At this age, children can typically focus on a game for 20 minutes. It’s important to keep this in mind when selecting board games for 4 year olds so that they can stay engaged, and not feel frustrated.
A game like Race to the Treasure, a cooperative game where kids build a path to beat an ogre, requires concentration and teamwork skills that are perfect for this age group. It also builds spatial reasoning, planning and logic abilities. Another great collaborative game is Snug as a Bug, which encourages counting, recognizing shapes, colors and sizes and teaching kids to collaborate to complete an objective.
Candy Land provides a colorful, interactive journey through a fantasy world and helps children learn about gameplay concepts. It also builds motor skills, encourages turn-taking and fosters good sportsmanship while nurturing a sense of collaboration and building frustration tolerance.
Chutes and Ladders is a classic game that introduces basic counting skills and the concept of consequences in an engaging way. The updated version also teaches sight word recognition and number recognition, while promoting fine motor skills and encouraging social-skills development as players work together to climb ladders and slide down chutes.
Spot It! Jr. Animals is a standout among preschool board games, enhancing visual discrimination and attention skills as children race to find matching animals on two cards. It also helps with color recognition and offers a fun, playful setting that’s a great match for young children.