Playground games are a classic preschool activity. Children love to play tag, hide-and-seek or role-playing activities around playground equipment. Bring along a kickball or soccer ball and show preschoolers how to play catch, or have a session of kicking practice. Other playground classics requiring minimal equipment include hopscotch, jump rope, Chinese jump rope and playing with hula hoops. Preschoolers can develop fine manipulative skills with games such as jacks, marbles or spinning tops, but you will need to modify the games to make them easy enough for young children. For example, buy larger, plastic jacks rather than the small metal ones.
Playgrounds provide ample space for trying activities that wouldn't work in the classroom. Kites are a wonderful way to teach children about the properties of wind, motion and flight. Begin the activity with a folktale or picture book about flying kites around the world, such as the traditional kite festivals in Japan or Mexico. Children can make kites or decorate packaged kites.
A simpler version of this lesson is to make paper airplanes. You can open this lesson with a story and demonstration of Japanese origami, and students can explore what makes a paper airplane fly higher or farther.
Messy art activities are ideal in a playground setting. Bring colored chalk for a big mural-drawing session on the blacktop or show preschoolers how to set up a hopscotch or four-square court.
Water painting is fun outdoors. Provide small cans of water and paintbrushes of various sizes so children can "paint" the different playground surfaces.
Have the kids create a large-scale mural by spreading a bed sheet on the ground and letting the children decorate it with markers or paint.
Mix a gallon of soap bubble solution and bring a variety of wands for making bubble art.