Make a keepsake for the child and parents so they can remember the first day of preschool. Place a paper plate or a piece of cardstock in front of each child. Help the children dip their hands in black or gold paint and place them on the paper. This craft will capture the children's hands in time on that special day. Write the child's name on the paper and hang the hand prints on a bulletin board. The children will be excited to point out which hands are theirs. Replace the hand print art with new art after a few weeks and allow the children to take their prints home with them.
Ask each child to name their favorite animal and why they like it. Help the children draw and cut out ears, antlers or horns to represent their favorite animal. Cut out strips of construction paper for each child. The strips should be long enough to fit around their heads. Help the children glue or staple the ears, antlers or horns onto their strip of paper. Allow the them to color the paper ears if desired. Staple, glue or tape the paper strips into headbands that will fit the student's head. As the children wear the headbands, talk about the different animals and ask the them to tell about any pets they may have.
Create a large school bus out of construction paper and hang it on a bulletin board or poster board. The bus should have large empty windows. Give each preschooler a paper cutout of a child. The figure should have no face and be printed on white paper. Let the children color the figure. Help each student glue a picture of himself onto the face area of the figure. Tape or pin the figure to the window portion of the school bus. Once everyone is in the bus, point out each child's picture and say his name so the other students can get to know him. Ask the child to tell his favorite color, birth date or nickname.
Give each child a white piece of paper. Allow him to decorate the paper with crayons, markers, paint and glitter. Take a Polaroid picture of each child and set it aside. Help the children fold their paper in half to create a tent. Write the preschooler's name on the paper, and glue his picture beside his name. Place the finished name plate on his table or desk to help remember where to sit each day.