We’ve rounded up the best gifts and toys for 4 year olds to make buying presents for little ones of this age a breeze.
From educational toys recommended by experts to help kids get ready for the big milestone of starting school, to games and gifts that they can enjoy with their friends, these toys and gifts are all parent approved and loved by children aged four and up.
What are the best toys for 4 year olds?
At the age of four, most children begin to develop a stronger sense of self. You may notice that little ones of this age need more privacy or time to themselves to play without adult supervision or help.
The best toys for 4 year olds are designed so that they can be played with independently or with friends. Much like the best toys for three year olds, these toys will also encourage imaginative and ‘open ended’ play.
At the age of four your child may also be starting pre-school. They will have started to work out the link between letters and sounds and words and pictures – the foundation of learning to read and write. This big milestone changes the types of toys four years will engage with.
‘Early Years foundation skills like fine motor skills, balance and coordination will be vastly improved in a preschool setting’ notes Heather Welch, International Brand Manager for Edx Education. So the toys your children play with at home should reflect this.
Heather also suggests that the best toys for children of this age will help continue: ‘to teach children to share and communicate’. Plus, they will help your child practice, ‘quiet as well as active play’.
What games do 4 year olds like to play?
At this age, children should be getting more to grips with following instructions. They will also be continuing to learn to share toys and take turns. Don’t worry, it’s natural for this to take some time! Four year olds love to play games with others. However, you may need to continue to encourage the concept of sharing and ‘playing nicely’.
Games and toys for four years olds start to become more advanced than the sensory toys they may have played with when they were younger. You may notice that the imaginary games they play are more elaborate, too.
Child development expert and psychologist Dr. Amanda Gummer explained that buying toys for four year olds and playing games that encourage turn taking and communication, as well as playing with other children, can have a beneficial impact on their development and success in school later down the line:
‘A strong predictor of exam grades at the end of secondary is the social development of children as they start school. So, focusing on playing with other children, games that encourage sharing and turn taking, as well as developing communication skills, are all great ways of helping your child prepare for the start of school.
‘Simple board games and toys that increase children’s confidence with numbers and letters are also helpful.’
By the age of four, you will also find your child is showing preferences to the types of games they like to play. So let them use their new found communication skills to tell you and show you what these are.
‘Allow children to make their own minds up whether they like dolls or drawing, cars or castanets,’ Heather advises.
The best gifts and toys for 4 year olds
Scroll down to see our pick of the best gifts and toys for 4 year olds in 2020.
LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box
Age Suitability: 4 years +
Educational toy good for: Develops skills in constructions and engineering as well as encouraging creative and imaginative play.
A classic that just doesn’t seem to age, Lego is an educational toy that has been inspiring children for generations. Dig your old box of lego out of the attic to pass down to your kids or get them started with this epic set of coloured blocks that come in a handy storage box.
COST: £24.99
Lunii-1-EN My Fabulous Storyteller
Age Suitability: 4 and above
This mysterious looking box is actually a storytelling radio for kids that puts them directly into the adventure! Children craft their own story but picking who the hero is, the setting, the supporting character and more. Great for listening and attention skills, kids will love hearing an exciting story with their ideas bought to life.
COST: £69.90
Animals Of World Floor Jigsaw Puzzle, 40 Pieces
Age Suitability: 4 and above
A popular present and bestselling jigsaw, this puzzle is a fun way for kids to get to grips with the world map and recognise animals from different countries. Jigsaws in general are great for developing hand-eye coordination and problem solving logic in children and parents love this one for being educational as well as fun.
COST: £10
Oskar & Catie Personalised Castle
Age Suitability: 4 and above
What kid wouldn’t want their own castle? Especially one that comes complete with its own, working drawbridge! Ladders, knights and other accessories bring this set to life and it can also be personalised – making it a great gift for any lucky four year old.
COST: £125
John Lewis & Partners Marble Run
Age Suitability: 4 and above
This adaptable and expandable marble run track is great for encouraging turn taking and understanding cause and effect as well as developing motor skills like hand-to-eye coordination..
COST: £15
Learning Resources Coding Critters Bopper
Age Suitability: 4+
Educational toy good for: Introduces young children to early coding and STEM thinking including problem-solving and understanding cause and effect.
Young kids can learn coding concepts with cute bunny Coding Critters Bopper, Hip & Hop. Children code along with Bopper’s storybook adventure, taking part in coding challenges involving the fun pet play set.
COST: £67.18
Dessineo ‘Learn to Paint Easel’
Age Suitability: 4 and above
This easel teaches children to paint in a fun and simple step-by-step way. By the age of four they can hold pencils and paint brushes, so this toy is a great way to introduce them to creating art and pictures beyond colouring in.
COST: £31.28
Orchard Toys Match and Spell Game
Age Suitability: 4+ years
Educational toy good for: Letter recognition, phonetic word building and matching pictures to words
A best selling, first reading and spelling activity game where children take turns to find letters and spell words, this fun single player activity or multiplayer game has two levels of difficulty. Young children can learn letter recognition, phonetic word building and matching pictures to words by using this early learning literacy game.
