Games for 4 year olds

This page covers ideas for four year old fun - all submitted by visitors to the site!

Games for 4 year olds help keep these energetic little folk occupied - as well as teaching them yet more about the great wide world around them!

As your four year old begins to find a new-found sense of self-importance and confidence, playing games helps create an imaginative place where they can express themselves with humor or seriousness.

Humor inevitably gives way to silliness, and four year olds love to be silly or funny - and they're still learning the difference between the two! They're learning what's acceptable, what's not, and how to control their words and actions to suit different situations - quite a complex skill, and one that we all strive to perfect throughout our lives :)

Games for 4 year olds - your ideas

It is a good math lesson.
Regina, United States

Thanks Regina - we laid out one lev and some stotinki coins from here in Bulgaria to start off with - so I added a picture of that here :)

Walking through the jungle

You can also do 'walking through the rainforest, park or farm'.
Cathi, United Kingdom

Balloon tennis
Two (or more) badminton rackets and a balloon. Two or more players hit the balloon back and forth to each other. Good for developing eye hand coordination and can be played indoors.
Ken, United States

Digging in the dirt :)
My boys will play for hours just digging in the dirt and pretending they're the actual equipment and not just moving the toys.
Logan, United States

Puzzle fun and more!

We enjoy the game of puzzle solving in the minimum time required by either of us. He usually solves the puzzle along with me after 2 to 3 tries on the same puzzle.

We also make animals or shapes or designs using modeling clay to gether. Playing basketball and football together is also fun with him.
Prateek, India

Thanks Prateek! You can also get ideas for animal games from magazines such as the Kids' National Geographic or animal sticker books. Cut out pictures and pretend to be the animals, or put them together in a folder and talk about each animal.

Supermarket alphabet game

Example: A is for apple and so on.
Deane, United Kingdom

I think this is such a great idea Deane, so I have added an apple and a can of good old British beans for the picture!

Musical animal stretch!
I put music on and I teach them how to stretch. Then we take turns picking which animal to be, and we dance to the music pretending to be that animal.
Julia, Canada

Beach ball fun
I throw up the ball and he tries to keep it off the ground for as long as he can. If he misses the ball and falls on the ground he starts giggling like crazy.
Caty, United States

Stomach-hockey
Use a large or medium sized beach ball. Hand your child a paper towel roll tube and keep one for yourself. Both of you lie down on your stomachs, a few feet apart, facing each other. Keeping your legs straight, lift your backs to hit the ball with the tube. This is huge fun and a great way to strengthen muscles.
Joy, South Africa

Nature trail

Later we stick them up together.
Nithya, India

Nithya, this is a great idea. We loved to take a plastic bag with us out on a walk through the woods or park, and collect twigs, leaves, and the odd stone. It always made the walk so much more interesting and adventurous!

Image creator!
I trace my little one and let him create his own image inside. When he goes through different interests his image of himself changes, creating knew ideas and thoughts of himself.
Cynthia

Hide and seek
Lots of times a great game of hide and seek can be a fun way to streangthen your childs skills, of a treasure map to a prize, like candy or something.
Katie, United States

Thanks very much everyone for your ideas!