Playtime Activity: 4 Years

Children love to be outside, so weather permitting, take a ball and head outdoors! Your child will enjoy a simple game of catch (use a large ball for this age) or she may even enjoy just rolling the ball back and forth with you. This will reinforce turn-taking in social situations. Also try taking a walk and talk about the things you find along the way using lots of descriptive words (e.g., a bumpy pinecone, a heavy rock, a smooth piece of wood, etc.). She will love this nature walk and will enjoy spending time with you! Talk about how many items you collect and ask her questions such as, "Do you have more pinecones or more rocks?" See if she can tell you “how many” without actually counting the items.

Possible Intervention Strategies & Supports

• If your child has trouble catching a ball, have her throw the ball at a wall so that it bounces back to her and she can practice catching it. Note that by now your child should have an apparent hand preference and a more mature grasp on objects, including balls and writing tools. If she doesn’t, you may want to discuss this with your service provider for some strategies to help.

• Bring a bag with you to collect the nature items you find along the way. Be sure to look at them and talk more about them over the next few days that follow your walk. Encourage your child to also attempt drawing pictures of the items. You can then create a nature walk book with her drawings and/or the glued-on authentic items.

• If your child is resistant to being outside, start bringing a highly-motivating toy to the playground or outside to play. Use this toy only when you go outside. Once your child starts to be more receptive to the idea, introduce some of the same concepts with the toy, such as taking turns using it, taking it on a nature hike, etc.

• To enhance gross motor development, add some challenges. For example, walking up and down low hills and over various terrains (e.g., gravel, mulch) are great for strengthening hips and legs. Try having her step up on landscaping timbers and walking sideways while holding onto an adult hand. Talk about what she is doing and use vocabulary words like over, around, behind, next to.

Tips

If you happen to live within a convenient distance to a park, take your child and the ball to the park! You may even be able to find a same-age peer at the park with whom your child can play. Children learn a great deal from adults, but playing with peers is very powerful.

Family Handout

Click here to download an editable one-page handout of this age range's playtime activity, interventions, and tips.