My 4 Year Old's Daily Routine

Learn our best tips and ideas for your 4 year old’s daily routine. Find out what to do with your 4 year old all day, plus how to structure your day around Pre-K or preschool at home.

Congrats, mama. You made it through the 3s and 4 is looking okay right about now.

Now at four years old, your child can probably do all the things they wanted to do at 3, but maybe weren’t able to just yet.

For many of us, four years old is the end of naptime altogether, the start of school (homeschool, half-day, or full-day Pre-K), and the start of a fun, adventurous, and busy time.

While your little one has outgrown toddlerhood, you may find they’re still not quite at that “big kid” stage just yet.

Four year old’s still benefit tremendously from a daily routine that’s structured around play, learning, and rest.

You may be asking yourself: “What do you do with a 4 year old all day?”

And friend, you’ve come to the right place.

Today I’m going to equip you with several sample daily routines, plus ideas for homeschool, activities, sleep, and mealtimes.

Whether your four year old will attend a full-day, half-day, or do preschool at home, I’ve got you covered with routines that accommodate all 3 scenarios.

Need a different age? Check out our various daily routine guides:

What is a good routine for a 4 year old?

It’s worth mentioning, a “good” routine is a routine that works for you and your family.

As I am writing this, I also have my oldest in 1st grade and a baby who’s 4 months old.
My 4 year old is my middle baby and this routine is structured for her around the rest of the family and their schedules.

There will be stages in life where your kid’s schedules will be in sync with one another, such as the baby and toddler stage or perhaps even when they are both toddlers (same nap!!)

Each phase of life will present its own unique challenges.

So whatever combination of kids you have and whatever your family looks like, you can create a daily routine that works for you (and I will be here cheering you on!).

That being said, here are my 4 essential “everyday” components of a daily routine for four year olds:

Free Play
Focused Learning
Outdoor time
Downtime

Here’s what each of these things may look like:

Free Play: building, pretend play, sensory play, coloring, stickers, dramatic play, etc.
Focused Learning: tracing, cutting, counting, reading aloud, matching, games, etc.
Outdoor Time: scooter, trike, playing ball, nature hunts, mud kitchen, hopscotch/games, etc.
Downtime: quiet time/independent play in room, TV time or PBS kids games

Now let’s take a look at my 4 year old’s daily routine!

Tips & Ideas for your 4 Year Old’s Daily Routine

Please note: times given are approximate and simply to help give you an idea. Please adjust according to your family’s schedule.

Morning Routine for 4 Year Olds

If you don’t have one already, I highly recommend getting the Hatch Baby Rest color-changing nightlight. I’ve had mine for years and it’s a real lifesaver when it comes to structuring the morning and keeping early risers in their rooms until you’re ready!

7 AM – Start Day

My 4 year old is usually awake between 6-6:30 but our routine is that she plays in her room until her nightlight turns green at 7 AM – then she can come downstairs to start the day.

It should be noted that this did not happen over night and took a lot of practice when she was 3.

Morning Activity & Breakfast

Over the years I’ve learned it’s best to have a simple activity out on the kitchen table when the girls come downstairs in the morning.

It’s a great way for them to start the day as they can each work on their activity while I make coffee and get their breakfast ready.

Now that my 6 year old is off to school early, I no longer set out an activity for her on weekdays, but since my 4 year old’s pre-k doesn’t start until 9 AM, we have plenty of time in the morning to get ready.

As for morning activities, I’ve been using the Preschool Playbook with my 4 year old and the activities are perfect for her (since she doesn’t like to sit for long).
The Playbook is broken up into weekly themes (including holidays and seasons), and there is a plan for each day of the week with quick activities, crafts, and even food-themed activities.
You can check out the Preschool Playbook, here.

And here are some easy breakfast ideas for school days:

After breakfast…

Get dressed for Pre-K
Mom’s exercise time!
Leave for school

Since we have time before school, I like to put my 4 year old in the double stroller (with the baby) and do a quick power walk before school drop off.

Everyone’s schedule is different, but I encourage you to find a time to exercise that works for you!

