Physical development does not mean that preschoolers need to ride a bicycle or learn to throw a ball. Preschoolers may build a tower of blocks based on the color of the blocks or separate items by shape. This incorporates physical development, as well as intellectual development by having them separate the blocks or even counting them. Four-year-olds can normally separate and build with blocks more efficiently than a three-year-old, so they may want educational games like unzipping or unbuttoning clothes. This helps build a child's motor skills, while teaching him independence and daily living tasks.
Educational games for children often involve dramatic play, which helps to develop their social skills, as well as emotions as they are encouraged to express feelings with words and learn to share. Dramatic play can involve puppets, dress up with specific roles or even playing in a pretend kitchen. Dramatic play might involve pretending to have a specific job, like a firefighter, an animal doctor or a nurse. Encouraging dramatic play can help preschoolers express their feelings using words and learn how to take turns with other children.
Offering games for intellectual development of preschoolers may involve understanding basic concepts, like distance, time, size, number or color. These classification games can help preschoolers develop reasoning skills. Educational games for preschoolers should also include activities to learn the alphabet as well as to count to 20.
Although children mature at different speeds, there are some typical behaviors or milestones for specific ages. For instance, four-year-old preschoolers should be able to tell someone their name and how old they are. They should speak well enough to be understood by other people, as well as count to 10 or 20. Preschoolers should be able to have fine motor skills like cutting with scissors properly and holding and using a pencil or crayon with control. Educational games should help to support preschoolers in reaching these milestones.