Jump to: Games for 4-year-olds must be designed to cater to their growing needs. Children aged four are energetic and have oodles of energy. And that energy must be directed constructively. Children in this age group can skip, jump, run, and hop. They can kick balls around or use clay and sand to create shapes. So, if you are looking for games for 4-year-olds, here are some options to pick from and let your child have lots of fun.
Exciting And Fun Games For Four-Year-Old Kids
Children aged four can pay attention to activities for up to 15 minutes, or lesser if it is something that they do every day (1). Considering that, we have compiled a list of easy games for four-year-old kids.
1. What’s hiding in the jelly?
Jelly is not just for eating. You can also use it for fun time. You will need:
Edible jelly crystals of different colors 1-2 large trays Plastic containers of different shapes Plastic numbers, small toys and wooden beads, and anything else that can be put inside a cup of jelly
How to: If they cannot guess, let them look and say what they found! Either way, they learn about the sense of touch and feel.
2. Drinking straws and pom poms
This is a fun indoor game that you can play with even one kid, provided you have the accessories ready. You will need:
Colorful scotch tape – at least three colors are good 5-6 1-inch pompoms Drinking straws
How to:
3. Rock, paper, scissors
Whether you have a lot of time on your hands or need help choosing whose turn it is first at something, you play rock, paper, scissors. You will need:
Space and time to playtime
How to: One with the stronger weapon wins.Free Worksheets and Printables for Kids Select GradePreschoolKindergarten1st Grade2nd Grade3rd Grade4th Grade5th Grade Select SubjectEnglishMathScienceSocial studies Search & Download
4. ABC Maze
The ABC maze is an innovative way to teach your child the alphabet. The game is physically and mentally stimulating. You will need:
Sheet of paper Pen or sketch Space to play A small toy car or animal
How to:
Video Games and Board Games For Four-Year-Olds
Board games are a great way to get your four-year-old child to interact with other people. Video games can make them imaginative but should be played in moderation.
5. Hoot Owl Hoot
Hoot Owl Hoot is one of the most popular board games for four-year-olds. Developed by Peaceable Kingdom, this game has colored codes and encourages cooperative play. What we like about it: This game is easy to play and has a simple strategy that encourages kids to work as a team. The game aims to help the owls fly back to their nest before sunset. It helps in developing the kids’ social interaction skills and instills the idea that when we work in a team, everyone wins. Why the kids love it: There is no loser in this game. There are just winners if the kids succeed in moving the owls back to their nests. Also, there is no reading or writing involved, just thinking and executing!
6. Cat In The Hat, I Can Do That!
This is an interesting board game based on Dr. Seuss’ book, The Cat in the Hat.
What we like about it: The name of the game itself says it – I Can Do That! This game lets the kids find out different things they can do for fun. The game can surprise your child and let them discover their latent talents. The game is designed to bring families and friends together. Why the kids love it: Cat In The Hat, I Can Do That lets the children enjoy the book by Dr. Suess in a different yet entertaining, way. The game helps children better understand their abilities and helps build their confidence. Every time the kids say “I can do that” and complete a task, they are pushing their levels of confidence further up!
7. World of Zoo
There are several zoo simulator games, but none gets close to being as creative as this one.
What we like about it: Simulation games are always better than mindless video games with violence and action. World of Zoo is a zoo simulation game that teaches your children how to interact and build a relationship with the animal world. The game introduces the children to different animals, their natural habitat and their food habits. What’s best is that the game comes with National Geographic animal fact cards. Why the kids love it: World of Zoo is a colorful video game that can be played on a PC as well. The animal editor feature lets the children interact with different animals and also lets them change their colors, patterns, and features to some extent, to create a unique animal.
8. My Lovely Farm
A colorful board game, My Lovely Farm takes your children to the world of farming, growing vegetables, and taking care of animals.
What we like about it: The game is more than just setting up a farm. There are three activities that the kids can indulge in – building the farm, creating puppets, and using fact cards to learn about farming, farm animals, benefits of vegetables, and so on. The kids can switch from one activity to the other if they are bored, and engage in imaginative play for hours. Why the kids love it: Besides being able to build a farm of their own, the kids will also be able to color the animal cutouts, make puppets and have their own puppet shows with Mrs. Cow and Ms. Chicken as the hosts! Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Well, it is. Play with your kid, and we guarantee he’ll agree as well.