COST: £7.92
Personalised Tenderleaf Wooden Ice cream Table Top Toy
Age Suitability: 4 and above
The next best thing to going out and getting ice cream when you’re four years old is playing with this gorgeous wooden ice cream cart. Complete with ice lollies, wooden cones and scoops of ice cream that can be ‘served’, there’s hours of play potential for little ones. Plus, it can be personalised, making it a perfect gift.
COST: £55
Melissa & Doug Dinosaur Stamp Set
Age Suitability: 4 and above
This craft kits consisting of eight detailed dino stamps and two-colour inkpad is great for crafty kids and parents love the good quality stamps and handy wooden storage box. A lovely gift for any four year old fascinated by dinosaurs.
COST: £9.99
Orchard Toys Loopy Llamas Game
Age Suitability: 4 and above
Loopy Llamas is a kids board game suitable for children from ages 4 and up that sees players race their pieces around the board to get pool rings for their 3D llama. Interactive and engaging, this is another great game from the Orchard Toys team.
COST: £11
See & Spell Learning Toy
Age Suitability: 4 and above
This charming toy comes with 72 colourful wooden letters that fit into 8 double-sided cut-out boards and spell 3- and 4-letter words. Kids will love playing with the letters, completing the puzzle and using the pieces as stencils.
COST: £19.99
Le Toy Van – Wooden Educational Pirates Ship
Age Suitability: 4 and above
Ahoy there! Swashbuckling kids of all ages who are fascinated by pirates will love this wooden pirate ship. Complete with fabric sails, a spring loaded firing cannon with cannonballs, a wind-up anchor, a deck trap-door, a helm, a Barbarossa figurehead and a rear opening stern for many a pirate adventure on the ‘open seas’.
COST: £49.90
Megasketcher magnetic drawing board
Age Suitability: 4 and above
This practical, no mess drawing tool is a classic toy still providing fun for children as it has done for generations before. Kids can create pictures by drawing with the pen or using the stamps, then simply erase it and start again. Great for car journeys and playing on the go as well as at home.
COST: £15.99
Orangutwang Board Game
Age Suitability: 4 and above
Parents love this game for keeping little ones entertained for hours and providing fun for all the family. Players take turns to hang fruit and other jungle animals on the orang-utan until whoops! The loads get too heavy and he bounces off the line!
COST: £15.99
Fuzzikins Craft Bedtime Bunnies
Age Suitability: 4 and above
Perfect for inspiring creativity and imagination, this craft set comes with three soft bunnies that can be coloured in and snuggly sleeping bags for them too that can be customised. What parents liked most about this set was that the bunnies can be washed and then coloured in again – so it’s a toy that can be reused time and time again.
COST: £9.99
Personalised Tenderleaf Wooden Tool Bench Toy
Age Suitability: 4 and above
This wooden tool bench is designed to allow little ones to play independently, provide them with the opportunity to role-play and ‘fix’ things themselves. Complete with nuts, bolts and tool, this wooden toy bench can be personalised, making it the perfect gift.
COST: £85
CogniToys Dino learning toy
Age Suitability: 4 and above
The Cognitoys Dino has won awards since it first appeared on Kickstarter. It used IBM Watson technology to interact and learn with your child. It was recognized as one of the top 25 inventions in 2015 by Time Magazine. Your child will enjoy stories, jokes, and learning without realizing it is happening. You just need to keep the Dino connected to Wi-Fi.
COST: £131/69
Learning Resources Playfoam
Age Suitability: 4 and above
This completely mess free, non-toxic play foam is great because it doesn’t dry out, stick to your furnishings or clothes and kids absolutely love squishing it, shaping it and stretching it. The handy travel case means you can take the foam on the go for fun on the move.
COST: £13.50
Learning Resources Build & Bloom Flower Garden
Age Suitability:4 - 8 years
Kids will love building this flower garden with a difference. This toy allows for open ended play, encourages creativity and imaginative thinking and also helps build problem solving and fine motor skills. Comes with 116 plastic pieces including colourful gears, flowers, butterflies, bees, ladybirds, wiggly stems and more.
COST: £37.30
RuiDaXiang Engineering Construction Vehicles Toys Set
Age Suitability:3 - 8 years
A great value toy for kids, this light play mat, which features a distinctive road pattern, comes with 18 different pieces including a crane, dump Truck, Cement Truck, Express Delivery Trucks and Fire Engines. Perfect for little minds with a big interest in vehicles and construction.
COST: £18.99
Sunny Lodge Wooden Playhouse with Slide
Age Suitability: 3 – 10 years
The ultimate activity playhouse for garden games and adventures that last for hours. Kids will love climbing, sliding, hiding and playing on this outdoor wooden toy which has been beautifully finished in blue certified FSC Wood.
COST: £489.95