BusyBeesQuiet time activities for 3 and 4 year olds
Seven BusyBees games suit quiet time at 3 and 4. From age 3: Cushion Reading Den, Sock Pairs, Teddy Clinic and Torn Paper Animals. From age 4: What Is Missing?, Tape Town and Cloud Spotting. They use cushions, socks, soft toys, paper and tape, and none of them needs a screen.
- 7 games
- Starting ages 3 to 4
- 10 to 25 minutes each
- 4 written out in full
Pick one for right now
| Game | From age | Minutes | You need |
|---|---|---|---|
 Cushion Reading Den | 3 | 20 | Sofa cushions, A light sheet, A few books |
 Sock Pairs | 3 | 10 | A pile of clean socks |
 Teddy Clinic | 3 | 15 | Soft toys, Flannels or clean socks for bandages, Paper and a crayon |
 Torn Paper Animals | 3 | 15 | Scrap paper or old envelopes, Tape, Crayons |
 What Is Missing? | 4 | 10 | A tray, A tea towel, 6 everyday things: a cup, a wooden spoon, a sock, a soft toy, a book, a shoe |
 Tape Town | 4 | 25 | Paper tape or masking tape, Toy cars or small empty boxes, Paper and crayons |
 Cloud Spotting | 4 | 15 | A blanket, A patch of grass, A sky with some clouds |
The 7 games
Game 1 of 7
Cushion Reading Den
Build a small den from cushions and a sheet, then crawl in with a pile of books. A good one for a rainy afternoon.
- From age 3
- 20 min
- Indoors
- Calm
- 5 min prep
You need
- Sofa cushions
- A light sheet
- A few books
Keep an eye on
Only cushions and a light sheet, on the floor: nothing heavy on top, and no chairs or other furniture holding it up.
With you
Stay in the room while they play. Step 1 and step 2 are a grown-up's job.
The steps for Cushion Reading Den, with a picture for each, are in the BusyBees app.
Game 2 of 7
Sock Pairs
Tip out the clean socks and hunt for the pairs. A real job that feels like a game, and it works at the table while you cook or tidy nearby.
- From age 3
- 10 min
- Indoors
- Thinking
- No prep
You need
- A pile of clean socks
Keep an eye on
Play sitting down at the table or on the carpet, so nobody slides about on a smooth floor in socks.
With you
Stay in the room while they play.
Game 3 of 7
Teddy Clinic
The soft toys are feeling poorly and your child is the vet. A quiet game that can run beside you while you cook or get on with something.
- From age 3
- 15 min
- Indoors
- Pretend
- No prep
You need
- Soft toys
- Flannels or clean socks for bandages
- Paper and a crayon
Keep an eye on
Bandages are flannels or socks, tucked in and not tied, and only for the toys: on a paw or a tummy, never round a neck.
With you
Stay in the room while they play.
Game 4 of 7
Torn Paper Animals
No scissors needed. Tear paper into shapes, tape them down and turn them into animals. Easy to set up at the table while you cook nearby.
- From age 3
- 15 min
- Indoors
- Creative
- No prep
You need
- Scrap paper or old envelopes
- Tape
- Crayons
Keep an eye on
A grown-up keeps the roll of tape and hands out short bits, and the paper scraps go in the bin at the end.
With you
Stay in the room while they play. Step 3 is a grown-up's job.
The steps for Torn Paper Animals, with a picture for each, are in the BusyBees app.
Game 5 of 7
What Is Missing?
Lay out a few things, cover them and take one away. Can your child work out which one has gone?
- From age 4
- 10 min
- Indoors
- Thinking
- 5 min prep
You need
- A tray
- A tea towel
- 6 everyday things: a cup, a wooden spoon, a sock, a soft toy, a book, a shoe
Keep an eye on
The tea towel covers the tray and nothing else. Leave out anything sharp, breakable or small.
With you
Play together the whole time.
Game 6 of 7
Tape Town
Tape roads across the floor and build a little town around them. It can keep growing all afternoon.
- From age 4
- 25 min
- Indoors
- Creative
- 10 min prep
You need
- Paper tape or masking tape
- Toy cars or small empty boxes
- Paper and crayons
Keep an eye on
A grown-up sticks the tape down and peels it all up at the end. Keep the town away from doorways and stairs so nobody trips over it.
With you
Stay in the room while they play. Step 1 is a grown-up's job.
Game 7 of 7
Cloud Spotting
Lie back on a blanket and look for shapes in the clouds. A slow, quiet game for a mild day.
- From age 4
- 15 min
- Outdoors
- Calm
- No prep
You need
- A blanket
- A patch of grass
- A sky with some clouds
Keep an eye on
Lie with the sun behind you and never look towards it. Choose grass well away from roads and water.
With you
Play together the whole time.
The steps for Cloud Spotting, with a picture for each, are in the BusyBees app.
Questions parents ask
How do I do quiet time with a 4 year old?
Choose a game that is quiet in itself, and stay close. For five of these seven the app says "Stay in the room while they play". What Is Missing? and Cloud Spotting are played together the whole time.
What are good quiet time activities for preschoolers?
A den and a pile of books (Cushion Reading Den), a matching job (Sock Pairs), a pretend clinic for soft toys (Teddy Clinic), tearing and sticking paper (Torn Paper Animals), and a memory game on a tray (What Is Missing?).
What can they do in quiet time?
Read to a soft toy in the den, wrap a flannel round a teddy's sore paw, lay sock pairs side by side in a row, drive toy cars round a town of tape roads, or lie back on a blanket and say what the clouds look like.
What this guide does not do
These are quiet games with you nearby. They are not a promise that a 3 year old will rest alone in a room. In Cushion Reading Den, Torn Paper Animals and Tape Town a grown-up does part of the setting up.
A grown-up is always responsible for safety and supervises play. The age on each game is where it starts in the app, and a game marked for age 3 is never offered for a 2 year old.