Children can learn to follow directions with an around-the-circle activity. Make a large circle on the floor with tape. Have the children stand on the tape. Play music, and tell students to walk on the tape in a certain way until they hear the music stop. They can walk on tiptoes, all fours, skip, hop or even do a bear crawl.
Have children play "follow the leader" to learn to listen to directions. Model how to play by being the "it" player first. Have the children stand in a line behind you and follow your movements as you walk. When students have the hang of the game, ask another student to get to the front of the line. If there are any children who have a hard time following directions, a teacher's aide can hold their hands as they mimic the motions. Make the activity musical by playing music and having children mimic each other's dance moves.
In preparation for kindergarten, many preschool students learn their letters and their sounds. Have children create alphabet books to highlight the letters they have learned. Each child will need a three-ring binder. Each week, print out a new worksheet that highlights that week's letter, or simply create your own worksheet by writing the letter on a piece of paper and making several copies. During that week, children can place pictures of the letter in their books and also draw pictures of things that start with that letter. Encourage students to also write the letters.
Preschoolers can play bingo to help with their reading and identification skills. Print out bingo cards specifically made for small children. These should have rows and columns of pictures instead of letters. If children are learning another language as a part of their curriculum, provide pictures and words in that language identifying the objects in a picture. Make sure each child has a bingo card and dried beans to cover the card when one of his pictures is called. Have a list of pictures on all of the cards and encourage students to cover their cards when they hear one of their pictures. They should yellow "Bingo!" when they have four pictures in a row covered.