The best toys, games, books, and activities for 4 year old boys
My first son was born the day before Thanksgiving, so his birthday always falls just in time for some of the best shopping deals of the year! I've made a habit of putting together a helpful list of ideas for you of things he loves or that we plan on giving him this year in hopes it may help you with your own Black Friday shopping or even birthday shopping for the little guy in your life. These ideas are fun for Christmas, birthdays, or just because! We try to stick with hands on or interactive toys in our house. Almost everything on this list promotes using the imagination or working on a developmental skill. Enjoy! :)
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. For more information, see my disclosure policy. Thanks to Way To Play for sending us some flexible roads to test out for his birthday!
You might also love... Books that four year old boys will love
Press Here is still a favorite in our house. We've also added Mix It Up to our collection. Both are interactive, engaging books. They help kids learn to follow directions and learn about mixing colors. You will love the huge smile on their face as they pretend to press the dot or mix the colors and watch what happens to them next!
Big Book of Why- Has your little guy hit the "why?" stage yet?! 😂 Sometimes I just don't have answers to the questions he comes up with! This book is lots of fun and answers all of those crazy questions in a way that they can learn! All of the National Geographic books in this series are great!!
Phonics Step into Reading- Paw Patrol - My son is starting to be interested in more in depth stories and is also mildly interested in learning to read. I certainly don't expect him to learn how to read at age 4, but I think he will enjoy this boxed set of stories of some of his favorite characters, and maybe he'll start to pick up on a few words and concepts here and there. It's never too early to start building a love of reading!
LeapFrog LeapStart 3D- We don't have many electronic toys, but this is one that we love!! I am all about learning toys and this is one that is interactive, fun, and will help him as he begins learning how to read.
Board games for four year olds
Count Your Chickens- My son loves this game!! This is the perfect introduction to playing board games and great for family time! This game is really cute and encourages counting skills.
Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game- This game is really fun too and introduces following the rules of games and also helps with fine motor skills. Even my two year old loves to play this game (although we watch him closely because there are small pieces!).
Alphabet Bingo- Bingo is a classic game that everyone learns eventually! Why not add a little learning to it?!
Teach the Time Clock Game- Our four year old is really interested in time. When we completed his room makeover recently, we bought him a cheap clock because he was so interested in the one in the living room! I'm excited to give him this clock game and start introducing the concept of time in a fun way.
Memory games- We have the Thomas the Tank Engine Memory Match game, and both of my kids love it!
Favorite toy ideas for four year old boys
Accessories for train tracks- My son got a set of wooden train tracks about two years ago, and it is still, hands down, his favorite thing to play with. The great thing about them is that you can continue to add fun accessories over the years, and most of the wooden track brands are interchangeable. This year we are adding on this signal station for him.
Flexible roads- Both of my boys love all things cars and trucks, and our four year old especially loves coming up with creative road and track formations to drive on. Recently, Way To Play sent us some flexible roads to try out and we are obsessed! Because they're flexible, the possibilities are endless. The boys can create hills and bumps, use them outside on bumpy terrain, etc. I've even heard you can use them in the bathtub!
Do you like the little Christmas village we put together? This toy is an awesome "invitation to play" toy, meaning you set up a fun track before the kids are around and just leave it there for them to start playing with when they're ready! They will likely start playing right away 😉
These roads are perfect for a variety of vehicles. The first photo holds our Green Toys cars, and the second has some Hot Wheels!
Lego Duplo- Another favorite! Our little guy loves building things! Lego Duplo sets are great because they don't have all of the tiny pieces that regular legos have, which if you are a baby/toddler filled household like us, is essential for safety! Duplo also comes in colors and designs that are perfect for younger kiddos.
Fort builder- What kid doesn't love building blanket forts?! Our son loves building anything, so this kit is going on our shopping list for sure! He can build whatever type of structure he wants and then throw some blankets over it for lots of creative fun!
STEM building toys- I've mentioned a few times that he loves to build things and we love to encourage him to be creative and do hands on activities. He's getting this 165 piece set of STEM engineering toys for Christmas and it is awesome! It will keep him busy and keep his brain working hard!
STEM magnet toys- He got this set of magnets last Christmas, but it is still a favorite at age four! Another great way to build things or to create patterns and designs. Just be mindful if there are younger children around that put things in their mouths- magnets are not safe to swallow!
Lincoln logs- A classic building toy that every kid enjoys! When flipping through a toy catalog, I was surprised when he showed interest in this since its something my husband and I loved as kids. It's something that has stood the test of time for sure!
Fisher Price Code-n-Learn Kinderbot- I've heard great things about this robot, so he's going on our shopping list this year! Introducing the concept of "coding" in a fun way at a young age is such a smart idea, and I've heard from moms with kids a little bit older that their love of "tech" things started with this toy! We want to give it a try!
Play-doh accessories- All kids love play-doh and it's great for fine motor strength development and creativity! Play-doh sets come in any theme you can think of these days, so whatever your little guy loves, try searching for! We're grabbing this firetruck Play-doh set for Christmas!
Vtech Write and Learn- We try to stay away from electronic toys to encourage imagination, but we bought this toy a few months ago as a "quiet time" activity when his brother is napping, and I am amazed at how much he has learned and how his interest in drawing has increased! This is an awesome electronic toy!
Color Wonder and Water Wow- These are both awesome creative activities that are mess free!! I love these for when I'm doing something like cooking dinner and might only have one eye on the kids 😉 or as a quiet time activity. It's also perfect to throw in your bag when going to a restaurant to keep kids entertained without creating a mess. Color Wonder is markers that only write on special paper, and Water Wow is watercolor with water only, no paint!
Training roller skates- Boys are active! Skates are something fun for this age group to start learning and burning energy on. Don't forget the knee pads and helmets!
Best "big" gifts for four year old boys
Soccer goal- This is the perfect age to start introducing sports and focusing more on large motor skills. Little boys love running and love balls. Another great way to use their energy!
Basketball hoop- Same as above! Work those large motor skills!
Train table- If your little guy loves trains as much as ours does, he will love this train table! It even has storage for extra tracks underneath.
Track table- Our nephew has this table, and it is perfect for driving Hot Wheels on! My kids love it, so I've been looking around for it and finally found it! It's reasonably priced for an activity table, and the kids have so much fun driving cars on it.
Ride on toys- Boys this age love things they can drive, like PowerWheels style vehicles. We've been keeping an eye on this John Deere tractor.
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