Most classroom dramatic play spaces are built around a vast and varied dress-up collection. When planning a preschool-themed unit on sports or exercise, it is time to stock your dress-up closet with some very specific clothing. Add tank tops, mesh shorts, sweatbands and wrist bands, as well as some very sport-specific accessories such as batting gloves, a catcher's mitt and a football helmet. Plan for this ahead of time by asking parents for donations, scouring consignment and thrift stores and borrowing from friends.
Teach children a few aerobic exercises such as jumping jacks, running in place or a few simple yoga stretches. Give each child a chance to pretend to be the aerobics instructor and lead the class in a few morning stretches or an afternoon aerobics class. Children can pretend to be the exercise teacher at the gym and show the class a few new moves or choose to do the exercises you have shown them as a class.
Read this familiar fable to your class and discuss the importance of the race. When you finish reading, give children a chance to act out the story. Have a few dress-up clothes on hand such as rabbit ears for the hare and a turtle shell for the tortoise to act out this fun fable. To make a simple turtle shell, thread some elastic through an aluminum pie plate and have the child slip it around his midsection like a belt, with the pie plate in the back. Make sure each child who wishes to has a chance to act out a part in the story. The children who choose not to be the tortoise or the hare can be spectators at the big race, cheering for their favorite racer.
Talk to children about the sights and sounds they might experience at a baseball game. Allow children to discuss different sporting events they have been to and the things they heard, saw and tasted. Plan to eat hot dogs as an afternoon snack one day. Give children baseball caps to wear that day, and hand out pretend money to each child in the class. Children can also make signs for their favorite baseball team, or wear baseball jerseys from the dress-up box. At snacktime, have the children stand in line to purchase their hot dog snack and a drink with their money, acting out a favorite ballpark ritual: the trip to the concession stand! Set up a table with condiments such as ketchup, mustard and relish for children to put on their hot dog before sitting down at the snack table.