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Activities for 3-4 year olds

A collection of activities and things to do with children aged 3-4 years old. Your child might use more descriptive language, enjoy imaginary play, and be able to link sentences together.

Where to start - advice for 3-4 year olds

Tools for Talking: Talking about past and future

Help grow your child's language skills by introducing them to talk about the past and future.

3-4 YEARS

Not sure what activity to try?

Answer a few questions and we'll pick out an idea to try with your little one.

3-4 YEARS

3-4 years: How does talking about the past help language skills?

Dr Saloni Krishnan helps a parent explore the effect that talking about past events has on her child's language skills.

PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT

Practising talking in different tenses

Planning adventures with teddy

Use toys to help create a future adventure with your child. Making plans will help them think beyond the present moment.

3-4 YEARS

Talking about the past

Encouraging your child to talk about past events will help them think about things beyond the present moment.

3-4 YEARS

Play the tomorrow game

The Tomorrow Game is a simple way to encourage talking about the future.

3-4 YEARS

Play memory games

Why memory games based on your everyday activities are a brilliant way to learn.

3-4 YEARS

Fun activities to boost language development

Retelling stories together

Help your child practise the important skill of retelling stories with our easy and fun activity.

3-4 YEARS

Building towers against the clock

Try this fun building game with your 3-year-old to test their patience and resilience but also have fun.

3-4 YEARS

Playing Teddy says together

Teddy says is a fun game, which is great for developing listening, attention and memory skills.

3-4 YEARS

Games with a ball

When toddler’s play with balls, it can help them master individual gross-motor skills and social skills too.

3-4 YEARS

Cooking together with your toddler

Cook with your child to develop coordination, boost their confidence and encourage adventurous eating.

3-4 YEARS

What's in the sensory bag?

This activity is a fun twist on what’s in the bag using different textured objects.

3-4 YEARS

The iceberg game

This game combines pretend play and ball games to create a fun learning opportunity for your child.

3-4 YEARS

Games to help emotional development

Exploring feelings using dance and play

Watch the video on this page to see how you can use dance to get their children talking about their feelings.

3-4 YEARS

Talking about feelings with toys

In this game, your child can get to know their teddy a bit more as your questions bring them to life.

3-4 YEARS

Let's make believe

Use pretend play to boost your child's imagination and their conversation.

3-4 YEARS

Activities for 3-4 year olds: All day chat

What can we make to eat?

Chatting while making food is another great opportunity to help your child develop their language.

3-4 YEARS

What can we spot on the way?

Playing I Spy on walks is a great learning and talking experience for your child.

3-4 YEARS

Take time to chat

Encourage your child to talk imaginatively about their day.

3-4 YEARS

Sleepy time games

Playing sleepy time games can develop their attention and help them to wind down at the end of the day.

3-4 YEARS

Dressing for the weather

Encourage your child to talk about the weather and choose what to wear.

3-4 YEARS

Colour theme your day

Plan a colour-themed day to help build your child's vocabulary.

3-4 YEARS

Sorting clothes

Sorting out clothes together lets you talk about different textures, colours, and fabrics.

3-4 YEARS

Getting ready for the day

Getting ready together is great for encouraging your child to form longer sentences.

3-4 YEARS

3-4 activities: Playtime games

Can you remember?

Turn a selection of household items into a fun memory activity.

3-4 YEARS

Matching halves

Matching halves is a fun way of learning about things that are the same or different.

3-4 YEARS

Have a dance party

Play music and limber up for dance-related games like musical bumps and musical statues.

3-4 YEARS

Have fun learning opposites

How chatting about the opposites of words or situations can help your child learn.

3-4 YEARS

Cosy corner

Build a cosy corner for their imagination to run free.

3-4 YEARS

Playing catch with a twist

Playing catch can be a great way to expand your child's vocabulary and improve their coordination.

3-4 YEARS

Activities for 3-4 year olds: Getting crafty

What can this box be?

How sorting recycling can be turned into a fun activity for your child.

3-4 YEARS

Finger painting

Finger painting is great messy fun and a chance to talk about the different colours and objects they're drawing.

3-4 YEARS

Making shakers

Simple shakers help children learn about rhythm.

3-4 YEARS

Get creative

Creative activities with your child can help build their language.

3-4 YEARS

Building scrap people

Have a go at building scrap people and explore your child's imagination together.

3-4 YEARS

Tips for 3-4 years

Dr Claire Halsey's top tips for 3-4 years: Learning opposites

Dr Claire talks about the importance of children learning pairs of opposites.

3-4 YEARS

Dr Claire Halsey's top tips for 3-4 years: Memory game

Dr Claire explains how playing memory games helps your child to practice more complex language.

3-4 YEARS

Is your child younger or older?

2-3 years

4-5 years

Find an activity to try

Tips and advice

Child development science