Four-year-olds love to pretend to be something else, from a teacher to a superhero to a dog. That kind of play builds teamwork, language and problem solving.
Costumes and small worlds to act out fit this age well, and the ideas below are a good place to start for a four-year-old boy.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra.
16 picks14 picks10 picks
*Paid link
40 picks16 picks14 picks10 picks
*Paid link
Games and puzzles
German brand
This Bluey memory game puts a familiar face on every card for a preschool boy who quotes the show.
He can name the whole cast without help, so each flip lets him call out who just appeared. On a family vacation, he can deal the cards across a hotel bed and challenge a parent to keep up.
Arts and crafts
Should the boy on your list cover the fridge with crayon pictures, this Hape easel hands him a standing spot to work.
A preschooler swings his whole arm and shifts his feet while he draws, so a board he stands at matches how he scribbles. His finished dinosaur ends up as the picture he walks a parent over to see.
Pretend shops pop up around the house when a preschooler wants to run things, and this Hape register anchors his.
He loves pricing his stuffed animals and making grown-ups pay, so every sale now goes through his till. The price tags he draws for each teddy stay taped along his shelf, ready for tomorrow's customers.
Building setsAges 4+
65 pieces · set 60455
Danish brand
A boy who pins a paper badge to his shirt and hands out tickets can build a patrol bike for his rounds.
At four, he wants the officer's role for himself, and with 65 pieces the build he snaps together turns straight into his ride on duty. The finished bike parks beside his ticket book between shifts.
Games and puzzles
Named on a list by Good Housekeeping (goodhousekeeping.com)
American brand
This ThinkFun Zingo game hands each picture to the fastest spotter, so a preschool boy who notices details can take on everyone.
He already scans picture books for the tiny cat or lost sock, and here that habit decides who wins. After preschool pickup, he can set it up on the coffee table and wave a parent over to join.
Dolls and figuresAges 3+
American brand
When the preschooler you're buying for moos at every cow in his books, this Fold & Go barn hands him a stage.
He voices every animal and picks who gets fed, and this setting puts those book scenes in his hands. Folded shut, the set tucks onto his shelf with tomorrow's story waiting inside.
Building setsAges 1.5+
Danish brand
A boy who rearranges his couch cushions into a new fort every day can turn 65 LEGO Duplo pieces into his next design.
At his age he wants to run the whole plan alone, and plain pieces leave every layout up to him. Any spare bricks end up as a lookout on the roof.
5 picks3 picks2 picks
*Paid link
American brand
K'NEX Budding Builders pieces fit a preschool boy who keeps inventing machines and asking how his toys work inside.
The gadgets he describes out loud during play become something he holds, changes and takes down again on his own. Before bedtime, he can put together a garage for his favorite car and park it by his pillow.
Ages 4+
Danish brand
Olaf, Anna and Elsa come with this LEGO set, handing a four-year-old Frozen fan his own cast to direct.
He replays the songs and lines from memory, so figures in his hands let him restage every moment his way. The ending he invents, with Olaf stealing the show, gets performed for anyone who wanders past.
Made in Denmark
Plus-Plus building blocks give a four-year-old who dreams up creatures and towers a fresh set to make them.
He likes deciding what each build becomes, so his dragon can turn into a race car before dinner. Plus-Plus labels it for ages 1 and up, so a younger sibling can build beside him.
Ages 4+
137 pieces (Playmobil) · set 71530
German brand
Playmobil's Pirates set gives a four-year-old who plays captain at every chance a deck of his own to command.
Sea chases and buried gold run through most stories he invents, and 137 pieces let him set up each one himself. The treasure map he scribbles afterward marks where the ship docks on his bedroom rug.
American brand
MAGNA-TILES give a four-year-old boy who stacks anything he finds a set to build tall and wide on the floor.
He can set a stuffed animal inside a tile house and rebuild it bigger. The tiles pull apart easily, so he can start over.
4 picks2 picks2 picks
*Paid link
Dutch brand
Hide-and-seek is the constant request of a preschooler who loves sneaking around, and this Goliath game brings that stealth to the table.
