Focus on the role of each family member with this circle-time activity. Gather pictures of a washing machine, stove, meal, someone driving a car, a parent at work and families playing together. Glue each picture onto a separate sheet of construction paper. Have the preschoolers pass the pile of pictures to the others in the circle. Say "stop" periodically. The child holding pictures should show the class the picture on top. For example, the child may say, "Dad tucks me into bed at night" or "I help Dad and Mom fold the laundry."
Explain to preschoolers that a family tradition is something that families do together on a regular basis. For example, an extended family may gather at the grandparents' home for Thanksgiving dinner or meet at a pizza restaurant for each child's birthday. Ask parents to send in a note or even some photos for their preschooler to be able to share about a family tradition in his family. Read the notes out loud and have that child tell more about this tradition in his family. Let the child show any photos his parent sent in. After circle time, let the preschoolers help fasten their photos and notes to a bulletin board. The children also may want to draw a picture of their family at a family reunion, on a camping trip or gathered to decorate a Christmas tree.
Provide handprint cutouts of different sizes to represent dads, moms, brothers and sisters and the preschooler. Place the pile of handprints in the center of the circle. Give each child a paper plate and a glue stick. Have each child choose a handprint to represent parents, siblings and themselves. The preschoolers should use a glue stick to fasten handprints around the edge of the paper plate. Tape a paper towel tube to the center of the underside of the plate to become a flower stem.
Arrange and tape four pieces of green construction paper, four pieces of yellow and four pieces of pink paper in a circle on the floor. Add another color family to the circle if needed for a larger class. Draw a smiling face on one sheet of each color of paper. Have each preschooler stand on a piece of paper. Play some music and have the children walk in a circle, stepping on each paper as they come to it. When the music stops, the children should step on the nearest color paper. Then they should gather on a like-color with the smiling face. Say, "Here is the green family." This is the pink family, and so on, to reinforce the concept of families. Play the game several times.