Everything a four-year-old child does is a learning experience. Playing at the park teaches him gross motor and social skills. Painting and coloring teaches him to experiment and gives him communication and pre-writing skills. As a parent or caregiver, you can enhance these activities with games specifically designed to teach one or more skills. Use games to introduce new concepts or to practice and reinforce skills that your four year old has difficulty with.
Literacy
Step 1
Many four year olds are learning to recognize letters. Give your child plastic or wooden letter magnets to play with. Ask her to find the letter that makes a certain sound, or the letter that begins her name. Switch roles and ask her to choose a letter and give you clues to guess the letter she has chosen.
Step 2
Play rhyming games. Choose a simple word and take turns thinking of rhyming words. For example, the word "dog" would rhyme with "fog," "log" and "frog."
Step 3
Play literacy games online such as those on the Between the Lions section of the PBS Kids website at pbskids.org/lions/games/.
Math
Step 1
Play the Candy Land board game to teach counting skills.
Step 2
Give your child wooden or plastic geometric pattern blocks, and encourage her to create pictures and sculptures with them. Lay out a simple pattern of blocks: green triangle, orange square and green triangle. Ask him to complete the pattern.
Step 3
Play counting games during the course of the day. While waiting at a red light, count the number of cars that pass with your child. For a greater challenge, ask her to count only the blue cars.
Imaginative Play
Step 1
Provide basic props for your child to play with. For example, while you are preparing a meal, your four year old will enjoy stirring with his own wooden spoon and mixing bowl. Ask him to describe what he is making for dinner.
Step 2
Encourage your child to make up stories that she can dictate to you as you write them. Give the text to your child to illustrate, then staple the pages together to make her very own picture book.
Step 3
Provide a variety of art materials for your child to explore. Clay or dough is especially fun for young children because it allows them to create characters which act out a story.
Tips and Warnings
- Always keep learning fun for your child. If he becomes bored or frustrated, suggest a different activity, and come back to the original one later.
- Always supervise your child when she uses the computer.
Things You'll Need
- Magnetic letters
- Computer with Internet connection
- Candyland board game
- Wooden or plastic pattern blocks
- Wooden spoon
- Empty mixing bowl
- Various art supplies, including clay or dough
References
- U.S. Department of Education: Teaching Our Youngest
- "Moving and Learning Across the Curriculum: More Than 300 Activities and Games to Make Learning Fun"; Rae Pica; 2006
