With your preschoolers’ assistance, prepare a list of questions to ask during the game, such as "What is your favorite color?" or "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Pass a bowl of M&M’s or other brightly colored candies around a circle of children seated on the floor. Instruct each child to take one piece of candy—but not to eat it. Call out a color and ask children with that color to stand up. Ask the children one of the agreed upon questions and allow them to answer.
Make a list of “Sit down if you___” questions for students to answer. Examples might be “Sit down if you are wearing red” or “Sit down if you have a dog.” Gather the children into a standing group and read each statement; allow adequate time for children to sit if the statement is true for them.
Grab a soft foam ball, such as those made by Nerf, and take turns throwing it from child to child within a circle. When the child catches the ball, they need to say the name of the child to whom they wish to pass the ball. At the end of the game, all students should know each others' names.
Children and teachers can bring something important to them to class and share it with the other students. This activity offers a unique insight into the types of items that hold a special place in an individual’s world. Make sure you limit each child’s time to a few minutes to avoid very long stories.
This activity can be played in a circle, making it a good game to play at circle time, which many preschools conduct first thing in the morning. Take turns going around the circle, allowing children to fill in the blank parts of the sentence “My name is ____and if I could be____, I would be____.” Children might choose movie stars, animals, superheroes or characters from movies.
Give children a coloring sheet of a bear or another animal, such as a cat or dog. Ask your students questions and ask them to color specific parts of the bear as a response. For example, you might say, “Do you have any pets? If you have a cat, color the bear’s arm red. Color it purple if you have dogs. Color it green if you have another type of animal.” Compare the coloring sheets after you finish identifying the traits that students (and teachers) share to spot similarities and differences.