Four is an age of endless discovery, boundless energy, and growing independence. At this stage, attention spans are growing, friendships are forming, and imaginative play reaches new heights of creativity and complexity.
We regularly refresh this carefully curated collection to match these expanding abilities and interests. Each selection combines engaging play value with natural opportunities for learning, ensuring gifts that bring lasting excitement and enjoyment.
1.Interactive Shopping Adventure Cash Register
Watch a 4-year-old boy’s eyes light up as he transforms into a confident store manager, scanning items and making important “business decisions.” This age brings explosive imagination development, where real-world tools become gateways to hours of creative pretend play.
Perfect for energetic boys who love hands-on exploration, this register delivers engaging sounds and realistic features that maintain interest through multiple play sessions. Boys can practice counting with play money, serve pretend customers, and even host impromptu store “grand openings.”
- Lights and sounds provide immediate feedback that keeps active boys engaged
- Develops essential math foundations through natural play scenarios
- Multiple accessories spark different imaginative play situations
- Encourages social skills as boys take turns being cashier and customer
- Sturdy design stands up to enthusiastic button-pressing and scanning
- Beeping sounds might become repetitive for adults after extended play
- Some parts need occasional organization to prevent misplacement
2.Caring Hearts Vet Clinic Play Set
Preschool boys are natural storytellers and adventurers, and this complete veterinary set channels that energy into caring play. As they bandage stuffed pets and listen to heartbeats, they’re building confidence while exploring the exciting world of animal care.
With 24 pieces including realistic medical tools sized just right for small hands, this set sparks hours of imaginative play. Boys love taking charge as the doctor, creating stories about helping sick animals, and sharing the experience with friends.
- Builds empathy and emotional understanding through nurturing play scenarios
- Perfect size tools encourage fine motor skill development
- Durable construction stands up to enthusiastic play sessions
- Storage tote makes cleanup fun and teaches organization
- Versatile for both independent and collaborative storytelling
- Small pieces require adult supervision during play
- Set includes only two plush animals to care for
3.Mudpuppy Outer Space Glow-in-the-Dark
This vibrant puzzle depicts a colorful cosmic scene of planets, stars, astronauts and spaceships that captures the curiosity of 4-year-olds. As they assemble the 18×12″ puzzle, they’ll develop problem-solving abilities, hand-eye coordination and attention to detail.
But the real galactic fun begins when the lights go out – the puzzle pieces actually glow in the dark! The award-winning design allows for solo or group play while nurturing interests in astronomy and STEM subjects. The sturdy storage box keeps pieces together when playtime is over.
- Engages interest in outer space
- Glow-in-the-dark pieces entertain
- Develops key skills like focus
- 100 pieces may challenge younger kids
4.Green Toys Parking Garage
This eco-friendly parking garage provides a 360° play space for vehicle adventures. The multi-level set includes a mini helicopter, two mini vehicles, service station, ramp, elevator, and helipad. Made in the USA from 100% recycled milk jugs with no BPA, phthalates or coatings.
Develops motor skills, cause/effect reasoning and storytelling as kids drive, fix and fly their cars. An engaging, sustainable gift for imaginative 4-year-old boys.
- Made from recycled plastic
- Promotes motor skills and reasoning
- Encourages creativity and roleplay
- Works with other Green Toys vehicles
- Assembly required
5.Play Tent and Tunnels
With vibrant tunnels, cube tent and teepee, this pop up play set by Weplay encourages hours of active and social play. The target wall game takes playtime up a notch.
The lightweight polyester tent assembles in seconds and folds into a compact carry case. Durable and safe, it’s ideal for indoor or outdoor use. Kids can crawl through tunnels, hide in tents and let imagination run wild. The variety of play spaces and activities make this an ideal gift for 4 year old boys who love active physical play.
- Vibrant tunnels and tents
- Target wall game
- Lightweight and portable
- Improves problem-solving skills
- Indoor/outdoor use
- Balls sold separately
6.Playmobil City Action Firestation
Role-playing based on different occupations and ways of life is an important developmental milestone, showing that a child can comprehend and explore issues beyond what immediately affects them. Role-playing the emergency services and ‘people who help us’ demonstrates that a child is beginning to understand the wider society in which they live.
The Playmobil City Action Firestation is ideal for this kind of play, including sound effects and working elements it allows children to role-play imaginatively and explore the fire service. This set also improves construction skills as children need to follow instructions to put it together.
- Encourages imaginative role-play
- Allows children to explore different occupations
- Improves construction skills
- Working elements
- Sound effects
- Batteries required
- Fire engine sold separately
7.Mickey and Minnie Mouse's Camping Adventure
This Lego camper van set comes with classic Disney characters like Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto for hours of pretend camping fun. It includes a toy camper van, car, and lots of accessories like sleeping bags, a campfire, food, and camping chairs. The set is easy to assemble using the included building bricks and offers an engaging play experience for kids.
Little builders will love acting out camping scenarios with the included minifigures. The accessories like the campfire, food, and camping gear inspire creative roleplaying as kids make their own campsite. Playing with the set develops fine motor skills, imagination, and storytelling abilities. 4 year old fans of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are sure to love this toy camper van set as a gift.
