Games are a great way for 4 year olds to learn new skills while having fun. Games help teach preschoolers about social interactions, taking turns, and following rules. They also help with emotional development by teaching anger management, frustration tolerance, and how to cope with winning and losing. In this blog post, we will discuss 35 of the best games for 4 year olds!
Why play games with preschoolers?
Playing games is a great way for preschoolers to learn new skills while having fun. Games help teach them about social interactions, taking turns, and following rules. They also help with emotional development by teaching anger management, frustration tolerance, and how to cope with winning and losing. In addition, playing games can improve cognitive skills such as memory, problem solving, and critical thinking.
What makes a game work for a 4 year old?
Not all games are appropriate for a four year old. In order for a game to be beneficial, it should be developmentally appropriate and engaging. Games that are too easy or too hard can quickly lead to boredom. The games included in this list have been selected because they are enjoyable and challenging for four year olds. When choosing a game for a 4 year old, focus on games that are:
Exciting–You want the game to keep your child’s attention.
Teaches skills–Playing a game is the perfect chance to teach your child counting, colors, reading, cooperation, and more!
Short time frame–Games should not last too long or the child may lose interest.
35 of the best games for 4 year olds
Choosing games with your 4 year old can be tricky. Some games are much too complicated for a preschooler, while others involve large amounts of reading. But the best games for 4 year olds will provide lots of fun without overwhelming your child. Some of our favorite games for preschoolers are found below.
HURRY LITTLE OWLS: In this color coordinated matching game, players cooperate to help the owls fly back to their nest before the sun comes up. Help all the owls home before sunrise and everyone wins!
LEARNING AND GROWING: Kids learn simple strategy, following directions & taking turns. Two levels of play allow the game to grow with your child and lets older kids play with younger ones too.
Help the owls get home to their nest! This game is a great way to teach kids about colors, working together, and taking turns. Players take turns moving owls around the board. This is a great cooperative game. It’s a nice chance for younger players to be part of a team to solve a problem!
COOPERATIVE WHODUNIT GAME FOR PRESCHOOLERS: Introduce kids ages 4 and up to this classic, cooperative gameplay. Featuring a fun evidence scanner and adorable fox suspects.
CRACK THE CASE: Can you help find out which Fox stole Mrs. Plumpert’s prized pot pie? You’ll have to work fast to gather clues and rule out suspects together before the guilt fox high-tails it towards the exit!
This game is a great way to teach kids about strategy and working together. Players are challenged to help their foxes catch the farmer’s chickens before they are all caught.
A Preschool Puzzle Game for Kids with Cognitive Skill-Building Challenges.
Children can build skills: spatial insight, planning, problem solving and more!
This game is a great way to teach kids about following rules and being careful. Players take turns acting out the story of Little Red Riding Hood with puzzles.
THE DINOSAURS NEED YOUR HELP – Players must work together to help the dinosaurs reach dinosaur island before the lava reaches the valley. Using image-based cards, players will work together to move the dinosaurs across spaces with matching images to outrun the lava!
NO READING REQUIRED – Simple instructions and image-based play makes this the perfect introduction to board games that also teaches essential skills like matching, communication, and teamwork.
This game is a great way to teach kids about problem solving. Work together to help the dinosaurs get to the island before the valley fills up with lava! This game is for kids age 4-8, and requires no reading!
Develops Critical Skills – Perfect For Pre-Readers And Early Readers, Builds Language And Matching Skills In Preschool Kids Through Fun, Fast-Paced Play Zingo Is As Popular In The Classroom With Teachers As It Is In The Home With Families
Bingo with a Zing! Zingo is a great game for teaching kids phonics and vocabulary. Players match pictures on their cards with the corresponding words on the board.
Pull out a block without crashing the stack to win at Jenga
Includes 54 Jenga hardwood blocks, stacking sleeve with instructions
This game is a great way to teach kids about balance and coordination. Players take turns stacking blocks as high as they can. Don’t knock down the stack!
