Early literacy activities are an integral part of your preschool curriculum. Many teachers like to feature a letter of the week and do activities based on that letter. Choose books based on your theme to add to the reading area and to be shared during story time. Allow opportunity for play with felt letters, magnetic letters, flashcards and sentence strips. Ask students to make letters out of clay in the sensory area or have letter stencils or rubbings in the art area. Let children trace letters or cut them out of magazines. Plan opportunities for children to recognize letters and hear stories and rhymes read aloud. Songs and action rhymes are great early literacy activities. Expose children to new words through circle time, the introduction of new concepts and use of audio books.
Math skills that are important for preschoolers include number sense, number recognition, matching, sorting and recognizing patterns. In the block area, ask students to make patterns using colored blocks or geocubes. Ask students to sort items such as buttons, blocks, or manipulatives by color, shape or size. During circle time, make graphs showing classroom data using polls or simple yes and no questions. Provide opportunities for students to count objects and place them into piles showing the correct number of items for each number. Have students trace numbers, cut them out of colored paper, decorate them and create number paintings in the art area.
Preschool children love to explore and discover. Depending on your theme, bring in live samples for students to examine. Insects, frogs, soil and leaves are just a few ideas. Stock your science center with magnifying glasses, a water table, measuring cups and books on your topic. Bring in a classroom pet and study the behavior and habitat. Plant seeds and document their growth. Allow children to ask questions and use their senses to make discoveries. Outdoor play is a great way to examine nature, weather, bugs, water and other science and nature related activities.
Preschoolers should begin to develop social and emotional skills needed for peer and adult interaction. Take preschool students on field trips in the community, exposing them to different situations. Visit a fire station or a farm. Talk about the jobs in the community. Role play interactions in the dress up area such as a trip to the doctor, or buying an item at the grocery store. Work with students on identifying emotions. Read books and sing songs about different feelings. Post pictures of different expressions and emotions. Have children describe what is going on in pictures to each other, using feeling words.