Your four-year-olds probably love telling stories, playing dress-up, and getting lost in captivating games. With our amazing collection of preschooler-friendly games, you’ll delight your kiddos as you fill their day with fun-filled activities. You’ll nurture their developing minds by engaging them in a series of board games, interactive crafts, and physical challenges while also secretly slipping in basic introductions to future educational concepts – all while keeping them entertained for hours!
Related Content:
- Games for Kids
- Games for 1-Year-Olds
- Games for 2-Year-Olds
- Games for 3-Year-Olds
- Games for 5-Year-Olds
- Games for 6-Year-Olds
- Games for 7-Year-Olds
- Games for 8-Year-Olds
- Games for 9-Year-Olds
- Games for 10-Year-Olds
1. Make A Bubble Wrap Road
Add a pop to your little ones’ day with a bubble wrap road. Simply stick sheets of bubble wrap on the floor before inviting them to drive toy cars or trucks on this bumpy road as you have them listen to all the snaps and crackles.
Learn More: Sunny Day Family
2. Build Color Recognition with a Rainbow Necklace
This vibrant rainbow necklace provides a wonderful way to develop your children’s color recognition while also strengthening their critical thinking skills. Start by cutting different-sized circles out of colored construction paper. Then, challenge them to sort each circle from smallest to largest before having them thread their circle sequence onto string.
Learn More: Hands On As We Grow
3. Make Paper Tunnels For Toy Cars
Gather your little car lovers from this interactive game that’s sure to become a hit in your classroom! Create tunnels using colorful paper before tasking them with practicing slow, controlled, and gentle movements to get their vehicles through the tunnels without crashing.
Learn More: Mama, Papa, Bubba
4. Play an Educational Board Game
Introduce your young minds to this cooperative board game that’s all about color-matching. Challenge them to create curvy little snakes by matching colors to form their vibrant creature. The player with the most snakes at the end of the game will win!
Learn More: Game Wright
5. Play With Gloop
Immerse your preschoolers in this tactile activity that’s great for engaging their senses. Assist them in whipping up their goop by having them mix together cornstarch, water, and food coloring. They’ll create a soft and slimy bucket of ooze that’s great for engaging them in some interactive play.
Learn More: Learning 4 Kids
6. Play a Fun Memory Game
This DIY matching game provides the perfect template for activities that focus on concentration and memory skills. Invite your kiddos to match objects such as pom poms, beads, and beans in egg cartons by setting up a sequence that they’ll then need to mimic with their objects.
Learn More: Hands On As We Grow
7. Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk Paint
Perfect for a hot day spent outdoors, this adorable activity makes for a fun and cooperative game of drawing. Create homemade sidewalk paint by prompting your tots to crush up some leftover chalk. You’ll then allow them to pour water into their chalk to create colorful paints that are perfect for decorating your schoolyard.
Learn More: Positively Splendid
8. Farm Animal Washing Station
Fine-tune your littles’ fine motor skills with this captivating game. Start by roughing up some farm animal toys with dirt before encouraging your kids to dip toothbrushes in bubbles and get to work rubbing the dirt off the animals to leave them squeaky clean.
Learn More: Coffee Cups and Crayons
9. Play an Educational Video Game
Hop onto this kid-friendly website to engage your young minds in this educational video game! Challenge them to find the animal pairs by matching super cute creatures with the foods that they eat, all while sparking their appreciation of the natural world and developing their critical thinking skills.
Learn More: National Geographic Kids
10. Blow Painting With Straws
The magic of this activity is that you’ll never get the same results! Treat your preschoolers to a colorful game of paint-blowing where they’ll delight in creating a variety of patterns and designs by simply using a straw to blow colorful hues around their canvas.
Learn More: The Artful Parent
11. Develop Shape Recognition Skills With Playdough
This touch-forward activity is fantastic for introducing your tots to the basics of shape recognition. Provide them with a shape worksheet before inviting them to use Play-Doh to replicate each shape on their worksheet.
Learn More: Royal, Baloo
12. Learn the Alphabet with a Physical Activity
This active game combines the joy of physical movement with educational fun! Start by setting up plastic cups that’ve been labeled with different letters. Then, prompt your kids to kick balls at the letter cups while encouraging them to identify each letter sound that they knock down.
