Preschool children need to develop early literacy skills in preparation for reading instruction in kindergarten. Parents, teachers and other adults can use literacy games to help children progress from phonemic awareness, or understanding the smallest sounds in language, to being aware that written letters represent the sounds we say and hear in oral language. A simple game like I Spy encourages children to use words to describe what they see.
Many educational websites offer free downloads of games and activities and online games. Get Ready to Read offers printable activity cards for adult use with preschoolers. Try a game like Fishing for Letters to help preschoolers practice letter recognition and encourage discussion of the sounds letters make.
Math games help children practice their developing quantitative skills. For example, blocks of different colors scan be arranged in patterns and used for counting and color identification. Children can play geometric bingo, using shapes and colors in place of letters and numbers. Math educational toys can also include an abacus, puzzles, a cash register and play money.
Outdoor games help children to build social skills, improve coordination and balance, and learn the importance of an active lifestyle. At this age, through structured games like Duck Duck Goose, children learn how to behave in groups and interact as members of a community with common rules and customs observed for everyone's enjoyment. The IdeaBox website offers descriptions for dozens of preschool games that can be played indoors or outdoors.