Counting is a basic math skill that is important for preschoolers to learn, and in this game students will count the petals on the flower. Prepare the activity by drawing or printing pictures of flowers. Make each flower have a different number of petals. You can laminate them if you are worried about durability and longevity. Paste the flowers onto the file folder, leaving space between the rows. Next, create cutout numbers to match the number of petals that you used for each flower. Attach a small piece of Velcro to the space underneath the flowers and to the backs of the numbers. Preschoolers will play the game by counting the number of petals on the flower and selecting the correct number to place underneath. This game can be played with other objects besides flowers, such as watermelons or pizza slices.
This file folder game teaches preschoolers how to tell time. Flatten the file folder so that you can use both sides of it. Create an image of a teddy bear (or other animal) going to sleep. Around the image, draw circles with a particular time on the inside, such as "5:00." Paste a thin strip of Velcro on each circle. Then, create miniature clock faces, one for every time that is on the picture with the teddy bear. Attach the other strip of Velcro to the backs of the clocks. Preschoolers will have to figure out which clock face to paste onto which time.
You can use file folders to teach preschoolers about how to match upper and lowercase letters. Start out by drawing uppercase letters on the file folder, applying a little bit of Velcro to them. Create lowercase-letter cutouts that correspond with their uppercase counterparts. Preschoolers will have to match the lowercase-letter cutouts to the uppercase letters on the file folder.
Teaching preschool children about road safety is important, so turn your safety lesson into a fun activity for them. Use a flattened file folder to draw an image of a road. Make shapes along the road of real-life road safety signs you would find, such as octagons for stop signs and a circle for a railroad crossing sign. Then, create safety sign cutouts, such as a picture of a stop sign, that fits onto the empty shape on the file folder. Use Velcro to make the cutout shapes fit over the shapes on the file folder. This game also helps preschoolers learn how to identify matching shapes.