Healthy Habits and Activities for 4–6-Year-Olds

Encourage healthy eating by sharing meals with your child whenever possible. Show them you enjoy fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and limit foods and drinks with added sugars, solid fats, and salt. Provide age-appropriate play equipment like balls and bats and let your preschooler choose how to play. Active play such as tag, follow the leader, and hide and seek helps develop motor skills and makes physical activity fun. Reading books, singing, playing word games, and having regular conversations increase vocabulary and listening skills. Kids aged 4–6 can follow more complex directions and love to retell stories. Set reasonable limits on screen time to ensure children have enough time for physical activity, play, sleep, and other healthy behaviors. Monitoring what your child watches and limiting total screen time to one to two hours a day helps prevent behavior problems.