Shopping for the 4-year-old in your life? Shop TODAY has got you covered! We tapped the advice of early childhood education experts to find out what gifts are most suitable for this curious age group. We also gathered insights from our editors and analyzed customer reviews to bring you the top options.
The best gifts for 4-year-olds help their imaginations come alive. As they leave age 3 and turn 4, little ones are enthralled by storytelling, pretend play and exploration.
As they head off to preschool and kindergarten, 4-year-old boys and girls also become immersed with friends and start playing collaboratively, learning to now share their toys instead of just playing side by side.
“They tend to have clear preferences on what they like or want to do,” says Tovah Klein, director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and author of “How Toddlers Thrive.”
Their pretend play is a little more complicated as they come to understand narratives and differentiate between fantasy and reality, says Marie Conti, head of The Wetherill School in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, and a board member of the American Montessori Society. Capes and dress-up props, as well as outdoor toys or STEM gadgets, allow them to explore their world.
We rounded up several unique gifts for 4-year-olds that will keep both their minds and their bodies moving.
Best gifts for 4-year-olds under $25
All the fun of painting with none of the mess. These portable paint sticks require no water and are easy for little hands to hold.
Build their vocabulary as they get ready for kindergarten with this muffin-themed set they won’t want to stop playing with. They’ll learn sounds, syllables and other phonic skills.
This rechargeable voice changer is a fun toy for 4-year-olds. It has five settings, transforming their voices to sound like a monster, alien, robot or ghost, and even acts as a regular microphone.
This mess-free painting kit includes a genius innovation — paint that won’t spill, even if you turn it upside down. Washable paint sticks, stencils, stickers and more complete the Crayola kit.
Continue to play into their Target obsession with this Barbie doll that includes a cash register set-up. With a gift card and magazine end cap, a cash register, basket with foods and a reusable bag to place it all in, they can add this set to their pretend town.
Best educational toys for 4-year-olds
Your 4-year-old can begin to learn to code with this fun set that lets them show a creature how to fetch, play hide-and-seek and more. There are 22 pieces that they can interact with to give them endless coding challenges.
This cash register helps make counting fun, while encouraging pretend play. It comes with the register, play cash and coins, a credit card and an activity guide.
Old-fashioned dominos can create hours of play, and this set includes some bells (literally) that a traditional set doesn’t. Comprised of over 100 pieces, this set helps develop engineering skills as they learn about balance and spatial awareness.
Give your child a jump-start on learning to code without a screen, with this fun STEM set that lets kids solve missions and discover hidden tricks.
This interactive board is a great way to start getting your child familiar with the weather cycles and season changes. It also encourages time spent outdoors so they can log the daily weather on their board.
Best play sets for 4-year-olds
“If you’re buying Legos, just buy regular Legos. Don’t feel like you have to buy pink ones because you have a girl,” Conti says.
If you need to organize their Legos after playtime is over, here are five brilliant (and mom-approved) hacks for keeping them tidy and out of your bare foot’s way.
Klein and Conti both love bug jars or insect boxes for kids this age. It’ll get them to explore the outdoors and learn about critters.
With over 16,000 verified five-star ratings on Amazon, this bestselling toy train set is sure to please both kids and parents alike. The setup is easy and the fun lasts for months.
Sand boxes are always a hit with 4-year-olds, and this portable version lets them have sensory fun at home. With three types of kinetic sand and tools to shape it, mermaid fans can create sandcastles galore.
Made with high-quality silicone and innovative suction construction, these little suckers make bath time (and play time!) so much fun. According to the brand, the toy can help with motor skills, problem solving and more.
While they may have been too young sit still long enough to watch the cinematic sensation that took the world by storm this summer (and still is!), they’re not too young to send their Barbie dolls down the longest slide that the Dreamhouse has had to date. This house also features 10 different play areas, including a pet palace to host the included furry friend.
This Lovevery planner play kit gives kids practice in thinking ahead and understand the concept of time. It's a subscription service that delivers 12 toys every three months.
Best arts and crafts and creative toys for 4-year-olds
At this age, they’re probably starting to get curious about the stuff they see Mom applying on her face every day. They may even want some of their own. Keep it kid-friendly with this set of 10 lip glosses that are each topped with adorable little versions of Stitch.
With coloring pages, paper to create origami figures with, pop-up story pages to decorate, crayons, markers and more, their creativity can take new heights via these dinosaur-themed crafts.
This wooden art easel is sure to inspire your kid by offering them a variety of different art mediums — dry erase, chalk, paper — to unlock their creative side (and keep them off of screens).
Best active toys for 4-year-olds
This stroller lets big brothers and sisters role-play before caring for the real thing. It's lightweight, foldable and can hold up to an 18-inch doll.