He chases the hush right before someone finds him, and a snoozing dad to tiptoe past holds that same suspense. His tally of quiet wins gets scribbled on a sticky note tucked inside the box.
Any four-year-old who picks the cherries out of a fruit bowl can carry that favorite to family night with Hi Ho Cherry-O. He asks for that snack by name, so a board built around it gets pulled out at his request.
The wins he racks up get announced to everyone at the table before the box closes.
The Uzzle bundle pairs a pattern-matching race with a block-building game, ready for a preschool boy who loves beating a puzzle.
He copies each challenge card with his blocks. Then he stacks a tower on the kitchen table.
American brand
Any four-year-old who quizzes grown-ups about the letters in his name can do the sorting himself with this Learning Resources set.
He spots print on every sign lately, and a pretend soup kitchen lets him serve up his own answers. The set then sits by the table, within his reach whenever he wants another round.
3 picks2 picks1 pick
*Paid link
These sea animal figures put the creatures a preschool boy already points out in his picture books right into his hands.
He can pile blankets inside a laundry basket to make a reef and decide which animal chases the others. Afterward, he can line them up in a shoebox and pick which one leads tomorrow's dive.
A plush doodle puppy makes sense for a preschool boy who crouches down to greet every dog he passes on the sidewalk.
The friendly dog he waves at outside becomes one he can carry around and give a name of his own. At the breakfast table, he can prop it on the next chair and set out a pretend water dish.
This Bluey airplane turns into a resort and a boat, so a four-year-old fan gets several toys in one.
He can fly the family off on vacation, then unfold the resort and decide who sleeps where.
5 picks4 picks1 pick
*Paid link
American brand
A preschool boy who begs for paper whenever his favorite Pokémon comes up can keep his own Squirtle coloring kit within reach.
He likes starting a picture without waiting for a grown-up, and the character he loves comes along every time. On a train ride, he can open it on his lap and draw new friends for his hero.
American brand
This Crayola Scribble Scrubbies Bluey set lets a four-year-old fan color the show's characters himself.
He acts out episodes at home, so picking how each character looks lets him stage them his way. After the coloring, the characters can head to the rug for a pretend family outing.
Ages 3+
American brand
In a restaurant booth, a preschooler who slaps peel-offs on every menu can thump pictures down with a bunny stamper.
He likes deciding where every picture goes, and the maker labels it for ages 3 and up.
American brand
The four-year-old who mashes every dough color together and pinches out lumpy snakes can crack open this Play-Doh set as he goes.
Molding things with his hands is how he plays right now, so each container he pops open feeds the next lumpy creature.
American brand
This Play-Doh ice cream set hands a four-year-old Peppa Pig fan dough for pretend cones and scoops.
He loves rolling and pinching dough, and his favorite pig gives each lump a story. Every new flavor he invents can get a silly name borrowed from an episode.
4 picks1 pick1 pick2 picks
*Paid link
Swedish brand
A BRIO World Christmas engine gives a four-year-old who builds railway loops a festive train to lead them.
He plans routes around the furniture, so a holiday engine heads each December trip he lays out. BRIO labels it for ages 3 and up, and it can stay on his track long after the holidays.
Ages 3+
American brand
Melissa & Doug Vroom & Zoom dashboard lets a preschool boy who pushes toy cars across every rug take the driver's seat himself.
His small racers only move where his hand pushes them; here he sits behind the wheel and picks each destination.
If the boy you're shopping for stages emergencies on the rug, this helicopter set gives every call an air crew.
He already supplies the siren sounds himself, so these choppers only need his hand to reach each emergency. He can turn a shoebox lid into a helipad by the couch and land each crew in turn.
Tiny Land's train and track set hands a train-loving four-year-old a railway to plan and lay out himself.
He waves at every passing train, so choosing where the track bends lets him run the line. Before dinner, he can curve the route around a chair leg and call out each stop.
4 picks2 picks2 picks
*Paid link
These hand2mind Numberblocks cubes let a preschool fan of the show snap its characters together himself.