UNO is the classic family card game that’s easy to learn and so much fun to play!
In a race to deplete your hand, match one of your cards with the current card shown on top of the deck by either color or number.
Uno is a great game for teaching kids how to follow rules. This is one of the first games we have taught our young kids. It’s a great way to reinforce number and color learning. Players draw cards and play them one at a time, trying to get rid of all their cards before the other players. This game can be played with two to ten players.
Amazing Results: Number Slap Jack is a fun and fast-paced math game designed to help children ages 4 and up master numbers 0 through 20. With multiple ways to play, including Number Slap Jack and Find My Number Match, your child will quickly build counting and number recognition skills while having fun
4-in-1 Math Game: Play four exciting games—Slap Jack, Find My Number Match, flash cards, or create number equations with the included operator cards (greater than, less than, plus, minus, and equal signs); all using the same deck
This game is a great way to teach kids about numbers and counting. Players draw cards and try to slap the Jack card before their opponents can. My kids love trying to win the hand. This is a great movement friendly game for wiggly kids!
ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY! Players perform scenarios like “You just caught a fish too big for your fishing pole” or “Pretend you jumped into a bowl of slime” or “Everyone pretend you just ate really spicy chili peppers! ” APPROPRIATE FOR KIDS 5+.
ANNOUNCE YOUR ACT AND THEN PERFORM! Unlike charades, there’s no guessing. Each player goes solo, grabs a partner, and makes everyone perform the act on the card. Whoever gets the clown nose will be the silliest! It unbuckles your chuckle!
This game is a great way to teach kids about making choices and being funny. Players take turns acting out situations from the card deck. The other players then try to make them laugh.
This kids active game will have your kids race to the treasure around the board while encouraging critical thinking and deduction skills in order to match their clue cards with items or locations around the house.
One of the best family kids games ages 4-8, this popular kids games will spark your child’s imagination matching picture or riddle clues to find the hidden gems so they can advance on the board.
Get the whole family up and moving! Players help the pirates find their treasure by following clues. Grown ups can lay out a treasure trail and then wait for the kids to solve it.
ENDLESS GAMES PRESENTS: The Floor is Lava! is a family board game that promotes physical activity, an active imagination, and engaging excitement for kids and adults.
ACTIVE FUN: Turn every floor into an exciting “lava jumping” adventure with The Floor is Lava! Get your child up off the couch or away from video games with this fun interactive game!
You’ve always wanted to play this with your kids…and maybe you have. Players try to avoid the lava. The game comes with tiles and cards for game play, making it easier to say yes when the kids want to play. No tearing apart your house or furniture necessary!
This game is a great way to teach kids about balance and coordination. See how much you can stack on the orangutang before he snaps! This game can be played with two or more players.
CLASSIC BEGINNER GAME: Do you remember playing Candy Land when you were a kid. Introduce new generations to this sweet kids’ board game
RACE TO THE CASTLE: Players encounter all kinds of “delicious” surprises as they move their cute gingerbread man pawn around the path in a race to the castle
Remember this classic game? Introduce your kids to the magic of your childhood with this sweet game. Candyland is a great game for teaching kids about colors and following rules. Players draw cards and move their pieces along the board.
GREAT CLASSIC GAME FOR PRESCHOOLERS: Classic Chutes and Ladders is an adorable indoor game for children that has been a cherished family right of passage for decades!
NO READING REQUIRED: This is a great game for children who haven’t learned how to read yet. The numbers on the gameboard give preschoolers all they need to know!
Chutes and Ladders is a great game for teaching kids about counting and taking turns. Players move their pieces up the ladders and down the chutes. This game can be played with two to four players.
