A Sample 4 Year Old Schedule To Keep Your Little One Happy

This sample 4 year old schedule will help you structure your daily routine to keep your preschooler well-rested, cooperative, and happy.

---

Preschoolers are such a delight.

They no longer walking around trashing the house like 1 year olds, and they are slightly more calm than toddlers. Also, they are more aware and more ready to take on the world.

Conversations get cuter and cuter and – bless – they still have that baby chub that just warms a mama’s heart.

They can also be a handful.

By this time, they have probably dropped their nap and want you to spend 2,345,345 hours playing with them and while they are certainly more independent than toddlers, they are still right there at mama’s hip, sweet things.

Things To Remember About This Age

4 years old may seem young or old depending on your child’s birth order. At this age, little ones are starting to really understand their place in the family and are also capable of becoming more independent.

It’s a great idea to have rest time (more on that later), independent play (read on for that info), and an age appropriate bedtime. If your little one is still napping bedtime might be pushed back, or if they aren’t napping it may be pushed forward, but at this age your preschooler can go quite the stretch without daytime sleep.

But sleep is still vital for mood and behavior regulation as well as their overall development.

Sample Daily 4 Year Old Schedules

This sample schedule may change based on your child’s wake-up time and any other commitments they may have, but you can use this to work off of.

1 – Sample Routine for a 4 Year Old At Home All Day

Here’s a routine if you are home all day with your little one:

7:00 a.m. | Wake Up | Make Bed | Eat Breakfast

10:00 a.m. | Independent Play

12:00 p.m. | Lunch

1:00 p.m. | Rest Time in Room

3:00 p.m. | Snack| Free Play

5:30 p.m. | Dinner

6:30 p.m. | Bath | Stories | Bedtime Routine

7:30 p.m. | Bed

There are many way to incorporate independent play into the day. Read How to Teach Children to Play Independently and Why Kids need Independent Play.

2 – Sample Schedule for a 4 Year Old Who Goes to Preschool in the Morning

If your little one goes to preschool for the morning, here’s a sample daily routine that’ll help keep the overstimulation to a minimum:

6:00 a.m. | Wake Up | Eat Breakfast | Get Ready

7:00 a.m. | Go to School

12:00 p.m. | Return Home | Eat Snack

1:00 p.m. | Rest Time in Room

2:00 p.m. | Independent Play

3:30 p.m. | Snack time

4:30 p.m. | Do Chores

5:30 p.m. | Eat Dinner

6:30 p.m. | Bath | Stories | Bedtime Routine

7:30 p.m. | Bed

The Importance of Rest Time if You Aren’t Napping

Kids may buck at the idea of naps… especially if they are transitioning out of daily naps. It’s natural and normal for children about this age to stop needing their daily nap-time.

This doesn’t mean you go from naps to nothing. Instead, have “down time” or “resting time.” It’s super beneficial for children to routinely have rest time in their day. Both for mom and for your little one.

Rest time helps children:

• emotionally and physically unwind,
• separate from over stimulation,
• get a break from their siblings,
• learn independence,
• develop a love of reading/drawing/coloring,
• and even aids in learning and memory retention.

If your little one if having trouble winding down and going to sleep at the end of the day, try incorporating in a rest time in your schedule.

In fact, if your preschooler starts acting out of control, stops listening, and gets defiant… adding in a rest time can help give your child the space for a reset.

Read: The Nap Trap – How To Deal With It & Not Resist It

Independent Play in the Morning

Independent play is an excellent skill for your 4 year old to have. In fact, one of the best gifts you can give your child is the ability to play on their own.

Not only will day to day life with them be easier (both for your children and yourself), but they will learn so much.

Independent play:

• May take a while to get used to if your child isn’t doing this already, 
• builds self-confidence,
• use of their imagination,
• builds problem solving skill
• and helps prevent raising children who are easily bored and need others to make decisions for them.

Now that you know some of the benefits to independent play, check out these tips to help you make it happen:

1. Start Early and Go Slow– Even if it’s just 5 minutes at first. Start with what they can do and show them how clever they are to play independently.
2. Set Location Boundaries- It’s not really independent play if they roam around the house and you have to follow them to be sure they aren’t getting into trouble.
3. Use a Snack to Get Them Started– I have been known to entice them into their room with a small bowl of goldfish or gummies.
4. Be Consistent and Give It Time- Kids enjoy doing things more when they get used to them, and knowing what to expect is key in starting independent play without a fuss.

Bedtime and Wind Down

When it comes to bedtime and wind down, routine and consistency is important. Making sure that children are getting enough sleep is also important.

Generally, kids at age four need a total of about 10-12 hours of sleep each day. Some may sleep more than this if they are napping still and having a 7pm to 7pm night sleep.

In both schedules above, bedtimes set to usually about 7:00 p.m. but not after 8:00 p.m. Making sure your child gets enough sleep matters for his/her overall moods and cooperation throughout the day.