Good bedtime activities help children wind down from the day and settle. Reading a story is a classic bedtime project, and can be done together with the child reading a word here or there. Also, you go through books with them and have them point out things they saw that day and name those things. If there is more then one child, they can help each other. A great night- or daytime project is to have children recite a poem with you, and even try to write one of their own. A fun daytime project is to use magnetic letters on the refrigerator or a board; it's a great way for listening to turn into writing someone's first words, although this could be too involved for nighttime.
Numbers are fun for Pre-K children when they can apply them to specific things in their environment. For day or night, let them count toys or how many family members or friends they have. Play counting games, like using blocks or puzzle pieces and counting how many it takes to complete a task. A board game like checkers can become a counting game when the child moves each piece a certain number of spots.
Pre-K is when children begin to learn social skills that they will carry through the rest of their lives. Two great nighttime projects are to lay out all the clothes for the next morning, which teaches children to take care of themselves, and having the child pack her own bookbag. This way, the child has to think about what he will do the next day and what he will need. Other social games are making something together, singing a song together and having every person contribute a unique part, and making up a story where children take turns contributing one sentence at a time.
Teaching fine motor skills, coordination, and the basics of art, coloring and painting projects are fun for all children. Coloring books are a classic, but you can also help your child download images from the Internet to create his own customized coloring book. A painting project can focus on painting a T-shirt, wall hangings, or using finger paints. These are best done during the day to avoid any late messy clean-up.