Whether it’s after you drop them off, or a quick stretch and YouTube video before the kids wake up, I know that I always feel ready to tackle the day when I’ve squeezed in a quick workout.

Here’s a quick recap of the morning:

7 AM “Okay to wake”
Morning activity
Breakfast
Get dressed for school
Mom’s exercise time!
Leave for school

It may be helpful to note that I wake up at 6:15 and get dressed in my workout clothes, that way I am ready for the day. I also have to get my 6 year old ready to leave for school, so it’s easier for me to wake up before the kids.

9 AM – 12 PM – School

My 4 year old attends in-person Pre-K during this time, however, I’m going to provide some alternate scenarios for you below:

4 year old schedule preschool at home

If your 4 year old’s daily routine includes homeschool, this is a great block of time to focus on. This is not to say they should be doing “school” this whole time, but rather, this is your main “chunk” of the day as I like to call it.

This is a great time to take a trip to the library, children’s museum, head out for a nature scavenger hunt or bust out your 4 year old’s favorite hands-on activities.

Here’s my complete schedule for preschool at home with a 4 year old.

4 year old learning materials | because I said so baby

shop my homeschool favorites on amazon

Full-day Pre-K

If your child attends a regular school-day program, tweak the morning routine to work for you and skip ahead to the after school part!

12 PM – 1 PM – Lunch & Play

My 4 year old’s preschool only does a snacktime instead of a full lunch, so when we get home I make her a quick lunch like a quesadilla, leftover pasta, or a hummus snack plate.

I also like to have her decompress by having some free play or playing in the bathtub (her favorite!). Whether they attend full or half-day, it’s important to give them time to relax after school.

However, if your preschooler needs lunch at school, I’ve got you covered!

40+ Snack Ideas to take to Preschool
Easy Preschool Lunchbox Ideas
Ultimate Toddler Lunchbox Guide
Healthy Toddler Lunch Ideas

1-3 PM – Quiet Time & TV

Since naptime is no more (R.I.P), I like to designate this portion of the afternoon as a quiet / rest time. If your 4 year old doesn’t get home until after 3, you may find it helpful to move this portion of the routine to after 3 PM.

There are lots of different scenarios here that may work for you:

Quiet play in room with independent toys (magnet tiles, dolls, blocks, magnetic dress up, dollhouse, train set, etc.)
Quiet play near you (they can play on their own while you do what you need to do!)
Listen to audio books or books on CD
Quiet play + tablet or TV time
Watch a movie together (everyone gets to relax!)

Visit my Amazon Storefront to find my favorites for Independent playtime.

3-5 PM – Outdoor Play

Getting outdoors is a great way to transition away from screentime and a good way to tire them out before bed.

After we turn the TV off, we do a quick afternoon snack and then head outside to play (weather permitting).

My 4 year old likes to ride her bike, kick the soccer ball, do sidewalk chalk or play on our climbing dome in the backyard.

At about 4:30 we head inside so I can start making dinner.

My 4 year old LOVES to help in the kitchen so sometimes we do “make your own pizza” night, which helps get dinner ready and keeps her entertained. Win-win.

*Please note our dogs in the picture who also enjoy make your own pizza night 🙂

5-7 PM – Dinner & Bedtime Routine

Here’s the basic order of events for the rest of the night:

Eat dinner
Take a bath
Get ready for bed (brush teeth & hair, PJs on)
Read bedtime stories
Goodnight songs & sleep!

You may also find it helpful to have them pick out what they want to wear to school the next day.

Here are my favorite dinnertime resources:

4 year old dinner idea | what to feed a 4 year old

Here’s a look at my 4 year old’s daily routine without the notes:

Wake up
Morning activity
Breakfast
Get dressed for school
Mom’s exercise time!
Leave for school
Arrive home / have lunch
Quiet time & TV
Outdoor play
Dinner
Bath
Bedtime

Follow Marla on Instagram for more help with daily routines and everyday momlife

What to Read Next:

Categories:

4 Year Olds, Daily Routines, Preschool Activities,

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My 4 Year Old’s Daily Routine

You may be asking yourself: “What do you do with a 4 year old all day?”

Need a different age? Check out our various daily routine guides:

What is a good routine for a 4 year old?