Shapes are an important part of the premath curriculum in a preprimary program, and children are expected to have a firm understanding of basic shapes upon entering kindergarten. Present children with various activities that allow them to explore shapes in an engaging way. Cut out different shapes on construction paper and have children sort the shapes into like piles. Create shapes with masking tape on the ground and have children hop onto the shapes and announce their names as they do. Encourage children to cut shapes out of construction paper and assemble them as collages or decorate them to look like animals or other beings.
Color awareness should also be a focus of the preprimary curriculum, and there are a variety of activities you can incorporate into a color theme to familiarize children with different colors. Set different shades of paint in one color, such as light blue, dark blue and aqua. Have children use the paints to create a color-themed picture. Send children on a color hunt; state the name of a color and instruct children to search for something in that color. Create a fishing game by coloring circles of colors onto index cards and threading paper clips through the cards. Tie a magnet onto a string and tie the string to a ruler, creating a fishing rod. Children use the fishing rod to catch the colored cards you announce.
Introduce students to the characteristics associated with the seasons with a seasons theme. Lay out a variety of clothing items and ask children to name which season each type of clothing should be worn in. Have kids decorate a picture of a tree for each season: no leaves and covered with snow for winter, buds for spring, green leaves for summer and colored leaves for fall. Work together to create a list of things that can be done in each season and discuss the different types of weather experienced in each season.
Allow children to explore the different animals of the world with an animal theme. Promote letter-sound recognition by having students name an animal that begins with different letters, or have them draw a picture of an animal for each letter you provide them with; an alligator for "A," a dog for "D" and a zebra for "Z," for example. Discuss different types of animals, such as mammals, reptiles and fish, and have children sort pictures of animals from each group into corresponding piles. Encourage children to dance around to music while they are acting like different types of animals.