Children enjoy practicing letters and numbers in preschool. When you're doing a unit on a certain letter or number, incorporate a multisensory method of writing the letters and numbers. Draw the letter or number onto a piece of paper with a thick black marker. Have the children trace the letter with their forefingers. Sprinkle drink powder mix onto the paper, then provide each child with an ice cube. Instruct the children to rub the ice cube all over the powder. As the children rub the ice over the powder, the slightly melted ice will turn the powder into a liquid. Now have them trace the letter with their fingers again. Repeating the same letter or number reinforces the shape in their minds. This can also be used with a shape, such as a square or triangle. Since the drink mix is nontoxic, no harm is done if a finger goes into a mouth. The drink powder mix will fill the room with a pleasant aroma.
Young children enjoy pretend play, and most enjoy pretending to be adults. They mimic adults and want to be like their parents when they grow up. They also love to play with water. Provide the children with the opportunity to practice good parenting skills. Place a plastic tub with 2 inches of water on the table for each child. Provide each one with a baby doll, a wash cloth, towel, clothes and a blanket. Encourage the children to bathe the baby, dry him off and dress him, then wrap him in a blanket. After the bath is done, take away the water and have the children sit in their chairs. Teach them a short song for them to sing their babies to sleep, such as "Hush Little Baby."
Finger painting provides children with a way to express themselves. Finger painting with pudding makes the project safer than normal toxic finger paint, plus they can lick their fingers, if desired. Give each child a piece of finger paint paper. Mix a few different colors of food coloring in with some vanilla pudding. Give each child a couple different colors of pudding, and encourage them to finger paint. Put on some music and instruct them to paint something that shows the way the music makes them feel. Change the music, and give each child a new piece of paper.
Sand is a useful tool to pour and mold. Start with the book "Beach Day" by Karen Roosa. Then, give each child a small plastic tub with a few inches of sand. Give them measuring cups, both liquid and dry. Give them a sieve and small pasta strainer. They will enjoy pouring sand with the containers, plus the sieve and strainer show them that the sand goes faster through the strainer than the smaller holes in the sieve. Then, give them a cup of water, and allow them to pour the water onto the sand. They observe how the sand sticks together now. They can use the cups as molds to form shapes with the wet sand.