To Eternity And Beyond

If you went to a public elementary school there is a good chance you grew up playing the classic playground game 4 Square. I know I absolutely loved the game as a kid. That is why I decided to try making a four-square version of Pickleball, which is my favorite sport/game now that I am a grown adult. In this post, I will go over everything you need, how to set up the court, and of course, the unofficial rules to get you started.

What You Need To Build A 4 Square Pickleball Court

• Full-Size Pickleball Net
• (2) Half Size Pickleball Nets
• Chalk(You could use masking tape if playing indoors)
• (4) Paddles
• Pickleballs

*Budget Tip: If you purchase the half-size pickleball nets linked above from Franklin, each half-court net comes with two paddles and 2 balls so you won’t need to purchase any separate paddles or balls.

How To Set Up A 4 Square Pickleball Court

1. The first step to setting up a 4 square pickleball court is choosing a location to play. We set our court up at the local elementary school. Just find a big open flat surface that you can draw on with chalk.
2. Begin by first setting up the full-size pickleball net.
3. Once the full-size net is assembled and placed where you want it, set up a half-size net on each side of the full-size net down the center. Once done it should look like a + sign.
4. Now you can draw the lines by simply drawing straight lines out from each side of each net post. When all the chalk lines are drawn you should essentially have a bib box around the + sign.
5. Now you are ready to play.

How To Play 4 Square Pickleball

The rules of 4 square pickleball are not official so you can tweak these however you would like. We played very similarly to how you would play normal 4 square except instead of using your hands and a big playground ball you use paddles and a pickleball.

• One square becomes the “King” square and this is the square you want to get to and stay in to be the “winner”.
• The person in king square serves the ball to any of the of the other squares. Once the ball is in play the players must let it bounce once and only once before hitting it into another players square over the net.
• If the ball bounces more than once before you are able to successfully hit it into another player’s square you are out and must get in line or move to the lowest square.
• When a player gets out the other players rotate clockwise to fill in the open spaces. (See graphic below)
• Have fun

I hope you have fun playing 4 square pickleball.

*Disclaimer: This blog post is part of a paid partnership with Moose Toys but all opinions expressed are my own. 

Are you wondering what toys to get your kids in their Easter baskets? In this post, I will be sharing 5 of the hottest toys of 2023. Your kids are sure to love playing with any of these fun options. 

1. Shopkins Real Littles – Snack Time

These snacks are so cute and fun. I love that they have not only the packaging but also the little toy food inside. I know my kids will have a blast playing with these Shopkins in their play kitchen. This new Range of Snacks has over 55 new Real Little figures to collect including desserts, candy, savory snacks, frozen foods, drinks and Slushies. 

2. Treasure X Dino Gold Armored Egg

My boy had an absolute blast with this dino egg. I mean how could he not with dinosaurs, slime and buried treasure. We broke open the egg to discover a silicone shell filled with dinosaur parts and accessories covered in ooze. We had a blast playing in the slime and loved the dinosaur action figure we put together. The egg also includes a special tool to smash through the fossil(also included in the egg). Inside of the fossil covered in dino dust we found our gold dipped treasure. 

3. Real Little Micro Crafts

These Micro Crafts from Real Little are so fun. We made a little glitter globe that really works. Everything you need to complete the crafts are included in the kits. There are 6 different DIY micro crafts to create and collect. 

4. Heroes of Goo Jit Zu Glow Shifters

These glow shifters are so fun to squeeze and streeeetch. That is not all though they are filled with a core that when crushed activates their GLOW TRANSFORMATION.

For best results, you definitely want to charge the glow shifter in direct light before turning off the lights. We had a blast playing with the Glow Shifter with and without the lights on. 

5. Little Live Pet’s Surprise Chick

We both guessed which color would hatch out of the egg and we were both wrong as it was the green egg that waddled out. This is such a fun toy as you get the simulation of a chick hatching from the egg, which by the way you can hatch your egg again and again. The chick’s texture feels realistic and it reacts to your touch. The more you pet your chick the happier it will be as it chirps and sings. 

As a dad, I really enjoyed all of these toys just as much as my kid did so I would highly recommend them. Which one do you think would be your favorite? You can shop for all these toys here.