As parents and caregivers, the quest to find the perfect level of stimulation for preschoolers is constant. The growing minds of these little ones require exciting, captivating activities to keep up with their busy brains and bodies. Board games might seem like an activity reserved for older children, but the right preschool games can be the key to unlocking a calm yet educational activity for your child.
Why Should I Play Games with My Preschooler?
Preschool games provide the perfect opportunity for children to practice important social-emotional skills. As preschoolers prepare for kindergarten, building those social skills is imperative. A lot of children that age have their first experience being around that many kids at once in their first kindergarten classroom, so building some social skills with four-year-old games is a great idea.
As you engage with your child playing preschool games, they experience three major social activities that will be important for their future:
- Taking turns
- Sharing
- Following rules
It’s no secret that children of this age sometimes struggle with these societal norms and learning how to interact with others, but preschool games are the perfect way to combat that. Four-year-old games allow them to experience these things in a more controlled environment. It might be difficult to learn how to take turns on the playground, but they will quickly learn that taking turns is necessary for their board game to progress.
The same is true for sharing and following rules. You may have to share game pieces or cards for the game to run smoothly, so this difficult task may seem a little easier. Little ones are much more likely to learn and follow these societal norms if there’s a fun incentive involved.
Other Benefits of 4-Year-Old Games
There are a lot of other benefits to four-year-old games than just social-emotional skills. Preschool games help connect kids to school and education in a fun way and can help prepare them for preschool and kindergarten. Learning through play is always more effective than a simple math or science lesson. At The Breakie Bunch Learning Center, we always encourage families to try to incorporate some of our learning objectives into their routine at home, and four-year-old games are the perfect answer to that.
Many four-year-old games incorporate counting, reading, and other comprehension skills, helping kids to really perfect the things they are already learning in school. For example, Go Fish is an age-old classic that has tons of benefits. The original version of this card game helps with number recognition, but there are also dozens of versions made to help children with other concepts, like animal Go Fish, letter Go Fish, and more.
Finding Fun with Preschool Games
Outside of finding ways to incorporate learning and development into playtime, four-year-old games are also tons of fun. Sometimes, it can be difficult to keep preschoolers entertained for more than five minutes at a time, but board games provide enough stimulation to keep them sitting for a little bit longer.
Watching your little one discover and explore the world is nothing short of magic, and playing four-year-old games with them only expands that. Whether it’s a simple card game, a role-playing adventure, or anything in between, you’ll experience a whole new bond with your child through preschool games.