Learn More: Fun Learning for Kids
13. Turn Handwriting into a Fun Game
Take your eager learners on a sensory exploration while you also have them work on their handwriting skills. Challenge them to recreate different letters in colorful sand by encouraging them to run their little fingers through the sand to create just the right curves to form each letter.
Learn More: Active Littles
14. Make Fluffy Pet Rocks
Have your class create their very own pet rocks that they can use as tools in their favorite games! Allow them to pick out their desired rock before inviting them to go wild with fluffy yarn and googly eyes to bring their adorable pets to life.
Learn More: The Craft Train
15. Develop Reading Skills
This interactive book is a delightful way to satisfy your kiddos’ curiosity and spark their sense of wonder. Invite them to flip through the pages as you have them participate in engaging question-and-answer games to learn more about the world around them.
Learn More: Amazon
16. Have Fun With a Classic Game
Explore shapes and colors with Dotty Dinosaur and his friends! In this super simple game, you’ll challenge your tots with matching shapes and colors on these friendly dinosaurs, making it ideal for introductory lessons on geometry.
Learn More: Amazon
17. Play a Fun Card Game
Go Fish has been a family favorite for ages and with good reason! You’ll strengthen your children’s basic math skills with this classic game as you have them ask their friends for cards to create complete sets by matching patterns and pairs.
Learn More: Kid Spot
18. Play a Game Of Stink Bugs
Treat your littles to an adorable game of Stink Bug where you’ll fine-tune their memory skills and encourage cooperative play. Simply start by jumbling up some leaf cards in a pile before challenging your players to pick up one card at a time from the top of the pile to create picture pairs.
Learn More: Almost Practical
19. Practice Counting With Bears
Immerse your class in a land of color with this educational game. Start by handing out these color strips and then task your kiddos with using bear counters to fill each sequence of dots with the correct color and number of bears.
Learn More: Fun Learning for Kids
20. Make a Paper Plate Snake
Turn your young minds into eco-warriors with this recycling craft. Invite them to create slithering snakes by having them reuse paper plates and bubble wrap to construct their craft. They’re then free to shake, wiggle, and twirl their bouncy homemade toy.
Learn More: Crafty Morning
21. Learn About Wind With a STEM Activity
In this engaging STEM lesson, your preschoolers will learn about the impact of wind! Encourage them to build towers out of foam blocks of various shapes before prompting them to test out their structures using a fan to see if they topple over.
Learn More: No Time for Flashcards
22. Develop Basic Reading Skills With Green Eggs and Ham
Add a playful touch to reading time with this interactive game. Your children will love using dot stamp markers to color all the letters they recognize as you read them this classic children’s story.
Learn More: Still Playing School
23. Make an Egg Carton Dinosaur Hat
Transform your little learners into baby dinosaurs with this ingenious dino hat. Involve them in putting together this craft by encouraging them to paint egg cartons before you staple their hat together. You’ll then invite them to wear their prehistoric accessory as you engage them in some imaginative play.
Learn More: Crafty Morning
24. Get Moving with Freeze Dancing
Get your kiddos moving and grooving with Freeze Dance! Start by playing some catchy music while encouraging them to dance around your classroom. When the music halts you’ll prompt them to freeze in position, without moving a muscle, because if they move they’re out for the next round.
Learn More: Kids Play and Create
25. Play Musical Chairs with Friends
This classic party game provides a great way to promote social interaction while involving your children in the joy of playful competition. Simply set up some chairs in a circle before playing some music and encouraging your players to run around the chairs. When the music stops, they’ll need to dart to the closest chair as fast as possible and take a seat to secure their place in the next round.
Learn More: The Genius of Play
26. Enjoy Playing Hide and Seek
Create lasting memories with your tots by having them play a game of Hide and Seek! Invite your seeker to close their eyes and start counting down from a specific number, while their friends run off to find the perfect hiding spot. Then, send your seeker off to find all their hidden peers before they make it back to safety.
Learn More: The Backyard Baron
27. Practice Following Directions with Simon Says
Simon Says is sure to become one of your classroom favorites as it’s also fantastic for focusing on your little ones’ language development and listening skills. Gather them around and have them carefully listen to your instructions as you task them with following a variety of commands prefaced with “Simon says”.
Learn More: Homeschool Preschool
28. Improve Agility with an Obstacle Course
Here’s an outdoor activity that’s guaranteed to be enjoyed by all ages, adults included! Begin by setting up an obstacle course for your little ones with hoops, loops, and tunnels. Once complete, you’ll challenge them to jump, crawl, and wiggle through the course to make it to the end.
