your name?
Toy: Hello! My name is Sam.
You: How old are you?
Toy: I’m six years old.
You: Nice to meet you!
Toy: Nice to meet you, too!

The two answers to keep are “My name is …” and “I’m … years old.” The toy’s name and age are pretend; later, the child will use her own. Say the conversation once without stopping, then repeat it while pointing to the toy when it speaks. This lets her hear the questions and answers as a real exchange, not as four unrelated lines to memorize.

“What is your name?” in the video and “What’s your name?” in your conversation mean the same thing. Use one form consistently while she is learning—“What’s your name?” is a good choice—and accept either if she uses it.

Make the name answer easy to say

First, ask the toy, “What’s your name?” and answer for it: “My name is Sam.” Then have the toy ask you. Answer with your own name so the child hears that the sentence changes with the speaker. Finally, let the toy ask her. If she replies with only her name, accept the information and gently supply the full model: “Yes. My name is …” Invite her to say it again with you, then on her own.

The ball-pass activity in the following lesson plan offers a way to give each speaker a clear turn. Its group activity works just as well with two people.

When she receives the ball, she says, “My name is …”; when you receive it, you say your sentence. After a few turns, make it more conversational: the person without the ball asks, “What’s your name?” and the person receiving it answers. Change your speaking voice or move to a different spot to keep the turns meaningful rather than mechanical.

Add age with a visual cue

Age is easier to talk about when the number has a visible meaning. In the worksheet below, each pictured child has a name and age. Use it as a picture prompt: you can read the labels aloud, so your child does not need to decode the printed sentences.

Point to one character and speak as that character: “Hello! My name is Rose. I’m five years old.” Point to another: “My name is Paul. I’m six years old.” Let the child choose a character and speak in its voice. If she says “six years,” model the complete ending, “six years old,” without interrupting a confident attempt.

Now turn from pretend ages to her own age. Ask, “How old are you?” and give a prompt only if needed: “I’m … years old.” Have her say the whole sentence. In American English, “I’m” is a natural spoken form of “I am”; either “I’m six years old” or “I am six years old” is a complete answer.

A small gesture can support the meaning: hold up the appropriate number of fingers as you ask about age, then lower your hand for the next attempt. The aim is for her to answer the question, not to depend on your fingers every time.

Put the greeting together

Return to the toy, but let it forget what it knows. It asks:

Toy: Hello! What’s your name?
Child: Hello! My name is …
Toy: How old are you?
Child: I’m … years old.
Toy: Nice to meet you!
Child: Nice to meet you, too!

Run the exchange once with your help and once with the toy asking without prompts. Then swap roles: she can hold the toy and ask you the two questions. Asking is useful practice, but the main goal today is that she can answer with full sentences while taking part in the greeting.

If a question is forgotten, say it again rather than explaining a grammar rule. If an answer is shortened, repeat the full sentence warmly and give her another turn. You can also vary the scene: the toy meets her at the door, or two worksheet characters meet for the first time. The words stay familiar while the conversation feels new.

Give the spoken words a place on paper

For a brief writing connection, make a small “hello card.” Write these frames clearly, leaving generous space:

Hello!
My name is __________.
I am __________ years old.

Say each line together before the child writes anything. She can fill in her name and age if ready, or copy them from a model you provide. You may write the longer words for her. She has learned only a few letter sounds so far, so writing the card is not a test of independent spelling. Once it is finished, have her hold it and say the introduction without asking her to read every printed word.

Close

Finish with a fresh greeting from you, without the toy or card. Listen for “Hello,” “My name is …,” and “I’m … years old” in her answers. Those complete spoken sentences are today’s achievement; a prompt is still fine if she needs one.

Next lesson, she will use another short sentence to talk about something she likes: “My favorite … is …” The greeting can become a quick, familiar opening to future speaking sessions.