Pair up preschoolers to encourage students to bond as well as to teach a lesson about helping one another. Have one child of each pair lie down on a large sheet of paper and ask her partner to trace her shape, then switch roles. Remind children that without a partner, this task would be impossible. Another turn-taking task that children will enjoy is pretend cars. Bring in large cardboard boxes with no top. Give each child a chance to sit in the box and pretend to drive while her partner pushes the box around.
Teamwork activities show children how they can sometimes be more effective when they work as a group. To demonstrate, fill a bag with bean bags. Ask one child to carry the heavy bag down the length of the room and describe how difficult this task is. Line all the children up and have them pass the bag down the line – they should see that it’s much easier to move the bag if they work together. An art collage also encourages teamwork. Hang paper over an entire wall and ask preschoolers to decorate it with crayons and markers. Point out how long it would take one child to do this task.
Even 4-year-olds have knowledge and gifts that they can share, and show and tell gives children the chance to share their knowledge with one another. Rotate through the class, with each child getting a chance to present something at the beginning of each school day. Children may demonstrate a trick, tell a story about a trip or demonstrate how to do something. Parents may even get in on the act if they wish, helping their children demonstrate cooking a favorite family dish or showing off family mementos. At the end, ask the class to describe new things they learned from the presentation.
Teach preschoolers about the power of selfless acts by helping them plan surprises for their peers. Mix up a batch of cookies and lemonade together and deliver it to another classroom as a surprise treat, or make small tokens like construction paper cards or clay figures and leave them anonymously in the cubbies of other students. Explain that doing kind things for others without wanting anything in return is a way of helping others feel happy and important.