He calls out each character by name, so building them cube by cube puts the show in his hands. After an episode, he can line his builds up on the coffee table and compare their heights.
This rocket ship gives a boy who names every planet in his books a craft to fly around his own room.
He can tape a paper planet to the closet door, steer toward it and land the craft on his pillow.
American brand
Learning Resources color tiles suit a preschooler who lines up his toy cars in neat rows by color before playing.
Grouping things by shade is how he plays now, and plain squares leave every stripe and mosaic up to him. Leftover pieces stay stacked by the rug, ready for tomorrow's rainbow road.
American brand
Dinosaur play and number games meet in these Learning Resources counters for a four-year-old who roars through every reptile book.
He lines up beasts by the handful, and each piece is a creature he loves rather than a plain bead.
3 picks1 pick2 picks
*Paid link
If the boy on your list pretends a broom is a guitar, this Hape one swaps it for an instrument that answers his hands.
He mimics every performer he hears, and here the sound comes out of his own playing instead of a speaker.
Number tunes from tonies belong with a four-year-old who tallies the stairs out loud and hums through every chore.
He repeats any tune he hears until the whole house knows it, and these songs put numbers in every chorus. The stomping routine he invents for his favorite track becomes the show his family gets called in to watch.
During a living room sing-along, a four-year-old who belts out every chorus can join the band on his own Hape ukulele.
Labeled by Hape for ages 3 and up, its strings put the music he shouts into his fingers.
5 picks4 picks1 pick
*Paid link
This fort suits a four-year-old who hauls blankets into corners to build secret hideouts.
He can crawl in, peek out the window and call a stuffed animal over for a meeting. You will need a box fan to fill it.
Outdoor and sports
A boy who stops mid-step to point at every squirrel, crow or airplane can now study them up close himself.
He notices tiny things far away and asks about them, and these let him aim and find out for himself. From the top of the playground slide, he can scan the benches to spot which grown-up is waving.
Outdoor and sportsAges 3+
American brand
During a stroll along the pond path, a four-year-old who points at every duck gets to play lookout with these butterfly binoculars.
He loves calling out sightings before anyone else, and a pair of his own puts him in charge. The pair stays up at his eyes until the last duck paddles out of view.
Books
Press Here gives a four-year-old a picture book that invites him to press along page by page.
It is rated for ages 3 and up, so it sits easily at his age. A parent can read the instructions aloud while he does the pressing.
Books
Dinosaur-obsessed preschoolers can explore the National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs page by page.
He studies the pictures on the couch with a parent after dinner. Then he roars out each name he has learned.
Any price
*Paid link
The Hape art easel suits a boy who draws standing up and wants a big surface to work on, and the Crayola Squirtle carry case goes to a boy who carries his crayons and markers from room to room.
Singing along to every song in the car points to the Hape starter guitar, made for a young music lover who wants to strum tunes of his own.
Almost done
Check your inbox and tap the link to confirm. After that there is nothing to remember: one email a year arrives before his birthday.
Almost done
Check your inbox and tap the link to confirm. After that there is nothing to remember: one email a year arrives before Christmas.
Almost done
Check your inbox and tap the link to confirm. After that there is nothing to remember: one email a year arrives before the day.
Almost done
Check your inbox and tap the link to confirm. Then one email comes a few days before the last recommended mailing day for Christmas, and that’s all.
Reminder not set
Check each field and try again.
Reminder not set
Enter an email address such as name@example.com.
Reminder not set
Choose the month and day.
Reminder not set
The daily limit for reminders from your connection is reached. Try again tomorrow.
Reminder not set
The form has taken all the reminders it can for today. Try again tomorrow.
Reminder not set
This day moves with Easter, so it works by email only.
Set his birthday alarm once. Each year, 3 weeks before, a link to picks for his new age.
One email a few days before the last recommended mailing day, then nothing more.
Chosen by our team from store data and what readers pick, not hands-on tests. Nothing is paid to be on this list. Recall notices checked . How we pick
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
What changed recently
Updated Nov 6and 8 more
and 2 more
and 4 more