As kids age, more of their toys become battery-powered and involve a screen, which is why a toy that gets them moving outside is such a favorite. Conti recommends outdoor toys like this one for 4-year-olds. This toy is a shopper favorite, with a similar version from the brand landing the number one spot on Amazon’s most gifted list for toy foam blasters and guns.
Kids want to be part of the fun of shopping! This Target toy shopping cart is inspired by the real thing and even has some grocery staples like whole milk and some guilty pleasures like ice cream sandwiches. A target trip is not complete without a beverage in hand and this toy shopping cart has a slot for its portable coffee cup.
“We got this for my daughter and it really kept her busy for good stretches of time,” says deals editor Rebecca Brown. It's important to note that the brand says it's designed for indoor use only.
Best games and puzzles for 4-year-olds
Ask questions to guess the animal on the card in this problem-solving game that doesn’t require reading. With a handy storage box to keep the game organized, this game nurtures the curious nature of a 4-year-old, making it another great stocking stuffer idea.
Perfectly designed for little hands, this jumbo floor activity helps improve a preschooler’s hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.
Four-year-olds are starting to learn about games with rules. This simple variation on bingo works well for pre-readers and early readers, thanks to the clear images and easy-to-read words.
Best pretend play for 4-year-olds
On a day in the park or even out in your backyard, your kid will bring out their explorer side and get really close up to nature.
This cookie bake set puts a sweet spin on playtime. The set includes 12 sliceable cookies, 12 toppings, a toy knife, spatula, cookie sheet and kitchen mitt to learn kitchen safety through play.
They might have just had their first dentist appointment, and whether it was tear-free or not, help them become more familiar with the tools and devices used with this play set that comes complete with braces, pretend teeth, examination tools and more.
Have a little one who likes to clean? Get them their own Dyson inspired vacuum. This toy is just like the real thing from the twist-and-turn ball to the clear cylinder.
This kit lets little ones play doctor on the stuffed animals that are included in every purchase. The set comes with everything they need to make “house calls” for their patients, including a stethoscope, thermometer, syringe, tweezers, clamp and more.
Cooking, serving food and playing “restaurant” are key elements of a 4-year-old’s pretend play. And what’s better than an ice cream counter with all of the pretend materials? They’ll be able to scoop and serve their favorite dessert with this set.
Best dolls and stuffed animals for 4-year-olds
The Squishmallow Hugmees plush is an A-plus gift for the 4-year-old who loves hugs. This stuffed toy is perfect for relaxing at home, watching a movie or as a comfort item while traveling.
This Jellycat is not just a new stuffed friend, it’s also a bag! Just strap this on and your 4-year-old will have a pal who can travel with them anywhere and also store some of their small trinkets and essentials.
Reviewers adore this brand for creating dolls that are a "perfect blend of two cultures." Riley, in particular, is "adventurous" and always at the ready to score some shaved ice from her favorite Asian grocery store.
The Gaïana Healthy Roots doll was created with curly girls in mind. This doll has washable and styleable hair teaching kids about different hair textures.
Best books for 4-year-olds
Owl is desperate to be a knight, despite his relatively diminutive stature. When he’s faced with a dragon, he’ll use his smarts and kind disposition to keep the peace.
In this latest installment of the “food group” series that includes “The Good Egg“ and “The Bad Seed,” Grape holds a lot of grudges. His revelation that feeling negative is no fun leads him to a sweet ending.
This kid-friendly introduction to mindfulness encourages children to live in the moment, with a guided breathing exercise to help.
This modern retelling of the classic fairytale adds a dash of humor, a touch of absurdity and a hint of foreboding that together prove irresistible.
Funny books like this are great for 4-year-olds. “It’s important for kids to have fun with reading,” says Nina Lindsay, a director for the Association for Library Service to Children
Luna’s family lives in a building with a strict no pet policy, so she finds a creative solution and adopts a wilted plant she names Stephanie. Parents who don’t want a pet might appreciate the ingenuity, plus instructions for caring for your own plant pet.
This set of board books is filled with female icons from modern day in various fields so little ones can get familiar with them early! The four books each contain eight women in the following categories: advocates, trailblazers, creatives and athletes.
How we chose
The Shop TODAY team works hard to find the best products and coolest gifts out there. We interview experts and use our own personal experiences with brands and shopping to find the most unique gifts on the market that are sure to be a hit with the 4-year-old in your life.
Meet the experts
- Marie Conti is Director of Regional Community Relations for American Montessori Society. She was the former head of The Wetherill School in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.
- Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D., is Director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development in New York, as well as the author of “How Toddlers Thrive." She focuses on young children's social and emotional development, as well as parents' experiences raising them.
- Nina Lindsay is a former president of the Association for Library Service to Children.
Don’t forget to check out Shop TODAY’s other gift guides to find the perfect present for every kid on your list including babies, 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 5-year-olds, 6-year-olds, 7-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds and 10-year-olds.