Interactive Game
Deck of Wonders
A magician's deck in a curtained study: brass filigree backs, a true 3D flip, and a horn that says the word out loud. Keep what you know; the rest returns.
- Ages 3–11
Games for 3–4 year olds
At three, a lesson is a sequence of two-minute moments, and reading is not one of them. Everything on this shelf works from pictures and sound alone — the child points, names, copies and moves, and nobody has to decode a letter.
Keep the rounds short and the same. Repetition is not boring at this age; it is the entire pleasure.
Games in this collection
Interactive Game
Garden of Pairs
Every card is a seed packet in a walled garden. Turn one and it blooms; find its twin and the pair stays in flower, with a butterfly to prove it.
- Ages 3–11
Interactive Game
Painter's Attic
A secret word arrives on a painter's palette and you draw it on a real easel canvas — brush sounds, paint-blob colours and a skylight for a timer.
- Ages 5–11
Interactive Game
Wishing Dice
Tip the leather cup and one to four ivory dice tumble out onto the velvet. The total is stamped into the felt in wax.
Interactive Game
Fortune Wheel
A painted carnival wheel with your class on its slices. Spin it, hear the ratchet slow, and a ticket prints with the lucky name.
Interactive Game
Sleeping Fox
A fox sleeps in the clearing and the microphone keeps watch. Stay quiet and he sleeps on; get loud and he wakes with a start.
- Ages 3–11
Interactive Game
Coral Deep
A word is spoken and the fish swim past carrying pictures. Tap the one that matches, and a pearl drops into the shell.
- Ages 3–11
Interactive Game
Jungle Jump
A monkey shows the move, the ring counts it down, and the next card flips up. Every deck ends calm enough to sit back down.
- Ages 3–11
Printable packs
Print & go
Start with these letters
Each letter has its own page: the sound it makes, the words that start with it, and a free printable worksheet.
Send as homework
Five joyful minutes at home: the child listens, taps the right picture and collects stars.
Read next
English games for kids
English games for 3–4 year olds: move, find, sing
At three, a game is a body, a voice and a surprise. The games that work at 3–4, the ones that don't yet, and how to fit them into a 20-minute lesson.
- 6 min
Teaching preschoolers
TPR for the smallest: 15 move-to-learn games for ages 3–6
Total Physical Response is THE method for pre-readers: fifteen command games, how to sequence them, and the online adaptations.
- 6 min
Teaching preschoolers
Attention spans by age: planning lessons around real children
How long kids can actually focus at 3, 5, 7 and 10 — and how to slice lessons, games and explanations to fit inside it.
- 6 min
Teaching preschoolers
The first three lessons with a preschooler: a survival script
Minute-by-minute plans for lessons one, two and three with a 3–6 year old — building trust before building vocabulary.
- 7 min
Questions teachers ask
How long can a three-year-old actually focus?
Two to four minutes per activity, and a total lesson of about twenty. That is not a discipline problem — it is the age. Plan six short blocks rather than three long ones.
Which games need no reading at all?
Flip cards in picture mode, memory in picture-to-picture mode, draw it, the dice and the wheel. Word scramble and balloon words are letter games — leave those for five and up.
Is screen time a problem at this age?
A shared screen you talk over is closer to a picture book than to a cartoon. Still, keep it to short bursts between movement, and print the flashcards when you can — paper wins with toddlers.
More collections
Related resources
Flashcards
Animal riddles
10 easy animal riddles for kids learning English, with answers. Guess from 3 pictures, hear each one aloud, print the cards. Free.
Presentation
Animals Vocabulary Presentation (Free PPT)
Free animals vocabulary presentation for ESL kids: 26 picture slides with audio, a quick check and a review grid. Present online or get PPT.