CLASSIC BEGINNER GAME: Do you remember playing the Hi Ho. Cherry-O game when you were a child. Introduce new generations to the classic gameplay of this kids’ board game for boys and girls ages 3 and up
FUN COUNTING BOARD GAME: Kids ages 3 and up can have a blast picking pretend fruit from the trees on the game board, and filling their buckets. The spinner lets them know the number of pieces to pick — or put back
Hi Ho Cherry O is a great game for teaching kids about colors and counting. Players take turns picking pretend fruit to fill their baskets. First to fill their basket wins!
Explore Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Dive into the beloved world of Make-Believe with “Welcome to Main Street,” an engaging and interactive game inspired by the popular Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, brought to you by Briarpatch.
Promotes Interactive Play and Social Development: This game is designed to encourage children to interact with one another, helping them build essential social skills and fostering teamwork in a fun, playful environment.
Daniel Tiger Welcome to Main Street is a great game for teaching kids about social skills. Players help Daniel and his friends with tasks around the neighborhood. Perfect for learning counting!
This classic pop-up game is an exciting race around the board!
Includes a plastic game board, 16 colored pawns and easy-to-follow instructions.
Do you have a Paw Patrol lover? This Paw Patrol Pop Up Game is a great game for teaching kids about following rules. Players take turns popping the pups out of their pup houses. First player home wins!
FUN LEARNING TOOL: This Disney Classic Matching Game offers a fun and engaging way for kids, aged 3-5, to enhance their focus, memory, and matching skills
EASY TO UNDERSTAND: Comes with a clear and concise instruction manual – have your little ones playing and enjoying the game within five minutes
Matching Game is a great game for teaching kids about colors and matching. Players take turns flipping over two cards, trying to match the pictures. This is a great game for younger kids who haven’t learned to read yet, but still works for older kids too!
Super Why ABC Game is a great game for teaching kids about letters and words. Players take turns flying Super Why to help characters solve problems. This game introduces kids to phonics and rhyming.
Our Let’s Go Fishin’ game is the original version of a well-known and well-loved fishing game that parents will remember playing as kids
Gameplay helps develop hand-eye coordination
Fishing Game is a great game for teaching kids about counting and taking turns. Players take turns fishing for the different fish. This is one of the earliest games our kids played. Even kids as young as 2 can play!
SPARK MORE TOGETHERNESS! Perfect for spending quality, unplugged time together as a family, The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game also builds key early learning skills and develops social emotional skills including taking turns, sharing, and winning and losing gracefully
BEST-SELLING PRESCHOOL GAME 5 YEARS RUNNING! Reinforce color learning, develop matching skills (a key early math skill!), encourage strategic thinking, and build hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills with this engaging, quick-play board game for kids
Sneaky Snacky Squirrel is a great game for teaching kids about colors, matching skills, and strategic thinking. Players take turns flipping over cards, trying to find the matching acorns with the logs.
ABC LEARNING: Reach into the bag and pull out a letter. If you have a match, you’re on your way to Bingo! This game will help kids become early readers as they learn and recognize their letters while having fun.
LEARNING AND GROWING: Kids learn letter recognition, develop letter and object association, and improve concentration skills. This game is a valuable teaching tool for fun learning.
Alphabet BINGO is a great game for teaching kids about letters and words. Players take turns calling out letters, trying to find them on their BINGO cards.
HELP THE LADYBUGS FIND THEIR WAY HOME! Children lead their Ladybug home to the Rose Garden while avoiding the Praying Mantis and collecting aphids to feed the Lazy Ants! Adorable graphics, enchanting story and easy play make it a fun game!
CHILDS PERFECT FIRST BOARD GAME – SUPPORTS READING AND COUNTING! The thoughtfully designed playing cards helps nurture early readers and counters with colors, numbers and symbols. Children learn quickly and play independently in no time!
The Ladybug Game is a great game for teaching kids about counting and taking turns. Players take turns moving their ladybugs around the board. Practice counting and basic math/reading during game play.
HELP THE ANIMALS REACH THE ARK – Players must work together to help the animals travel through the valley and reach Noah’s Ark before the flood arrives. Using image-based cards, players move the animals across spaces with matching images to reach the boat.
