Hobbies And Interests
Development
When you are choosing games for four-year-olds, you have to take into account the physical, emotional, social and intellectual development of the children. For example, most four-year-olds can play well with others, but may have trouble with the intricate rules of traditional games. Girls tend to be stronger in fine motor skills at this age. Good games include imaginary play (pretending to be animals or airplanes, for example) or loosely organized games like duck-duck-goose.
Best Games
Around the age of four, children move away from parallel play into interactive play with others. Good choices include games that include role playing e.g., "Tea Party" or "Grocery Store." Four years is a good age to introduce board games, but you may encounter some initial resistance to following rules and the pattern of game play. Downplay the win/lose aspect, and focus on the fun to keep frustration to a minimum at this sometimes volatile age.
Physical Games
Four-year-olds love testing new skills. Improvise a bean bag toss, a game of animal charades or a make a "memory box" where you take turns peeking, then looking again and trying to guess what object was removed. Outside, draw a hopscotch grid on the sidewalk, blow bubbles for the child to pop and, of course, pull out the hose for the occasional gentle water fight.
Chores
Four-year-olds adore games, so if you want her to pick up toys or eat her green beans, be prepared to make a game of it. Even if your four-year-old isn't sold on the idea of putting his cars in the toy box, he might enjoy washing windows (you keep control of the spray, since there may be toxins), putting away the silverware or washing dishes.
Educational Games
Children are scientists who naturally experiment and gather information to add to their ever-increasing body of knowledge. Games that you might not perceive to be educational--playing with mud pies or running in the backyard sprinkler, for example--offer four-year-olds a wealth of knowledge. Games that are designated as "educational" include traditional board games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders (both by Hasbro) or the more contemporary computer and online games, often based on familiar popular television shows like "Dora the Explorer" and "Sesame Street." Dedicated learning games, like the Leapster by LeapFrog, offer another twist on computerized learning games. For a four-year-old, intentionally educational games can be helpful because they offer repeated exposure to important concepts like colors or numbers. However, most learning should take place in informal, experiential teaching moments.