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BRITISH ENGLISH · DISCOVER TOGETHER

Learning games for 4 year olds: sounds, numbers and puzzles

At four, try activities that connect something heard with something seen: a letter sound with its shape, a small group with a numeral, or one puzzle piece with the picture it belongs to. Keep the challenge small enough to explore together.

Try it together
INSIDE THE ENGLISH GAMEThe English village in Girafoufou, with doors to the different activities
The English village in Girafoufou, with doors to the different activities

Listen before asking for a letter

The English phonics path begins with s, a, t and p, then i and n. The child hears a sound and finds its letter. The starting path at four does not assume that the child has already mastered those sounds. Follow the pronunciation and sequence used at school when practising together.

Compare, then explain in ordinary words

With two small groups of objects, ask which has more and look together. A jigsaw gives a different opportunity: “That piece has part of the moon.” The puzzle box adjusts its difficulty after successes and mistakes. This is a feature of those puzzles, not a claim that every part of the app assesses your child.

SIDE BY SIDE

Explore the first English sounds

  1. Open the first listening game.
  2. Listen to the sound together before touching a letter.
  3. If the choice is hard, listen again and let your child choose without a countdown.

The game is practice alongside conversation, books and the approach used at nursery or school. It is not a reading assessment.

Try the first sounds

The discovery games are free to try without a card or account. Full family access is paid. Check Prices for the current plans in pounds; changing between French and British English does not require another purchase.

PUT THE SCREEN DOWN

Two toy car parks

You will need: Two sheets of paper and five large toy vehicles.

  1. Use the paper sheets as two car parks.
  2. Park two vehicles on one and three on the other.
  3. Pair one vehicle from each car park and notice the one left over.

Keep this activity using your browser’s Print menu, or share it by email. No sign-up needed.

Girafoufou · https://www.girafoufou.com/en/parent-guides/4-year-olds

Questions
from parents.

Does the app expect reading at four?

No. The opening instructions use voice and pictures. Early phonics offers sounds and letters to explore; independent reading is not a condition for starting.

Carry the idea a little further.

TRY IT TOGETHER

Short A sound: listen for /æ/ in ant

Listen to the short A sound in British English, hear how it differs from the letter name and explore a first sound game with your child.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

CH sound: two letters, one sound in chip

Hear the English CH sound in chip and notice how two letters work together. Try the game’s recording and a gentle listening activity off screen.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Learning games for 3 year olds: look, touch and explore

Count three objects, match pictures and explore a talking picture book. Calm learning games for three-year-olds, with simple ideas to try off screen.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Learning games for 5 year olds: first words and number bonds

Try blending short words, number bonds and early addition at five. See what Girafoufou offers, how to help and when to choose an easier activity.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Help your child start reading with sounds and shared stories

Explore sounds, blending and short stories in British English. Practical ways to help at home while following the phonics approach your child uses at school.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Nursery and Reception learning: where playful practice fits

Connect everyday play with early numbers, sounds and mark making. See where Girafoufou can support practice and what an app cannot replace.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

French for preschoolers: listen, look and find

Discover first French words with pictures and a gentle voice: animals, food and more. No microphone or speaking test, just a first taste of another language.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Free learning games for 3 year olds: what the trial includes

Try Girafoufou’s discovery games without a card or account. Understand the free trial, paid family access and how to choose a comfortable starting point.

Explore EXPLORE THE GAMES

British English phonics games: hear, match and blend

Hear letter sounds, blend short words and explore early reading in British English. See the actual activities and follow your child’s school phonics approach.

Explore EXPLORE THE GAMES

Logic games for kids: notice, match and try another way

Explore jigsaws, mazes, matching pairs and picture puzzles. Calm logic games for ages 3–6, with no timer and room to try another way.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Counting to 3: touch each object, then say how many

Try a first counting game with two and three objects. See how to help without answering for your child, then make a teddy tea party off screen.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Letter sound M: hear /m/ in map and moon

Hear the sound /m/, distinguish it from the letter name and find it in map and moon. A British English phonics activity to try together.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Blending sounds games: from c–a–t to cat

Listen to the sounds in a short word and blend them together. Explore a first British English blending game, plus a playful spoken activity off screen.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Maze games for kids: look for a path, one step at a time

Help Girafoufou find a path through a maze by tapping or following it with a finger. Explore turns and dead ends, then build a maze on the floor.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Jigsaw puzzles for 3 year olds: begin with four pieces

Try a four-piece picture puzzle, with its guide still visible. Tap a piece and its place, or drag it; larger puzzles come later as the challenge grows.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Rhyming games for preschoolers: cat, bat… can you hear it?

Listen for words with the same ending and choose a matching picture. Explore English rhymes together, then try a simple rhyming game without a screen.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Lowercase letter tracing: follow a path with your finger

Explore simple movements and lower-case letters, following the dots with a finger. Discover Girafoufou’s English writing path and a paper activity to try.

Explore

About this guide

Product guide by the Girafoufou team. Updated . The activities described here are checked against the English game.

Educational context, not an endorsement of Girafoufou:

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A small discovery.
Then time to play.

The discovery games are free to try without a card or account. Full family access is paid. Check Prices for the current plans in pounds; changing between French and British English does not require another purchase.

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