Enhance color identification in three year old children by having them play with colored clay. Prepare the clay by mixing one cup of salt with two cups of flour, then slowly mix one cup of water and a tablespoon and a half of vegetable oil into the dry mixture. This will make enough clay for about five students. Give each child three handfuls of clay, and add a drop of blue, red and yellow food dye to each clump. Encourage children to mix parts of the colored clay together to form new colors. Children may also use the colored clay to create art or beads for a necklace. To make clay balls into beads, use a toothpick to poke a hole through the center of the ball. Bake the clay on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper for 45 minutes at 250 degrees.
Teach children about weather by playing Wind, Rain and Thunder, a game created by the child development center at Mississippi State University. For this game, children sit in a circle and mimic the teacher's actions. Rub your hands together to mimic wind. Next, tap your hands on your thighs or on the floor to mimic splattering rain. Stand up and stomp your feet to mimic thunder. Tell children that this is the patter of a thunderstorm. Continue the actions, and repeat the weather term so that students learn to associate the motion with the weather term. Challenge students by alternating between the three actions. End the game by reversing the order, so that students understand the process by which a thunderstorm generally ends. Finally, fold your hands and ask the children to close their eyes and imagine a rainbow.
Preschool instructors can teach kids about basic shapes by playing the Shape Scavenger Hunt. Place a variety of shaped objects--rectangles, squares, circles and triangles--around the classroom, ensuring there are enough for each child to collect one of each shape. Next, draw these common shapes on the board, and repeat the names of each shape. Be sure to point out the characteristics of the shape, such as equal lines, four corners, or no corners. Instruct children to walk around the room and find one of each shape. Children may work independently or with a partner. Tell the class that the first group or student to find one of each shape receives an award, such as a sticker or piece of candy. For a longer game, encourage students to find two or three of each shape.