16 Examples of a 4 Year Old Schedule

As children grow and develop, their daily routines also change. Here are 16 examples of a typical schedule for a 4 year old to help parents plan their child’s day.

You’ve been at this for four years now. Four years of fiddling with your child’s dwindling naps and challenging bedtimes. The changes aren’t as drastic as in the earlier years, but you can still see the benefit of having a structure to your day.

You’re in luck. I asked other parents and searched online for examples of a 4 year old schedule to give you ideas and inspiration.

I’m a fan of following a daily schedule myself, especially when it comes to when your child eats and sleeps. Whether it’s having an after school schedule at home or a bedtime routine every night, the consistency gives you something you can always refer to.

Take a look at these schedules for a 4 year old to give you a few ideas. Afterward, you can also see examples of activities and best practices:

Table of Contents

4 year old schedule examples

Example 1:

6am: Wake up and eat breakfast
6:30am: Get ready for preschool
7am: Leave for preschool
12pm: Pick up from preschool and snack
1pm: Quiet time
2pm: Playtime
3:30pm: Snack
4:30pm: Chores
5:30pm: Dinner
6:30pm: Bath and books
7:30pm: Bedtime

Example 2:

6am: Wake up and eat breakfast
7am: Play
8am: Go to the backyard
9am: Read books
10am: Watch preschool videos online
11am: Educational activities
12pm: Lunch
1pm: Go to the park
3pm: Snack
3:30pm: Read books
4pm: Go to the backyard
5pm: Dinner
5:30pm: Play and ride bike
6pm: Bath
6:30pm: Read books and rest time
7:30pm: Bedtime

Example 3:

7am: Wake up and eat breakfast
7:30am: Play with toys
8am: Brush teeth and get dressed
8:15am: Learning activity
9am: Go on an outing and snack
11am: Lunch
12pm: Naptime
2:30pm: Snack
3pm: Go on an outing
4pm: Crafts like play dough and paint
5pm: Dinner
6pm: Play together
6:45pm: Bath
7:15pm: Read books
7:30pm: Bedtime

Example 4:

7am: Wake up and eat breakfast
7:30pm: Brush teeth and get dressed
8am: Go on an outing
9am: Snack
11am: Lunch
12pm: Nap time
2pm: Snack
2:30pm: Play
5pm: Dinner
6:15pm: TV
6:45pm: Bath
7:15pm: Books
7:30pm: Bedtime

Example 5:

7am: Wake up and play
8am: Eat breakfast
8:30am: Brush teeth and get dressed
9am: Go on an outing and snack
12pm: Lunch
12:30pm: Read books
1pm: Quiet time
2:30pm: Snack
3pm: Play
5:30pm: Dinner
6:30pm: Transition to bath time
7pm: Bedtime

Example 6:

7am: Wake up and play
8am: Eat breakfast
9am: Brush teeth and get dressed
9:30am: Go on an outing and snack
12pm: Lunch
1pm: Quiet time
2pm: Snack
2:30pm: Play
5pm: Dinner
6pm: Bath
7pm: Bedtime

Example 7:

7am: Wake up and eat breakfast
8am: Play
9am: Read books
9:30am: Help prepare snacks
10am: Snack and outdoor play
11:30am: Lunch and clean up
1pm: Afternoon nap
3pm: Snack and afternoon activity
5pm: TV
5:30pm: Dinner
6pm: Bath and pajamas
6:30pm: Books
7pm: Bedtime

Example 8:

7am: Wake up and eat breakfast
8am: Play
9:30am: Snack
10am: Play
12pm: Lunch
1pm: Quiet time
2pm: Snack
2:30pm: Play
5:30pm: Dinner
6:30pm: Bath and books
7:30pm: Bedtime

Example 9:

7am: Wake up and eat breakfast
8am: Go to preschool
3pm: Pick up from preschool
3:30pm: Snack
4pm: Play
5pm: Dinner
5:30pm: Play
6:15pm: TV
6:45pm: Bath and books
7:30pm Bedtime

Example 10:

7am: Wake up and eat breakfast
8am: Chores
8:30am: Educational activities
10am: Go outdoors or run errands
12pm: Lunch
12:30pm: Go outdoors
1pm: Read books
1:30pm: Nap
3:30pm: Go outdoors
5pm: Dinner
6:45pm: Bath
7:15pm: Books
7:45pm: Bedtime

