There are so many toys hanging out in our house and because of this, my son rarely plays with most of them. Riley, just celebrated his 4 year old birthday. We were very picky about what we would be gifting him. I wanted to make sure that any gifts that were given to him wouldn’t just become more forgotten items in our bins of toys.
Here is a list of our favorite toys that are interactive, engaging and very hands on.
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Favorite Learning Games
Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears!
There are endless possibilities of things that can be build with this set. My son loves it and is constantly begging me to pull it out so he can play. It comes in its own storage container which is super convenient.
ZoZoplay STEM Learning Toy Tubular Pipes & Spouts & Joints
My son loves that he can make his own airplanes and cars with this set that includes tubes and wheels. Hours and hours of fun come with this set and it comes with its own storage container.
Rather than having to rearrange all your furniture everyday, this kit creates the foundation for any fort your kiddo can dream of. Simply drape a blanket over the frame and bam, you have the perfect fort!
Favorite Activity Items
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Balance Stepping Stones
These Balance Stepping Stones were awarded the 2019 TOY OF THE YEAR AWARD for excellence by Creative Child Magazine. They are soft to the touch and so much fun for kids to create their own little path to walk on both inside and outside.
Bring the playground to your own backyard with this adorable little climber. Hours and hours of energy can be burned without having to venture out into the world.
Batteries Required
Unlike the usual wooden train sets where the track doesn’t stay together and the train constantly falls off the track, these pieces all snap together and have raised edges so your cars stay in place. My son easily spends 2 hours a day obsessing over this dinosaur track and being a happy boy.
Cartoon R/C Control Toys for Kids
Compared to other remote controlled cars that we have tried these work really well for a 4 year old because: 1. they do not go too fast to control them 2. the steering buttons are easy enough that my 4 year old could figure it out.
These are really great if you have multiple kids or if your 4 year old regularly has play dates with other kiddos.
Games for a 4 Year Old
Okay, so this one is a tablet, but unlike other tablet options that connect to the internet and thus take away all control over what your child is viewing, this LeapFrog tablet comes kid-safe right out of the box. Loaded with games and apps that are learning focused and kid appropriate, your toddler can spend as much or as little time as you want learning from it.
My son is beyond obsessed with this game. Its pretty simple, you roll a dice and then have to go fishing for one or two of the fish pieces. Each game, one of the fish pieces will make the shark chomp. It doesn’t hurt when it chomps but the drama of it is SO thrilling for a kid. My son plays with this everyday and hopes and hopes that it doesn’t chomp him!
And for those well-loved and old Stuffed Animals in your child’s life. Check out my blog How to Make Old Stuffed Animals Look New Again
