This game is useful for teaching preschoolers to be socially aware and learn to recognize the emotions of others. Have a teacher’s aide or assistant take several pictures of you while you are acting out various facial expressions such as happy, sad, angry, excited or embarrassed. On the back of each picture, write the emotion displayed. Sit with the class and have the students guess the emotion displayed in each picture. Discuss different scenarios with the class and have the students pick a facial expression that is compatible with the scenario.
This activity is useful for encouraging students to practice their communication skills and develop pre-writing and reading skills. Sit in a large circle with the students. Make up the beginning of a story such as “There once was a little girl named Rebecca who lived in the forest.” Going around the circle, instruct each child to add to the story. Continue around the circle until the class reaches an ending for the story.
This game is useful for teaching preschoolers the importance of communicating their wants, needs and feelings to parents, siblings, teachers and other children. Create a set of classroom signs with construction paper and large popsicle sticks. Take the construction paper and cut out three large shapes, including a hexagon, square and triangle. Inside the hexagon, print the word stop. Inside the square, draw a pair of lips, for speaking, and inside the triangle, draw two hands holding a toy for sharing. Place the signs in a designated place and instruct the students to use the signs for communication, such as holding the share sign when a student wants to share a toy with his classmate.
A classroom dramatic play center is useful for providing students with the opportunity to practice their social and language skills. Designate a specific corner of the classroom for the center. Bring props, such as hats, for different professions and dress up accessories for the center. Designate a certain amount of time each week for dramatic play, allowing the children to role-play occupational roles and fairy tales.