Some games help preschoolers practice motor skills while entertaining. To play foot hot potato, assemble the children in a circle, with one child in the center with a medium-sized ball at his feet. The child in the center tries to push the ball out of the circle with his feet, while the other children try to stop him. Once he succeeds, a different child goes in the middle. If it becomes too difficult, have two children in the circle at once, each with a ball.
These activities require a large play parachute. Have each child hold an end of the parachute. On the count of three, have everyone lift the parachute in the air, go under it, and pull it down behind them, sitting on the end. Everyone will be in a parachute tent, where you can tell stories and have kids say their names out loud. Alternatively, play "cat and mouse," where one child crawls around under the parachute, while another crawls on the parachute and attempts to catch him.
The backyard is the perfect place to have a treasure hunt for kids. Hide small plastic coins, plastic toys or figurines, chocolate eggs or any other child-safe items around the backyard. Put them in easy-to-find and hard-to-find places. Give kids a set amount of time, such as one to five minutes, to find as many items as they can. Kids can work together or on their own to recover the treasures. Alternatively, hide all the treasures in one place and have kids follow a series of clues together to find them.
A cooperative obstacle course is a great way to build motor skills and encourage each other. Set up an obstacle course using hula hoops, pylons, balls or anything else. Include activities such as kicking a ball around a post, dribbling a ball a set number of times or spinning a hula hoop five times around the waist. Instead of making it a race, have each children do the obstacle course one at a time while cheering each other on. Help kids who find it difficult to complete a specific task.