LEARN TOGETHER, WIN TOGETHER – Noah’s Animal Rescue emphasizes collaboration and fun instead of competition. Players work together to form ideas and strategies that overcome obstacles while they learn new skills through hands-on fun.
Noah’s Animal Rescue Board Game is a great game for teaching kids about animals and following rules. Players help Noah rescue the animals from the flood.
SILLY SNACKS: The Woozle loves to eat hairy pickles and fuzzy donuts. Can you help feed him 12 crazy treats before all the snacks are gone? A monstrous game of mixed up fun!
GROWS WITH YOUR CHILDREN: Comes with three levels so it grows with your child. Kids ages 3 and up work together to help feed the Woozle. No reading required, so even the smallest can participate!
Take turns feeding funny snacks to the Woozle! This game helps kids develop cooperation and fine motor skills! No reading required so even the smallest kids can play!
WORK TOGETHER TO BEAT THE STINKBUGS: All the colorful bugs need your help to get safe and snug before the stinkbugs show up and stink up the place! A fun cooperative and matching game for children with 3 levels of play so the game can grow with your child.
LEARNING AND GROWING: Kids learn colors, numbers, shapes, counting, matching and the concept of big and little. They also get to practice rolling a die, spinning a spinner and taking turns.
Snug as a Bug in a Rug is a great game for teaching kids about colors, shapes, colors, and matching. Help all the colorful bugs find a safe place before the stinkbugs stink up the place!
FUN KIDS GAME: This Don’t Break the Ice game is an exciting preschool game that has players tapping out ice blocks one by one, as they imagine helping Phillip the Penguin make a new igloo
INDOOR GAME FOR AGES 3+: The object of this game for kids is to keep Phillip the Penguin on top of the ice, but as the game goes on, the ice blocks start falling. One wrong block and he’ll go ker-plop.
Don’t Break the Ice is a great game for teaching kids about taking turns. Players take turns tapping on the ice, trying to stop the penguin from falling in.
Players take turns rolling the die and fishing for the colorful sea creatures using the fishing rod
Watch out – you never know when the shark will bite!
Shark Bite is a great game for teaching kids about counting and taking turns. Fish for colorful fish, but be careful. You never know when a shark will bite!
Fun, colourful and educational board game starring Eric Carle’s renowned storybook characters
Collect puzzle pieces to transform your caterpillar into a unique, beautiful butterfly
Feed the Hungry Caterpillar is a great game for teaching kids about counting, matching, colors, and puzzle building. Players take turns feeding the caterpillar different fruits.
Pete the Cat Adventure: Embark on an exciting adventure with the Pete the Cat Missing Cupcakes Board Game, inspired by the New York Times best-selling book series. Let Pete the Cat guide preschoolers through a delightful gaming experience full of fun and learning.
Preschool-Friendly Board Game: Tailored for preschoolers aged 3 and above, this board game is thoughtfully designed to capture the attention and imagination of young players. It provides age-appropriate challenges and entertainment.
Pete the Cat the missing cupcakes is a great game for teaching cooperation. Players help Pete find his missing cupcakes from Grumpy Toad.
THE SHOWERING SHAKING WET DOG GAME: Soggy Doggy is the action-packed, suspense-filled kids board game of bath time fun. Grab 3 AA batteries (not included) and 2-4 players to get started!
REALLY SHAKIN’ THINGS UP: Race around the board. Wash Soggy Doggy. If he shakes, it’s back to start This board game for kids only takes about 10 minutes, but don’t be surprised if they want to play for hours.
Soggy Doggy is a great game for teaching kids about taking turns. Players take turns washing the dog, trying not to get him wet.
One golden marble, Cleanup is a snap with the marble and hippo storage
You’ll have a chompin’ good time with Hungry Hippo and his pals
Hungry Hungry Hippos is a great game for teaching kids about counting and taking turns. Players take turns feeding the hippos different pieces of fruit.
