Board Games for 4 Year Olds
4 year olds love to play simple and fun board games. My own 4 year old loves sitting down to play a game and we now have a range of great games that he loves. Board games have so many advantages for preschoolers. They are great for teaching simple skills such as taking turns. They can have lots of educational benefits including teaching numbers, letters, improving vocabulary and communication skills. They are great for children, adults and other siblings to spend some time together - why not play a family game after teatime on a regular basis. At this age you can play one game in 10 minutes and have a good session for 1/2 hour - not much time to take out at all.
Read on for some great suggestions of board games for 4 year olds based on ones that my son enjoys.
Read on for some great suggestions of board games for 4 year olds based on ones that my son enjoys.
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Orchard Toys - The Greedy Gorilla Game
Orchard toys make some great games for preschoolers. One of our favourites is Greedy Gorilla. It teaches about healthy eating and kids love it when your put a junk food card in the Gorilla's mouth and he burps. All of the games from Orchard toys have some kind of educational element and are really fun too. Kids do love them and are learning at the same time.
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The great thing about Orchard games is that they are all short, most can be played and finished in about 10 to 15 minutes. This is great as it is short enough for young kids not to get bored. It's also great for adults who may become bored by a longer game for preschoolers. They are all simple, easy to learn to play, are fun and teach lots of things from numbers and counting to shapes, matching skills and lots more.
Some of our other favourite Orchard Toys games include:
The Shopping List Game which is a simple memory game. We have this one and my boys loved it. It's a memory game where you have to fill your shopping trollery with the right items that you have on the card. But it's also great for expanding your child's vocabulary with vegetables such as aubergines among more common foods and items.
The Game of Ladybirds which teaches about counting. You have to throw dice during this game which kids love doing.
The Tummy ache game also teaches about healthy eating. It's a food lotto game where the aim of the game is to fill your plate (ie. card) with a balanced, healthy meal. It's also educational as you have to match the cards with the background, so there is lots of matching fun.
Dotty Dinosaurs is a great for shape and colour recognition, it also involves using and throwing a dice.
Crazy Chefs involves using spinners to collect all the cards you need to make a meal. Run, run as fast as you can is for children aged from 4+. It involves getting your gingerbread man board piece across the river, escaping the horse, cow and chef that are chasing you.
Some of our other favourite Orchard Toys games include:
The Shopping List Game which is a simple memory game. We have this one and my boys loved it. It's a memory game where you have to fill your shopping trollery with the right items that you have on the card. But it's also great for expanding your child's vocabulary with vegetables such as aubergines among more common foods and items.
The Game of Ladybirds which teaches about counting. You have to throw dice during this game which kids love doing.
The Tummy ache game also teaches about healthy eating. It's a food lotto game where the aim of the game is to fill your plate (ie. card) with a balanced, healthy meal. It's also educational as you have to match the cards with the background, so there is lots of matching fun.
Dotty Dinosaurs is a great for shape and colour recognition, it also involves using and throwing a dice.
Crazy Chefs involves using spinners to collect all the cards you need to make a meal. Run, run as fast as you can is for children aged from 4+. It involves getting your gingerbread man board piece across the river, escaping the horse, cow and chef that are chasing you.
Peppa Pig Games
My eldest son still absolutely loved Peppa Pig at age 4 and I imagine he’is not the only 4 year old who does. There are quite a few Peppa Pig themed games. Perhaps one that you can’t go wrong with is the Peppa Pig giant snakes and ladder game. Its an oversized game which you can lay out and play on the floor which is great for kids of this age. Obviously like traditional snakes and ladders it’is also good for practising counting and learning numbers.
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Fun Games
There are lots of games which are just great fun. Pop up Pirate is one of my favourite fun games. It’is another fun game that is simple and easy to play, it’is been around for years which just shows how good it is. It has withstood the test of time.
