LEARN YOUR NAME IN MORSE CODE DAY

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If you have kids with the superpower of texting faster than lightning, why not challenge them with one of history’s earliest forms of communication: Morse Code?

January 11th, Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day, is one of my January Top Picks inside A Year of Learning Sparks because it blends history, logic, listening skills, and hands-on fun in a memorable way. It’s a wonderful, low-prep spark that gets kids curious about how people communicated long before smartphones and social media.

Morse Code was developed in the 1830s and 1840s as part of the telegraph system pioneered by Samuel Morse. For decades, it served as the backbone of long-distance communication—revolutionizing how information traveled, supporting early journalism, and even saving lives during emergencies. Today’s holiday gives kids a window into that world and lets them try their hand at a code that shaped modern communication.

Fun things you can do to celebrate Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day:

📡 Explore the invention of the telegraph and the life of Samuel Morse.
Look into how the telegraph changed communication and why dot-and-dash messages were so effective.

👂 Listen to Morse Code.
Hear the rhythm of dots and dashes the way early telegraph operators did. Challenge your kids to write down what they hear.

✍️ Write your name (and more!) in Morse Code.
Print out a Morse Code chart and decode names, pets, favorite foods—anything that sparks interest. Use our FREE activity sheet to get started.

🔦 Try Morse Code with a flashlight.
Kids can send short and long light flashes to communicate simple phrases across a dark room or backyard.

🎶 Tap out rhythms.
Use a pencil, drum, or tabletop to tap out coded words. Experiment with how spacing changes meaning.

🎨 Make Morse Code bracelets.
Use beads to represent dots, dashes, and spaces. Kids can “wear their name” as a coded accessory. Grab this kit on Amazon

📱 Compare old-school messaging with today’s texting.
Ask: What’s faster? What’s harder? What did people gain or lose when communication shifted?

🔍 Decode a mystery message.
Write a secret phrase in Morse Code for your kids to solve—or let them create messages for each other.

Easy ways to keep the learning going:

If your kids are enjoying the spark of this activity, you may want a few extra supplies, books, or simple add-ons to extend the fun even further. Below, you’ll find a curated list of helpful items that make it easy to deepen the experience without adding extra prep time to your day.

Want to learn even more?

Read the full blog post: Write your name in Morse Code
And if you want to explore the history behind the code in more depth, check out Morse Code Day – April 27th.

Can’t celebrate this year – Mark your calendar & save this holiday for next year!

You can also pin the image below to your Pinterest boards to save this fantastic holiday!

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