- Includes popular Disney characters
- Accessories for imaginative play
- Develops fine motor skills
- Inspires creativity
- Doesn't come with storage
8.Brio World Travel Switching Set
Train tracks are a classic toy, offering a range of benefits for children’s development. For example, as children learn to connect pieces, they improve their hand-eye coordination, as they decide on the pieces they need, they develop problem-solving skills and as they plan their creation, they work on their spatial awareness.
The Brio World Travel Switching Set adds interest to train track play with two battery-powered engines based on trains from around the world. This encourages and develops an interest in different modes of transport. The Brio wooden tracks are also compatible with other train track sets.
- Wooden tracks; eco-friendlier toy
- Compatible with other track sets
- Encourages construction skills
- Develops interest in modes of transport
- Battery-powered trains; add interest.
- Requires batteries
9.Melissa & Doug Wooden Deluxe Barbecue Grill
This wooden barbecue grill toy set by Melissa & Doug includes everything a 4 year old need for pretend backyard cooking fun. The detailed grill features dials, a timer, smoker box, and side burner. It comes with wooden play food like steak, chicken, corn, and more that can be “cooked” by flipping to reveal grill marks. Felt condiments, pizza with toppings, utensils, and accessories add to the realistic play experience.
As kids cook up meals with this toy grill, they build fine motor skills by manipulating the small pieces. Sorting the wooden food and lining up condiments promotes counting and organization. Playing restaurant develops their imagination and storytelling abilities. The durable wood construction makes this grill built to last for years of pretend play fun.
- Detailed wooden grill toy
- Sliceable wooden play food
- Promotes fine motor and counting skills
- Inspires creative play
- Small pieces require supervision
10.Hasbro Hungry Hungry Hippo
Playing games with family and friends is another great way for children to work on their social skills as they develop the ability to take turns, play fairly, follow the rules and begin to regulate their emotions as they win or lose. It also helps to build some social rapport and is a lovely way for family and friends to bond.
The Hasbro Hungry Hungry Hippo game is ideal for 4-year-olds as it doesn’t require lots of strategies or critical thinking and has a fast pace. The game is ideal for improving hand-eye coordination and motor skills as children press the buttons on the hippos to make them snap their mouths open at the right time. Early maths skills are also supported as the balls need to be counted to determine who has won.
- Fun game suitable for the whole family
- Improves hand-eye coordination
- Develops motor skills
- Encourages counting and maths skills
- Supports social skills
- Requires additional players
11.Kinetic Sand Folding Sandbox
Sensory play is important throughout the early years, and that includes age 4 too. Sensory play allows children to experiment with a whole range of different concepts and learn by being hands-on.
Kinetic sand is sand which can be easily molded and is extremely satisfying to use. The Kinetic Sand Folding Sandbox is ideal as it can simply be folded away when a child is finished playing with it, the box itself is a convenient, built-in storage solution and comes with 7 molds and tools. The kinetic sand itself is non-toxic and hypoallergenic so very safe for children to play with.
- Sensory play opportunity
- Convenient, built-in storage
- 7 molds and tools included
- Non-toxic and hypoallergenic
- Can be messy
12.Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage
Part of the popular Hot Wheels range, this set is ideal for imaginative play with toy cars. It has space for over 140 cars and is compatible with other Hot Wheels sets so play can really be extended as much as desired. Imaginative play with cars is another way for children to experiment with different social situations and develop their language as they often use language to narrate what is going on or give speech to different characters in the scene they are creating.
The Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage is over 3 feet tall so would make a really exciting gift for a 4-year-old boy which will help to improve his construction skills too.
- Over 3 ft tall
- Space for over 140 cars
- Compatible with other Hot Wheels sets
- Encourages construction skills
- Inspires imaginative play
- Expensive toy
13.Lego Classic Extra Large Stone Box
Lego is a real timeless classic when it comes to open-ended construction toys and it really is built to last forever. Many families have Lego from when their adult children were younger, which they pass on to grandchildren or keep in their home for children to play with when they visit; this just shows how long the appeal of Lego will last!
The Lego Classic Extra Large Stone Box features 1500 Lego elements for lots of open-ended play which will boost children’s imagination and creativity. The set also includes some construction ideas in case children need some inspiration to get them started.
- 1500 Lego elements
- Open-ended play
- Boosts imagination and creativity
- Develops construction skills
- Includes construction ideas
- Does not come with storage box
14.Remote Control Stunt Car
Give the gift of fun and excitement with this remote control stunt car by Amicool. Designed for easy operation, even by young kids, this is the perfect toy for a four-year-old boy that is just starting to get into tech toys. The included remote will ensure seamless control as the car flips, spins and zooms across the room or backyard. The wide tires even make for a smooth ride on rough terrain like grass, dirt or snow.
Using the remote control will improve fine motor skills and develop hand-eye coordination as he figures out how to maneuver around obstacles. The sturdy design and flexible tires make this car age appropriate as it’s expected it’s going to take a few bumps and crashes. The 360-degree rotation capability and flip feature mean that even running into walls or furniture won’t stop the fun. It can completely flip upside down and keep on rolling. This gift will provide loads of fun while developing important skills.
- 360-degree rotation and flip capabilities
- Simple control, minimal buttons
- Develops hand-eye coordination
- Encourages outdoor play
- Rechargeable batteries don’t run long