The idea is you take it in turns to put the swords in the barrel. One of the swords will make the pirate pop up but which one will it be? The person who makes the pirate pop up is the winner. It’is a great simple game perfect for teaching young children how to take turns. It’is also a fun game that is easy to play with kids of all ages so with younger and older siblings too.
The idea is you take it in turns to put the swords in the barrel. One of the swords will make the pirate pop up but which one will it be? The person who makes the pirate pop up is the winner. It’is a great simple game perfect for teaching young children how to take turns. It’is also a fun game that is easy to play with kids of all ages so with younger and older siblings too.
Hungry Hippos
Another one that my kids love is Hungry Hippos. It’is also a game that kids of different ages will enjoy so brothers and sisters can play it together .
It's a face paced short game - try and eat all the balls with your Hungry Hippo. It’s quite noisy as all the kids are hitting their hippos to try and get the balls but as the game is quick and short lived it's over before you know it. Then you can get to have another go! |
Charades For Kids
Charades For Kids is a simple game where each player has to act out the card and the other have to guess what it is they are acting.
What makes it great for 4 year olds is that they don’the have to know how to read to play the game. There are picture cards for younger players with pictures such as animals that they have to act out. |
For older players, the cards have 3 written options to choose from with actions such as putting out the washing, eating spaghetti or doing up shoelaces.
The different options mean that it’s a game that can last for years as you play the different levels as your child gets older. It also means that siblings of different ages can play together too.
The different options mean that it’s a game that can last for years as you play the different levels as your child gets older. It also means that siblings of different ages can play together too.
Gator Golf
Another fun game we have tried is Gator Golf. The idea is you have to put the ball into the gator’s mouth. It’s a fun game, I think I probably enjoyed this one as much as my son.
My 4 year old did find it a little difficult to actually knock the ball into the gator’s mouth so I may have given it a helping hand at times. I think if you don’the take the game too seriously it’s better for younger players. |
We did enjoy knocking the balls and it’s a good one to get out for a 10 to 15 minute period of play.
Other Ideas
If you’re looking for some fun games to play right this minute there are some quick games you can make up with what you have around the house to play this very moment. Here are a couple of ideas:
Paper Ball Toss - scrunch up some scrap paper into some balls and see how many you cn throw them into a bucket, dustbin or other container. Obviously 4 year olds are allowed to stand closer to the bucket than adults and older children.
Homemade Bowling - Another game we play is homemade bowling. We have megabloks and we use these to build three towers, we then get a soft ball and try and knock them down. You can use all kinds of items to make a homemade bowling set including empty plastic bottles.
There are also some great games you can play for which you don't need any equipment. Ideas include:
Simon Says - kids have to follow the instructions but only when they are preceded by Simon Says. So if you say Simon Says touch your nose, you touch your nose. But if you just say touch your nose they aren't meant to do it.
Party Games - If you have a few kids around, a few party games alwasy go down well. Musical bumps, musical statues or the best dancer competition. These kinds of games always wear them out too!!
Hide and Seek - my four year old loves this one. He goes and hides and I go and find him.
Paper Ball Toss - scrunch up some scrap paper into some balls and see how many you cn throw them into a bucket, dustbin or other container. Obviously 4 year olds are allowed to stand closer to the bucket than adults and older children.
Homemade Bowling - Another game we play is homemade bowling. We have megabloks and we use these to build three towers, we then get a soft ball and try and knock them down. You can use all kinds of items to make a homemade bowling set including empty plastic bottles.
There are also some great games you can play for which you don't need any equipment. Ideas include:
Simon Says - kids have to follow the instructions but only when they are preceded by Simon Says. So if you say Simon Says touch your nose, you touch your nose. But if you just say touch your nose they aren't meant to do it.
Party Games - If you have a few kids around, a few party games alwasy go down well. Musical bumps, musical statues or the best dancer competition. These kinds of games always wear them out too!!
Hide and Seek - my four year old loves this one. He goes and hides and I go and find him.