Hang pictures of farm animals low on the walls where children can see them, labeling each with the animal's species beneath. This exposes children to letters, and helps them link each word with the image of the matching animal. Use real photographs of farm animals, if possible. This gives preschoolers a more accurate understanding of them than when using cartoon creatures.
Sing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." You can either sing it as a group, or play from a children's music CD, and have the children sing along. Give each child the opportunity to choose an animal for one verse. This helps children memorize the sounds that each animal makes.
Set up a play farm. Bring in a toy barn or make one from a cardboard box, filling with plastic farm animals. You can also make your own animals by drawing each one on paper. Cut out the figure and glue it to cardboard or a craft stick for sturdiness. Let the children play pretend with the animals. If you play as well, you can suggest the correct way to take care of each one or show the children what each animal's job is.
Bring in books about farm animals. Place them on a bookshelf where children can reach them to look at during free time. Read one of these books during daily story time. At the end of the book, ask the children what animals they remember. Ask if they can describe each one.
Hang a large piece of paper in the front of the room. After reading books about several different types of animals, write the names of each across the top of the paper. Down the left side, list categories, like "color," "job," "sound," "food" and any other characteristics for the students to learn. Have preschoolers help fill in the chart. When finished, you'll have a chart showing the different aspects of each animal.