A Connect Four board has 7 columns and 6 rows, and a new counter always falls all the way down a column onto the last free spot.
Filled circles belong to one player, empty ones to the other.
The player with fewer counters on the board moves next; if both have the same number, the player with filled circles goes first.
Find the one column the player whose turn it is must throw into to get four counters in a row right away, horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
Mark the winning column under the board.
Example
For parents
What does this exercise practice?
Connect Four trains careful looking and thinking ahead: the child checks rows, columns and diagonals and works out where a new counter lands.
Common pitfalls
Some children drop a counter and hope it works. It helps to first look for three counters in a row and then check whether the fourth would really fall.
How to practice at home
Play it on paper with coins or building blocks: draw a board with 7 columns and 6 rows, each player takes one kind, and look for the winning column.