Make a large shoe shape on the floor with masking tape. Use colored chalk if completing the activity outdoors. Ask the children to guess how many preschoolers will fit inside the "shoe." Invite the children to stand inside of the shoe and count the children who fit in the shoe shape. Ask the children if sharing a small space is difficult and encourage them to offer suggestions for making the experience better for everyone. Let the children sit in a circle to talk about sharing the space in the classroom. Offer an example of how cooperation helps the children to share their classroom space. Encourage the children to offer examples of cooperation.
Send a note home to parents requesting that they send an old shoe and a stretch glove. Provide paints, makers, glitter glue and stickers. Let the children make shoe homes for the old woman and her children. Remove the glove's thumb and fingers for each child to make finger puppets. Help the children to attach small pieces of yarn with glue to make hair for their finger puppets. Make the puppet's eyes, nose and mouth with markers. Encourage the children to act out the nursery rhyme with the shoe homes and finger puppets.
Reinvent snack time for preschool children with a shoe cake. Grease and flour two 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Use 2 tablespoons less water when mixing the ingredients for a packaged yellow cake mix. Pour the batter into the loaf pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool and remove from the pans. Stand one loaf upright against the other loaf to form an "L." Round the corners of the horizontal loaf to form the "toes" of the shoe shape. Shave the corners of the upright loaf until the desired peak of a roof is formed. Use food coloring to tint a container of vanilla frosting a preferred color. Let the children help frost the "shoe" and add decorations. Use pillow mints or chocolate wafers to make the roof's shingles. Chocolate chips or cinnamon candies make shoe eyelets. Use red or black licorice to form the shoe lace. Cut squares from a fruit-flavored roll-up snack to make brightly colored windows. Create a door with chocolate squares or pillow mints.
Discuss the different types of homes that people live in. For example, children live in houses, apartments, mobile homes, duplexes and other types of homes. Ask the children to talk about their homes. Make a class graph of the types of homes the children live in. Give the children printed shoe shapes with a shoe lace inserted into the shape. Help them to practice tying the shoe lace and applaud their efforts.