Example 11:

7am: Wake up and eat breakfast
8am: Play
9am: Learning activities
10am: Go outside
10:45am: Play
11:15am: Lunch
12pm: Quiet time
1:15pm: Play
3pm: Go outside
4:30pm: TV
5pm: Dinner
5:45pm: Bath
6:15pm: Quiet time in room
6:30pm: Read books
6:45pm: Bedtime

Example 12:

7:15am: Wake up and eat breakfast
7:45am: Brush teeth and get dressed
8:30am: Play
9:30am: Snack
10am: Books and educational activities
11am: Go outdoors
12pm: Lunch
12:30pm: Read books
1pm: Nap
2:30pm: Quiet activities
3:30pm: Snack
4pm: Go outdoors
5pm: Dinner
5:30pm: Quiet evening activities
6:45pm: Bath and books
7:30pm: Bedtime

Example 13:

7:15am: Wake up, get dressed, and eat breakfast
8am: Chores
8:30am: Read books
8:45am: Go to preschool
12pm: Pick up from preschool
12:15pm: Lunch
12:45pm: Learning activities
1:15pm: Play
1:45pm: Books
2pm: Nap or quiet time
3pm: Snack
3:15pm: Quiet activities
4:15pm: Go outdoors
5pm: TV
5:30pm: Dinner
6:45pm: Bath
7:30pm: Read books
8pm: Bedtime

Example 14:

7:30am: Wake up and get dressed
8am: Eat breakfast and play
9:30am: Snack
9:45am: Learning activities
12pm: Lunch
12:30pm: Watch educational videos
1pm: Quiet time
2pm: Snack
2:15pm: Outdoor time
4pm: Snack
4:30pm: TV
5pm: Play
6:30pm: Dinner
7:15pm: Bath and books
8:15pm: Bedtime

Example 15:

7:30am Wake up and eat breakfast
8:30am: Chores and get dressed
9:30am: Play
10:30am: Snack
11am: Learning activities
12pm: Lunch
1pm: Nap
3:30pm: Snack
4pm: Play
5pm: Dinner
6pm: Bath and books
7pm: Bedtime

Example 16:

7:30am: Wake up and eat breakfast
8:30am: Play
9:30am: Learning activities
10:15am: Snack
12pm: Lunch
1pm: Outing
3:30pm: Quiet time
4pm: Play
5:30pm: Dinner
6:30pm: Free play
7:30pm: Bath and books
8pm: Bedtime

Expert tip

Aim for 10-12 hours of sleep at night. While wake ups and bedtimes can vary, try to make sure your 4 year old gets ample sleep every night.

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Examples of outings

Outings can be as simple as heading to your local library or more involved like driving 45 minutes to go cherry picking. The key is to plan ahead of time so you have an idea of what your week might look like. Here are a few examples of outings you can do:

Go for a walk around the neighborhood
Visit the library
Play at the playground
Have a picnic at the park
Go on a hike
Get a haircut
Get frozen yogurt or ice cream
Visit the zoo
Go to the beach
Go to a children’s museum
Pick strawberries or cherries
Swim at the pool or an aquatic center
Jump at a trampoline park
Ride a tricycle or scooter around the block
Throw a frisbee at the park
Play T-ball
Go to a botanical garden
Walk around a college campus
Go to a farm
Go bowling

Expert tip

To help you feel less overwhelmed, do the same outings on the same days of the week. For instance, library story time can be on Tuesdays, grocery shopping on Thursdays, and playdates on Fridays.

Examples of learning activities

Want to add a bit of structure to your day, especially if your 4 year old is home with you (instead of at preschool)? Incorporating educational activities at home is a fantastic way to make learning fun and prepare her for kindergarten. Here are a few ideas you can do:

Play music, especially songs with physical movement
Practice writing letters and numbers
Paint on a canvas
Solve a puzzle
Coloring books
Do a simple science experiment
Write with sidewalk chalk
Spell her name by gluing dried pasta and beans on paper
Play a board game
Gather building toys and create a structure
Bake and decorate cookies
Color on a large blank sheet taped to a table

Conclusion

Creating a schedule can add structure to your day and give you and your child a sense of familiarity and predictability. Hopefully, with these examples, you now have more ideas of how to create one for yourself. Because we could all use some inspiration once in a while—even if we’ve been at this for four years now.

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