11 Best Toys for 4-Year-Olds 2022 (2024)

Kids love to imitate adults, but actually standing at the adult-size sink to wash up is still a few years away. This sweet little toy sink is kid-sized, and allows kids to play with running water that cycles through like a water fountain; fill it up before they play and they can do dishes or wash dolls as long as they like. The set comes with cups, plates, a dish brush, play detergent, and a dish rack, so kids can wash and stack, wash and stack. The dishes change color from pink and blue to white when the water is above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which is enchanting for little players, too.

Heads up

The sink has to be carefully filled and maintained to keep water from getting into the battery compartment.

Specs

• 16 x 11 x 4 inches
• 2.25 pounds
• Recommended for age 3 and up

Most 4-year-olds want to learn to write their name, and this souped-up doodling tablet from VTech is a fun way to get started. A small screen above the writing surface gives your child animated demonstrations on how to form upper- and lowercase letters, and parents can customize the screen with their own child’s name to give them practice reproducing it below with the stylus. The toy includes stencils to give little artists objects like flowers and stars to trace for more practice.

Heads up

Some users have reported that the eraser doesn’t completely erase what children have drawn, causing issues over time.

Specs

• 12.09 x 14.39 x 2.76 inches
• 2.7 pounds
• Recommended for ages 3-6
• 2 AA batteries required, included

Throwing and catching are key skills 4-year-olds are working on, and though balls come at you hard and fast, these lightweight airplanes glide through the air and are easier to control, as well as a lot friendlier if somebody happens to take one to the face. These planes are the perfect toy to hand your child to throw around the yard: the learning curve is gentle, yet perfecting direction and length of glide is a challenge.

Heads up

These planes are made of styrofoam, so don’t expect them to last forever.

Specs

• 17.5 x 4.7 x 2 inches
• 4.5 ounces
• Two pack
• Recommended for age 3 and up

Your 4-year-old will learn the basics of computer coding without even realizing it with this ingenious toy, which has a row of chunky dials running down the back of the caterpillar. Kids can twist them one by one or all at once to program a path for their pal: move forward, turn left, turn right, and so on in a sequence. Other dials allow kids to add lights and sound effects, with more than 1,000 possible combinations. But your child won’t care about any of that, she’ll just love watching the caterpillar move on its own under her command.

Heads up

Doesn’t move well on carpet; best used on hard floor surfaces or large table surfaces.

Specs

• 16.54 x 3.74 x 5.51 inches
• 1.58 pounds
• Recommended for ages 3-6
• 4 AA batteries required, not included

Most kids are ready to pedal a two-wheeler anytime from age 4 to 8, so age 4 is go-time for practicing balance and steering. This balance bike looks like a big-kid model but has a lower center of gravity for stability and is easy for small kids to climb on. The seat easily adjusts up and down 5.5 inches, which may be enough to get your little rider all the way through to a pedal bike.

Heads up

The handlebars need to be tightened often and the wheels may wear out quickly depending on where it is ridden.

Specs

• 22 x 6 x 15.7
• 6.39 lbs
• Seat height adjusts from 12.2 to 15.7 inches

You probably already know how much children appreciate a small private space to play in, and this cool toy allows kids to build an astonishing number of structures in different shapes and sizes, polishing elementary engineering skills as they play. The set comes with 53 long glow-in-the-dark rods and 28 Tinker Toy-like connecting spheres so there areplenty of building materials. Once the fort’s done, throw a sheet over the top as a roof, and watch the kids play quietly inside for hours.

Heads up

The connector balls can be difficult for kids to fit together without an adult’s help.

Specs

• 16.81 x 12.95 x 3.78 inches
• 5.15 pounds
• Recommended for age 4 and up

Okay, so it’s not the classiest toy ever invented, but 4-year-olds think this Play-Doh add-on is hilarious. The three included dino eggs that come with the set are filled with colored Play-Doh; feed it into the dino’s mouth to make him chomp while the Play-Doh rains down in bits into the dinosaur’s see-through belly, and when your child presses the button on his back, emerges out his butt, complete with what Play-Doh calls “toot” sounds. Your 4-year-old will laugh every time, too.

Heads up

This toy is difficult to clean.

Specs

• 2.63 x 11 x 8.5 inches
• 1.53 pounds
• Recommended for age 3 and up
• 2 LR44 batteries required, included

These tubes and gears suction-cup easily to the side of your bathtub in any configuration your child can dream up; turn on the water and the whirligigs spin and the tubes fill up and overflow into each other in a simple chain that’s curiously mesmerizing. When the toy gets icky, throw it in the dishwasher’s top rack for a scrub-up. And don’t be surprised if the adults in your house find this toy as fun to play with as the kids do.

Heads up

Some parents report trouble getting the cogs to turn efficiently.

Specs

• 2.7 x 6.5 x 2 inches
• 3.88 ounces
• 5 pipes, 5 cogs, and 3 tubes

A decided step up from simple blocks and bricks, this construction set is a jumble of wooden pieces with pre-drilled holes, wheels, hooks, and other connectable gewgaws, with plastic tools to put them together or take them apart: a hammer, screwdriver, wrenches. Kids can build towers, structures, vehicles, or anything else they can imagine, improving their fine motor skills, engineering, and critical thinking skills as they practice.

Heads up

Small pieces can be choking hazards for younger siblings.

Specs

• 12.25 x 3.75 x 8 inches
• 1.78 pounds
• Recommended for age 3 and up
  

Kids love having a workspace of their very own, and this electronic drawing pad gives them a chance to practice the burgeoning fine motor skills that soon will allow them to write. The color produced by the toy’s stylus changes according to how hard your child presses; she can create colorful masterpieces and learn how to deftly manipulate the pencil-like stylus at the same time. Save drawings with the lock key, or erase them and try again.

Heads up

The colors are not as bright in person as pictured.

Specs

• 9.8 x 6.9 x 0.24 inches
• 9.2 ounces
• Recommended for age 3 and up

Since 4-year-olds have energy to burn, this trampoline is a wise purchase for indoor bouncing fun. Kids can hold on to the central handle for support and bounce away; the trampoline is light and small enough to move around the house, and helps kids stay active on rainy or snowy days.

Heads up

This product does not come assembled and some have had trouble putting it together.

Specs

• 36 x 36 x 33.5 inches
• 13.62 pounds
• Recommended for ages 3-6
• Maximum weight 55 pounds

Four-year-olds are incredibly active little beings. Their bodies move around at a mile a minute and so do their minds; toys are one practical way to burn off some of that energy and let energetic, excited 4-year-olds practice all the things they want to do by themselves now, now, now.

Active all-body toys are favorites, including anything that lets them climb, jump, and run. Ride-on toys are favorites (although a pedal bike may still be beyond them), as are toys that give children a chance to practice catching and throwing.

Children this age are also eager to use their newly talented hands to finely manipulate toys: building or destroying objects, using crayons or pens to make their mark, scissors and art supplies to realize creative visions.

Pretend play also reaches a peak now, so toys that allow them to imagine being a parent, a teacher, a doctor, an astronaut are beloved by play-acting 4-year-olds. At this age, children are also starting to enjoy toys that are more sophisticated and will last longer than the baby toys they cycled through more quickly. When you choose toys now, consider their longevity: Will your 7-year-old enjoy this as much in a few years? If the answer is yes, that’s a strong vote in favor of that particular toy.