Gather 10 to 20 items on a tray. The items can relate to any topic. Objects from the classroom work well for the activity. Have the preschool kids study the tray of objects for about 30 seconds. Cover the tray with a towel, and have the kids name as many of the objects as they can remember. Write down a list of the objects they list. Remove the towel so the kids can check to see how many they remembered.
Memory card games are a common tool used at the preschool level. Commercially produced memory card sets require no preparation on your part. Homemade versions of the game save money and allow you to customize the cards for your students. To create your own set, draw identical pictures on two index cards. Make at least 10 of these pairs. Another option is to use matching stickers to make the pairs. To play the game, the cards are shuffled and placed face down in rows. The first player turns over two cards, attempting to make a match. If they do match, she keeps the cards. If they aren't a match, they are turned back over and the next player takes a turn. The players use memory to recall where the pictures are located when trying to make matches.
This activity works well for small groups of three to four kids. An empty sand table works well. Place 10 items on the table. Give the kids about 30 seconds to study the items. Have them all turn their backs to the table. Remove one of the items. When the kids turn back around, they identify the item that was removed. If they have difficulty, reduce the number of items to five. For an additional challenge, add more items to the table. This also works well as a partner activity. Have one child turn his back while the other removes an object. The kids take turns removing an item while the other makes a guess.
The object of this game is for the kids to remember a series of actions and repeat them in the correct order. Start with one simple action such as clapping or touching your toes. The students repeat the action. Continue adding one more action to the end each time. For example, you might clap and then turn in a circle. The third time, you could clap, turn in a circle and jump once. Continue until you have too many actions for the kids to remember.