Toddlers no more — 4-year-olds are certified preschoolers, and that comes with a lot of big shifts in their lives. As they get to know more and understand how things work, they'll want to do more experimenting in their lives and in their play.
They also question more about the world around them, says Rebecca Parlakian, M.A., E.D., a parenting expert from Zero to Three, an organization that focuses on kid development during the early years. They're also more likely to try their hand at problem-solving, take on tasks with a greater attention span, plan ahead and put their developing motor skills to good use. You'll want to get them toys that help them with these new abilities.
"The best toys at this age include construction toys that allow them to build and problem-solve — think about plastic interlocking blocks, gear toys, domino runs, magnet tiles and other similar choices," Parlakian recommends. "If your child already has wooden blocks, consider expanding the set with new block types like turrets, arches and cylinders to spark their building play. Pretend play props, like costumes, a tea set or construction tools encourage role-playing. With more control over their fine motor skills, art supplies like paints and brushes, markers and other similar items can also be a big hit. And finally, simple board games and activities like dominoes and memory cards are also fun for preschoolers."
Luckily, construction toys, blocks, role-playing items, building toys and board games are all on the list of best learning toys put together by the Good Housekeeping Institute. To find the very best gifts for kids (including Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award winners), scientists evaluate the toys for safety and durability, then hand them over to kids to test to make sure they're fun to play with, making them all unique gift ideas as well.
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Best STEM Toy for 4-Year-Old Boys
GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope Educational Insights
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Best Book Gift for 4-Year-Old Boys
I LOVE Strawberries! Feeding Minds Press
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Unique Gift for 4-Year-Old Boys
T-Rex 3-D Puzzle Studio Roof
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Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award Winner
Captivz Mega Egg Clash Edition Jurassic World
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Creative Building Set
Around the World Building Kit LEGO
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These are the best toys and gifts for 4-year-old boys in 2022:
Best STEM Toy for 4-Year-Old Boys
Educational Insights
GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope
Best Book Gift for 4-Year-Old Boys
Feeding Minds Press
I LOVE Strawberries!
Unique Gift for 4-Year-Old Boys
Studio Roof
T-Rex 3-D Puzzle
Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award Winner
Jurassic World
Captivz Mega Egg Clash Edition
Creative Building Set
LEGO
Around the World Building Kit
Nostalgic Fave
Hasbro
Create Your Potato Head Family
Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award Winner
hand2mind
Express Your Feelings Sensory Bottles
Best Learning Toy for 4-Year-Old Boys
Shifu
Orboot Augmented Reality Interactive Globe
Best Creative Toy for 4-Year-Old Boys
Faber-Castell
World Colors Modeling Clay
Cool Construction Toy
Popular Playthings
Playstix Construction Toy
Totally Unusual But Amazing
Fisher-Price
Meditation Mouse
Fun Engineering Toy
Educational Insights
Design & Drill Bolt Buddies
To Prepare Them for Kindergarten
Melissa & Doug
Scissor Skills Activity Pad
Get Them Learning About Money
Janod
Rabbit Moneybox
Fun Coding Toy for 4-Year-Old Boys
Learning Resources
Coding Critters
For Beginning Readers
hand2mind
Beginning Word Builder
Great for Hot Wheels Fans
Hot Wheels
Ultimate Octo Car Wash
hand2mind
Numberblocks MathLink Cubes 1-10 Activity Set
Think Fun
Zingo Board Game
Easy R/C
Monster Jam
Official Mega Grave Digger
PlayMonster
Wonder Crew Superhero Buddy
Crayola
Light-Up Activity Board
Hape
Quadrilla 'Race to the Finish' Marble Run
Schleich
Dinosaur Research Station
Lincoln Logs
Lincoln Logs
Fun Family Board Game
Goliath Games
Rattlesnake Jake
Upbounders
Splash Park Kids Puzzle
Green Toys
Car Carrier Vehicle Set Toy
Osmo
Little Genius Starter Kit
Unusual Gift for 4-Year-Old Boys
D Darlyng & Co.
Alphabet Affirmation Flash Cards
How we choose the best toys
Before including our favorite picks in an article, the Good Housekeeping Institute does rigorous toy testing to ensure we're recommending only the best. Many of our choices come from our yearly Toy Awards, where we test each item based on the following criteria:
✔️Safety: Our engineers and analysts make sure that each toy reaches all safety standards. They also assess things like pinch points and make sure toys won't shatter into small pieces to pose a potential choking hazard.
✔️Ease of Use: We look at each toy to evaluate how simple it is to assemble, how well it's constructed and how durable it is during play.
✔️Kid Approval: Aside from testing each toy for skill-building attributes, like how well it develops social-emotional skills, all our final decisions come from more than 100 children, ages 1 to 15, who assess the fun factor!
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
For decades, the Good Housekeeping Institute has provided expert reviews and advice on everything parents and children love, including STEM toys, educational toys, sensory toys and more.
Much of the toy testing for this article was overseen by Rachel Rothman, the Good Housekeeping Institute's chief technologist and director of engineering, with the help of Marisa LaScala, Good Housekeeping's senior parenting and relationships editor. For more than 15 years, Rachel has put her training in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics to work by researching, testing and writing about parenting products. Plus, as a mom to three kids under 5, she has plenty of first-hand experience.
Marisa has covered all aspects of the world of parenting, from the postpartum years through the empty nests, since 2015, and she's pitched in with Good Housekeeping's toy coverage since 2018. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter, who are both avid toy collectors.
Shop more toys and gifts for kids
Marisa LaScala Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother.
Rachel Rothman Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman (she/her) is the chief technologist and executive technical director at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she oversees testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all GH Labs.
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