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Best Toys for Four-Year-Olds
Best Toys for Four-Year-Olds

Best Toys for Four-Year-Olds

Building sets, pretend-play favorites and more for the kid with a new idea every five minutes.

author-Briana Engelbrecht
By Briana Engelbrecht
Updated On
Updated On
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In This Article

Best Building Toys for Four-Year-Olds
Best Toys for Pretend Play
Best Books for Four-Year-Olds
Best Arts & Crafts Toys for Four-Year-Olds
Best Toys for Big Movement

If you’re shopping for a four-year-old, their interests will likely give you plenty to go on—and some very specific requests. And at this age, imagination is running full steam ahead. One day they’re operating a pretend restaurant; the next, they’re building a home for every stuffed animal they own. The best toys for four-year-olds give them room to follow those ideas, whether they love making things, playing dress-up or seeing how high they can stack a tower.

With a four-year-old and a six-year-old at home, I’m right in the middle of this stage—and just on the other side of it. I also have a background in early childhood development and have been part of the Babylist team for six years. For this guide, I’ve drawn on that mix of parenting and professional experience to find toys with room for kids to experiment, get creative and play their own way.

From building sets and pretend-play favorites to art supplies, read-alouds and toys that get them moving, these picks offer plenty of ways to play.

⭐ Birthday or holiday coming up? Save your favorites to a Babylist wishlist, so you have an answer when family asks what your four-year-old wants. Log in to your Babylist account and create a birthday or holiday wishlist, then add gifts from any store. Organize them into categories like toys, books and art supplies, add notes about favorite colors or interests and share the link with friends and family. You can keep updating it as their interests change—because this week’s dinosaur obsession might be next week’s astronaut phase.

Best Building Toys for Four-Year-Olds

Whether they’re following instructions or making it up as they go, four-year-olds have big plans for their builds. These blocks, magnetic tiles and puzzles give them plenty to work with—and plenty to play with once the last piece is in place.

Best Toys for Pretend Play

At four, a cardboard box can be a house, a restaurant or the office where they have a very important meeting. These dress-up sets, dolls and pretend-play toys give them a few more props for the stories they’re already dreaming up.

Best Books for Four-Year-Olds

A favorite book at this age usually comes with a request: “Again.” These picks make room for silly stories, curious questions and quieter moments together, whether you’re reading before bed or squeezed onto the couch in the middle of the day.

Best Arts & Crafts Toys for Four-Year-Olds

Sometimes they have a whole plan for their masterpiece. Sometimes the plan is more stickers. From stamps and craft kits to a first camera and piano, these picks let four-year-olds try things out and make something that’s all their own.

Best Toys for Big Movement

If “watch this!” is a familiar refrain in your house, this section is for you. There’s scooting, balancing, bouncing and even mini golf—plenty of ways to move, with new tricks to show you along the way.

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