Most schools expect children to know their primary colors before they enter kindergarten. Colors can be taught to preschoolers through instruction and play. Have a different color-themed week every week. You can have children sort colored pom poms or beads into groups by color, while explaining what each color is. Create flash cards with colored construction paper and have them laminated. Quiz children on what color each card is. Create art projects with that color all week, eat snacks that are that color, and sing a song about that color. Print out worksheets that contain items that need to be colored the color of the week.
Shapes is a basic topic for preschoolers to work on. Make your own flash cards with construction paper that you have cut into shapes and then have them laminated to quiz the children. Have the children walk around the school looking for items that match the shape you are learning about. Give each student a piece of paper and some crayons, and teach him how to draw various shapes. Make a shape-sorting poster board by drawing shapes on the poster board and then cutting out the same size shapes from construction paper; then laminate each shape. Students can take turns coming up to the board and matching the cut-out shape to the poster board, while telling what shape it is.
Preschoolers usually enjoy learning about the seasons of the year. Work on each season as it is happening and plan activities around it. In the spring, you could teach about animals and nature. Talk about the water cycle and how rain is necessary to make our flowers and trees grow. During the summer months, learn about how fruits and vegetables grow and how good they are for people. Teach about the ocean and what animals live there. Plan a field trip to an aquarium or zoo to learn even more. When leaves begin to drop in the fall, talk about why leaves change colors and fall off. Work on pumpkin crafts and go visit a pumpkin patch. Winter is a great time to teach about snow, the water cycle and the weather. Talk about animals that live in cold climates, such as polar bears and penguins, then print out coloring sheets and let them color these animals.
The alphabet is something many preschoolers enjoy learning. Choose a different letter each week and focus on that letter the whole week. Print coloring pages for that letter and let the children color them. Teach them how to write the letter and let them practice writing it on a sheet of paper. Sing the alphabet song with them every day to help them memorize it. Preschoolers will need to start learning how to count and recognize some numbers before they enter kindergarten. Read counting books to them, such as Five Little Ducks and Mouse Count, and print out worksheets with numbers that they can trace. On the 100th day of school, plan activities to celebrate the day. Make t-shirts with 100 black dots for the children to wear, do counting activities with 100 items, like beads, pennies or marbles, then count to 100 together in class.