Arts and crafts activities should reflect the theme of the week and be easy enough for children whose motor skills are not fully developed to perform. For instance, abstract art or stamping works well because each child will produce something different, yet they will all be beautiful. A good activity for a unit on fruit is to use different fruits (apples, bananas, kiwi, strawberries), cut them in half and use them as stamps and let the children make their own one-of-a-kind placemat. Laminate them when the paint is dry and keep them to use for snack time in school. Arts and crafts time for preschoolers should build confidence in the class as well as let their creativity shine through.
Games in the classroom for ages 2 1/2 to 5 should let children let loose and enjoy themselves. Draw inspiration for game time from the weekly theme. If the unit is health and being healthy, have the class develop an obstacle course around the classroom, keep it simple, but use jumping, crawling and running to burn some energy. Games shouldn't be overly competitive, instead using the team mentality to get the class working together and cheering each other on. Be creative and offer mind games, too, such as the monster game where students form teams and each get to draw one piece of a monster using crazy colors and shapes.
In preschool, the focus is on the foundations of literacy and numeracy skills. Children won't know how to read or write, or how to perform operations more difficult than simple addition. Lesson plans should take focus on a larger topic like animals in the jungle, marine life, or colors and shapes. If the topic is too difficult, you will lose their interest and the class and teacher will be frustrated. Plan to execute lessons in the morning or the beginning of the preschool session. Have a circle discussion time to introduce the topic and then a table talk to go over a simple worksheet together to reinforce the ideas. The worksheet should be mostly, if not entirely, pictures so that the class can color it in after the lesson. The lesson is also a good time for the class to practice writing their names, so leave a space for this on each worksheet.
Drama is an exciting activity for children and their parents. Each season, put on a school production with a simple play where each child has at least one speaking line. Children love being dressed up in costume and playing make believe with sets and props, and parents love watching the cuties up on stage. The play can be simple and use mostly narration to tell the story, and the kids will learn their lines based on repetition, not reading. A story like "Where the Wild Things Are" requires no reading, yet the kids will enjoy having the story read to them and learning the plot. Work together to make simple backdrops and use craft time to make props to get the kids excited about the play. Drama is also a good way to ease shy children slightly out of their shell; don't force them if they are afraid, but encourage them to at least join the class in costume.