Rides for a 4 year old?

[Aflyingbuttress]

We are taking our 4 year old to Disney for the first time. I haven't been there in about 20 years. Any advice on what rides to focus on? I'm so overwhelmed by the size of these parks that I have no idea where to start.

I'm also wondering if there are little kid rides that she can go in alone?

 

[tomatecerise]

In Magic Kingdom
Dumbo (i think she can Go alone)
It's A small world
Magic carpets of Alladin
Peter Pan - have fastpass for this!
Buzz Lightyear
phillharmagic
Laugh floor (Monster inc. They interact with children)
The Carousel (Alice is there at the opening of park)
Tikki Room
Jungle Cruise
Winnie the pooh ride

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

You have to be 7 to ride alone

 

[Duckiedee]

You need to look at the height restrictions of the rides first and go from there. Probably the tallest she will be will be 44" Which goes up the next step to Space Mountain/Expedition Everest etc.

One you check out where she's at on the height chart - you can be more specific if you have worries for particular rides.

 

[tomatecerise]

In Epcot
Soarin
Frozen (opening soon)
The seas with Nemo And friends
Living with the land

 

[siskaren]

In Magic Kingdom
Dumbo (i think she can Go alone)
It's A small world
Magic carpets of Alladin
Peter Pan - have fastpass for this!
Buzz Lightyear
phillharmagic
Laugh floor (Monster inc. They interact with children)
The Carousel (Alice is there at the opening of park)
Tikki Room
Jungle Cruise
Winnie the pooh ride

Nope, 7 is the minimum age for riding alone on any ride. If your child is a daredevil, 40 inches is the minimum height for rides like Splash Mountain.

 

[tomatecerise]

In Hollywood studios

Beauty and the beast show - A must!
Frozen sing-along - A must!
Toy story Midway mania
Muppets? I am not A fan

 

[alicat8]

In Epcot
Soarin
Frozen (opening soon)
The seas with Nemo And friends
Living with the land

Don't forget figment!!

 

[tomatecerise]

Nope, 7 is the minimum age for riding alone on any ride. If your child is a daredevil, 40 inches is the minimum height for rides like Splash Mountain.

Thank You! I don't have child 7 And under but saw A tiny little girl In is own Dumbo

 

[tomatecerise]

At Animal Kingdom
Nemo show
Lion king show
Safari
The thing like Dumbo but with dinosaurs
The first night show (hoping for Rivers of lights because jungle book is so-so)
Flight of wonders (loooove It!)

 

[BarbMike821]

Specifically with rides, it'll all depend on her height and personal thrill level. We took our daughter to Disneyland a week before her third birthday and at 41" she was tall enough to ride nearly all of the coasters (yes, I know she's at the 99%-ile for height). We started her on the Gadget Go Coaster (I think it's comparable to Goofy's Barnstormer) to see how she'd do and we quickly realized we had a mini thrill seeker on our hands. Small fry LOVED Big Thunder Mountain. And willingly went on Space Mountain though after the fact she said she didn't care for it being in the dark. So if you want to do rides, start small and see how she does!

Definitely check out the shows though!

 

[tomatecerise]

And... Princesses! Take fast pass for Anna And Elsa, the stand by is way too long.

Take the train at Magic Kindom to have less walk. And it's fun!

 

[BarbMike821]

Oh yes! Who can forget the princesses. Great call!!!

 

[SouthernBuckeye]

You're right all of the parks have a lot to choose from. At her age, I would definitely plan extra time at Magic Kingdom. Aside from height restrictions, basically all of the rides are appropriate and interesting for a four year old. Off the top of my head, the only questionable rides would be Stitch's Great Escape(dark and ?), Haunted Mansion(dark and haunted) and Pirates of the Caribbean(dark and loud cannons). If it's overwhelming, I would explore one section of the park at a time and just work your way around to see everything. For me, the other parks are a little easier to pick just a few must see attractions.

 

[Caseheidi]

We found it helpful to watch YouTube videos of several rides with our DD before going. She got very excited for several, and we were able to determine better what she would be ready for. Where some her age were ready for HM and POTC, our 5 yr old was too worried for them. She did however love Little Mermaid and Pooh, as well as the Tea Cups (as long as we did not spin too Much)

 

[mkla2015]

My kids are 6 and 4- these are their favs-

MK-
Small World
Peter Pan
Dumbo
Jungle Cruise
Buzz

EP-
Figment
Boat ride in Mexico
Turtle Talk
Soarin

AK-
Safari
Lion King

DHS-
Toy Story
Frozen sing a long
Little Mermaid

They haven't been on any of the mountains or Dinosaur. They were really scared on Test Track this year and they both FREAKED out on Star Tours which surprised me because I didn't think it would be scary to them.

There are lots of things for young kids at Disney! Mine love meeting characters and getting autographs. Your 4 year old will love it!!

 

[rg35]

It all depends on your child. One of my daughters rode splash mountain at 4. By 6, all 3 kids rode splash, one has been on Space Mountain.

The youtube primer is a good idea. If you have a google cardboard, there are 360 degree view videos of many rides on YouTube as well, so you can get a fuller "VR" experience.

 

[Tucker24]

Check out height requirements. I would make fast pass for seven dwarfs, splash mountain, and thunder mountain at magic kingdom. I tested my kids out on roller coasters by having them ride barnstormer first. Ends up my daughter LOVED it and is the daredevil while my son won't go near it. Seven Dwarfs mine train is a really gentile ride and you can ride at 38 ". When it comes to space mountain remember that one rider sits in front while one rider sits in the back. My daughter wants to sit next to me and would freak if she sat "alone" on a dark ride. Oh, and princess fast passes is a good idea as well

I did go on youtube prior to making fast pass selections so they could see the rides. Surprises don't work well with my kids

 

[disnut8]

Quite honestly, I'd just go out and see the height requirements on the attractions and see what she can NOT go on. Once that's done, she's fine with everything else. You will see that the list of what she can NOT go on will be much, much shorter than what you are thinking of what she can go on. Then you can youtube the ones she can do and see if there are any factors that might frighten her and come up with things she and you will be comfortable with.

I mention this because we took my then five year old granddaughter to Disney World for her first time and we were so sure she would love so many things (her mother had never been either but my son had been but it wasn't sinking in that this was more than a regular amusement park to my daughter-in-law and granddaughter) but when we got there, the five year old told us she didn't want to do anything where there was fire, something that got you wet, or was scary to her and only her. She's now 18 and we kid her about her initial reaction to Disney World all the time.

 

[diskat]

We just had our 4 year old grandaughter at disney. She is a litle roughneck and loved all the wild rides. Tot was her favorite and rode it many times. She watched alot of youtube ride videos before we went to prepare her for the rides. Also dinosaur was a favorite. My 8 year old grandaughter doesn"t like the drop rides. Each child is different.