Learn More: Lovevery
29. Develop Coordination with Balloon Volleyball
Practice key skills like hand-eye coordination with this adorable Balloon Volleyball game. Engage your kids in this cheerful game by having them bump balloons over a mini-volleyball net. It’s a fantastic way to involve your whole class in some sporty fun, regardless of their skill levels.
Learn More: Kids Spot
30. Play Bean Bag Toss
Inspire your learners’ confidence in their throwing skills with this bean bag activity. Encourage them to try their best as you have them aim and toss bean bags into buckets and containers of all sizes.
Learn More: Play & Learn
31. Put on a Puppet Show
Inspire some dramatic play in your classroom with these quirky characters. Invite your children to create sock puppets by having them adorn their socks with googly eyes, yarn, and more. They’ll then use their puppets and their imagination to create a storyline for their very own puppet show.
Learn More: DIY Craftsy
32. Embrace Nature with a Scavenger Hunt
Take your tots on an outdoor excursion as you encourage them to take in the bright colors of nature with this adventurous activity. Simply provide them with a list of pictures and a clipboard before sending them off into your schoolyard to discover each item.
Learn More: Healthy Happy Impactful
33. Learn about Teamwork with Relay Races
Teach your tots important lessons about teamwork and collaboration with these energetic relay races. With so many ideas to choose from, you’ll encourage them to zoom through games such as sack races, balloon pop, and dizzy bat relay just to name a few.
Learn More: Mamas Like Me
34. Classroom Baking Competition
Stuck inside on a rainy day? Host your own classroom baking competition! Assist your little bakers with creating their own no-bake recipes before you invite them to sample their friends’ treats to see who’ll be crowned as the no-bake champion.
Learn More: Taste of Home
35. Discover the World with a Rainbow Hunt
In this vibrant activity, your class will embark on a sensory-rich rainbow hunt. Start by handing out bags and color cards before prompting them to search their surroundings and collect interesting items for each color.
Learn More: Made with Happy
36. Catch a Fish
Here’s an educational fishing game that’ll introduce your preschoolers to the importance of persistence. Using simple materials, you’ll put together this super cute fishing pond. Then, invite your little fishers to scoop up their catch of the day as you have them name the colors or numbers on the bottom of each fish.
Learn More: Orvis
37. Challenge Friends to Hula Hoop Ring Toss
Add a twist to the traditional game of Ring Toss by having your kids play with hula hoops! They’ll learn the art of turn-taking as you have them line up and then challenge them to toss their hula hoops at various objects.
Learn More: A Little Learning For Two
38. Have fun with Pasta Art
This fun-filled art activity combines your littles’ love of art with their love of food! Engage them in this hands-on activity by allowing them to glue colorful pasta shapes onto paper plates to bring to life their intricate pasta patterns.
Learn More: The Artful Parent
39. Spark Creativity with Torn Paper Mosaics
Dive into a world of texture and color with these radiant torn paper mosaics. Allow your preschoolers to tear up colorful pieces of paper from magazines before inviting them to lay down each tiny piece to create these unique and whimsical collages.
Learn More: Welcome to Nana’s
40. Try a Nature Rub Activity
Pique the interest of the nature lovers in your classroom with this colorful activity. Start by sending your students out into the schoolyard to collect a variety of leaves. Then, have them use crayons to rub their leaves onto white paper – leaving a detailed and arty expression of nature on their page.
Learn More: Darcy and Brian
41. Learn Word Recognition with Zingo
Treat your kiddos to a game of Zingo, that’s guaranteed to keep them entertained for hours! Using their Zingo machine, you’ll prompt them to load and spit out picture tiles. Then, challenge them to match these pictures to each corresponding tile until they’ve successfully covered all the tiles.
Learn More: Think Fun
42. Build Critical Thinking Skills with DIY Laser Maze
Create a DIY laser maze right in your classroom with just a few simple materials. Start by sticking streamer paper around your classroom before inviting your class to climb, crawl, and stretch through the maze to get to the other side.
Learn More: It’s Always Autumn
43. Be Creative with a Sticker Collage
What four-year-old doesn’t like stickers? In this adorable activity, you’ll engage them in making their own stickers using felt sheets. Once complete, encourage them to put together a personalized art gallery using all the pieces they’ve created.
Learn More: Kids Who Play
41 Games For Educators To Build Better Teams