9. Hi-Ho Cherry-O
Which parent wouldn’t want an educational game for their four-year-old kid? Well if you do, then here is one that could interest you. What we like about it: Hi-Ho Cherry-O is a fun way to teach your little one basic math skills. The game is about picking cherries and putting them in the bucket. The more cherries they pick, the faster they can fill the bucket and win. As they play, children will be adding and subtracting numbers to count fruits and fill their buckets. Why the kids love it: The game has an arrow-based spinner, four fruit baskets, a 9-piece puzzle, and ten fruit pieces each of blueberry, cherries, apples, and oranges. The game can be competitive and allows kids to have fun picking fruits and putting them in their tiny fruit baskets. The spinner, which is used in place of a pair of dice, is perhaps the most exciting component of the game.
Eight Simple Activities For Four-Year-Olds
This is the list of activities that will keep your four-year-olds busy and you happy.
10. Number rolling game
Rolling on the floor is silly, but it is fun when you are a four-year-old. Wondering what we are talking about? Keep reading. You will need:
Post-it notes Pen Lots of space to play A clear wall or board
How to: Doesn’t it sound like a math lesson disguised as a fun activity? Well, it is!
11. Play acting
Play acting is an excellent way to teach children about different people or professionals they will come across. Think about a few pretend play options you can try with your kids. Some examples are:
Going to the supermarket Seeing a doctor At school At the airport On the road Visiting a friend’s house Cruising on a ship
Another great idea for play acting or make-believe skits is to act out a storybook. Let your child pick a storybook and the character he wants to be. Let the other kids or adults be the other characters (you can play multiple characters if there aren’t enough people). The idea of playacting can be used to teach kids how to behave and how not to behave in different situations and spaces. You can also think about other scenarios besides the ones mentioned above, if you think it is relevant for your child’s age and temperament.
12. Book exploration
Book exploration is an excellent activity that we think can make reading a more interesting activity for a child. So how do you do this?
Take the child to a library and show them how it works. Be sure to tell them the thumb rule before entering the library: silence. Or go to a bookstore and let them explore different books there. You could sit and read for a bit and maybe buy a book for them too. Attend a book reading or storytelling session for children and let them experience the wonders of fiction and fantasy.
Make bedtime story reading a habit. When you read to them, they will develop an interest in books as well.
13. Nature walks
A walk or hike in the woods is perhaps the best outdoor activities that you can indulge your child in. If you have a park or a national park nearby, make it a point to take your child there at least once a month or two. Some of the things you can try during such walks include:
Bird watching Nature photography Drawing or sketching the landscapes
Your four-year-old may not be able to do much with a camera or paintbrush. At such times, you could just teach the little one to experience and enjoy the sounds of nature.
14. Touch and feel – sensory bag
Kids are so focused on seeing things, sometimes hearing, that they do not use their sense of touch for anything. This game focuses on just that – their sense of touch. You can use this game to help them identify objects by their shape, texture, and how soft or hard it is. You will need:
A tote bag Objects of different shapes, size, and texture Blindfold cloth
How to:
Pick objects such as a ball, comb, a pen, fruit, vegetable, toy, key, so on, and put them inside the bag. Blindfold the child and ask him to pick an object from the bag. The child has to use his hands to touch and feel the object and guess what it is. The other kids can give the child some clues about the object is and help them guess. Now ask the children to put their hand inside the bag, one at a time. If the kid guesses it right, he gets a point. Otherwise, he gets another chance to guess another object. The objects don’t go back into the bag once they are out.
Kids can take turns to play this game at parties, in classrooms and other community events.
15. Shadow tracing
A unique idea that can keep your child busy for hours, shadow tracing lets you use the everyday objects to create some art. You will need:
Toilet paper rolls, tins or cardboard figures Glue Chart or drawing paper Pencil Space on the floor for the project
How to: For this activity, you would need light, natural or otherwise, to create a shadow. Sunlight can be tricky, for you will need to trace the object faster, before the light moves and changes the angle. You can create as many such sketches as you want, in different sizes depending on the placement of the object and how far or close it is to the light. Fun tip: Instead of inanimate objects, you can have people stand in the light and trace their shadow. So your child can trace you, your spouse or partner, or even a pet.
16. Drawing upside down
In this activity, the drawing is not going to be upside down. The artist will be! Wondering how that will work? Just keep reading, and we will tell you how. You will need:
Drawing sheets Sketches or crayons Drawing pencils High chairs or dining table chairs
How to: This is a fun activity and is best indulged in less often when your child is having one of the bad moods and needs a timeout.
17. Painting with wheels
Painting and art are creative activities that boost your child’s imagination. This activity indulges in painting with car wheels and not brushes. You will need:
3-5 drawing sheets or chart sheets Toy cars, small ones Washable, organic paints Large bowls for mixing colors
How to: This is a fun activity that the children can indulge in from time to time if you don’t mind the cleaning afterward.
