Four Steps

Remember the missing step of everyday tasks and collect the cards

2–4players · best with 3-4
20–30 minplaying time
5+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
More luck than skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
About 3 min
Reading
Little

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Children of 5 to 7 who are learning to wash, brush and get ready for bed on their own

Think twice if Your children are 8 or older: the tasks will feel too easy

How we rate it

Learning curve. Roll, move and answer one question about a daily routine: children of 5 follow it quickly, which puts it at 1 on our scale with UNO.

Luck & skill. The die and the swap, lose-a-card and miss-a-turn spaces decide a lot. The skill is remembering the steps you heard at the start.

Interaction. Swap Card spaces let you trade a spare card with another player, and everyone hears every question and answer.

Set-up. Lay out the board, shuffle the cards onto their space and put the pawns home. The judge then reads all 12 tasks from the answer sheet, which takes a few minutes.

Reading. The cards and answer sheet are read aloud by the judge, so the children playing don't need to read.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Is Four Steps right for you?

Great if

  • Children of 5 to 7 who are learning to wash, brush and get ready for bed on their own
  • A parent playing judge, reading the cards and talking through each routine
  • Practising listening and remembering things in order, with no reading needed from the child
  • A small, practical return gift for a child starting school

Skip it if

  • Your children are 8 or older: the tasks will feel too easy
  • Nobody can read the English cards aloud; a grown-up or older child has to act as judge
  • You want a game adults enjoy for its own sake: the die and the board spaces decide a lot

How Four Steps plays

Set-up: open the board, shuffle the 48 task cards into one pile on the space marked for them, and put each player's coloured pawn on its matching home space. There are 12 everyday tasks, such as washing your hands, brushing your teeth, going to bed and table manners, and each task is split across four cards. A grown-up acts as the judge and, before play starts, reads all 12 tasks from the answer sheet, step by step, while everyone listens.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: The task cards and answer sheet are in English, but a parent or an older player reads them aloud, so young children only listen and answer. The rules accept any answer close to the printed step, so children can answer in Hindi, Tamil or whatever language they think in.
Set up to play · Photo: Funskool

Four Steps Board Game ( Telugu ) | Unboxing | How to play | #kidsgames #boardgames #educationalgames · DSquareToysAndGames

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Roll

    Roll the die and move your pawn clockwise round the board.

  2. 2
    Answer

    On a Pick Up a Card space, the judge reads a task with one step missing; say the missing step to keep the card.

  3. 3
    Swap

    Other spaces make you swap or lose a spare card, miss a turn or roll again.

  4. 4
    Win

    Collect three complete sets of four task cards and get back to your home space first.

Read the official rules (PDF)Four Steps instructions (Funskool, PDF) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Four Steps goes

A turn: roll the die and move your pawn clockwise round the board. On a Pick Up a Card space, the judge reads the top card aloud: the task's name, then its four numbered steps in order, saying 'blank' for the one step that is missing. Say the missing step and you keep the card; get it wrong and it goes to the bottom of the pile. The rules say the answer only needs to be close to the one on the answer sheet.

Other spaces shake things up. Swap Card makes you swap one of your spare cards with another player, Lose a Card sends one of your spare cards back to the pile, and Miss a Turn and Roll Again do what they say. Cards in a set you have already completed are safe from swaps and losses.

Winning: the first player to collect three complete sets of four cards and get back to their own home space wins.

Tip: with younger children, let them act out a step if the words won't come, and accept answers in your home language. Afterwards, try one of the tasks for real, like washing hands in four steps before dinner.

What's in the box

What's in the box: the board, 48 task cards, four pawns and a die · Photo: Funskool
  • 1Game board
    a track with Pick Up a Card, Swap Card, Lose a Card, Miss a Turn, Roll Again and home spaces
  • 48Task cards
    12 everyday tasks, 4 cards each; every card lists the task's four steps with one missing
  • 1Answer sheet
    all 12 tasks with their four steps, for the judge
  • 4Pawns
    one per colour, matching the home spaces
  • 1Die
  • 1Instructions
    in English

From the contents list on Funskool's box back and rules sheet ('1 Game Board, 48 Task Cards (4 cards x 12 sets), 1 Answer Sheet, 4 Pawns, 1 Dice, Instructions'). The board spaces come from the rules sheet. Funskool's product page doesn't list the contents.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Buy Funskool's box. Funskool makes Four Steps in India under licence, and both the box and the rules sheet say it is made in India. Our Amazon.in link goes to this Funskool box. No other edition was found, so there is nothing to import.

Before you choose

  • The box front should show the Four Steps name, Funskool's logo, the word 'Licensee' and 'The fun family game that teaches kids how to do things'
  • The box should say 2-4 players and ages 5+
  • The back should list 1 game board, 48 task cards (4 cards x 12 sets), 1 answer sheet, 4 pawns, 1 dice and instructions, with Funskool's product code 9583400 and 'Made in India by Funskool (India) Ltd'
  • The rules sheet should say that The Fantastic Factory name and logo are trademarks of The Fantastic Factory

What reviewers and players say

No independent written reviews or forum threads about Four Steps could be found, so this rests on Funskool's own material. Funskool pitches it as a family game that teaches children how to do simple everyday tasks correctly, in four easy steps. The rules make a parent the judge, reading every task aloud before play and then one card at a time, so it works best as a game children play with a grown-up rather than on their own. Expect a gentle, chatty game for 5 to 7 year olds, with the die and the board spaces deciding as much as memory.

What people love

  • Turns daily routines like hand-washing and teeth-brushing into a game children want to win
  • Children don't need to read: a grown-up reads every card aloud
  • Close-enough answers count, so children can reply in their own words and language
  • Made in India by Funskool, with its rules sheet available online

Common complaints

  • Needs a grown-up or older child as judge, so it isn't a game young children can play alone
  • The tasks are simple, so children of about 8 and up may find it too easy
  • Swap and lose-a-card spaces can take away cards a child has worked for, which can upset younger players
Based on 4 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
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Questions people ask about Four Steps

How do you play Four Steps?

Roll the die and move round the board. When you land on a Pick Up a Card space, a grown-up reads a task card aloud with one of its four steps missing; say the missing step to keep the card. The first player to collect three complete sets of four cards and get back home wins.

What age is Four Steps for?

Funskool's box and website say 5 years and up, for 2 to 4 players, although some listings say 3 and up. The tasks are simple daily routines, so it suits children of about 5 to 7; a younger child can play on a team with a parent.

Does my child need to read to play Four Steps?

No. A parent or older player reads each card aloud and says 'blank' for the missing step, and the child answers out loud. The cards are in English, but the rules accept any answer close to the right one, so children can answer in their home language.

Which tasks are in Four Steps?

There are 12 everyday tasks, each split across four cards, and an answer sheet with all of them. Funskool's photos show tasks such as washing your hands, brushing your teeth, washing your hair, going to bed and table manners.

Who makes Four Steps?

Funskool makes it in India under licence from The Fantastic Factory, whose name and logo are trademarks printed on the rules sheet. Funskool's product code for the game is 9583400.

Game facts

Publisher
Funskool, under licence from The Fantastic Factory (the rules sheet names Funskool as licensee and The Fantastic Factory as trademark owner)
In India
Funskool (India) Ltd, Chennai, which makes it in India under licence from The Fantastic Factory
Players
2–4
Barcode
8901383958341
Language
Some English – The task cards and answer sheet are in English, but a parent or an older player reads them aloud, so young children only listen and answer. The rules accept any answer close to the printed step, so children can answer in Hindi, Tamil or whatever language they think in.
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.