We Got Feedback From Real Preschoolers to Find the Best Toys for 4-Year-Old Boys
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When kids reach 4, the brakes come off! At this age, he's in full-on exploration mode. "The best gifts for kids at this age include construction toys that allow them to build and problem-solve—think about plastic interlocking blocks, gear toys, domino runs, magnet tiles, and other similar choices," says Rebecca Parlakian, M.A., E.D., a parenting expert from Zero to Three . "Pretend play props, like costumes, encourage role-playing. With more control over their fine motor skills, art supplies can also be a big hit. And finally, simple board games and activities like dominoes and memory cards are also fun for preschoolers."
Our Top Picks
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Best overall gift: Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope
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Best RC: Monster Jam Chomping Megalodon RC
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Best game: Bluey Rubbish Run Game
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Unique toy: Air Hogs Zero Gravity Racing Wall Climber
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"Wow" gift: Hot Wheels City Ultimate T-Rex Garage
With so much to choose from, it's hard to narrow it down. The Good Housekeeping Institute tests toys with kids to try and find the ones they—and their parents— really like. To those recommendations, we add in some best-sellers and editor's picks to come up with the best toys and gifts for 4-year-old boys,including RCs, train sets, art kits, and STEM toys.
Monster Jam Chomping Megalodon RC Truck
When we brought kids to the Good Housekeeping Institute to test toys in person, this was the clear favorite—it had so much interest, the experts had to take out a second one to play with. The appeal is the chomping mouth, and the "Beast Mode," which sees the car break its chain and do wheelies."My kid played with it for hours and didn't get bored," one parent said. "One of the best things about it is that it works great both indoors and outdoors. He drove it on grass, the street, the sidewalk, hardwood floors, and even carpet without any problems." It charges with a USB, but batteries are required for the remote. Ages 4+; two AAA batteries required
Air Hogs Zero Gravity Sprint Wall Climber
Kids will be amazed to see how this mighty little car actually drives up the wall or along the ceiling!And yet, it won't scuff up the paint job in their rooms. It charges via a USB cable, but batteries are needed for the remote. Ages 4+; two AAA batteries require d
Jazwares Amazing Flip Spidey
This Spider-Man is ready for action! He can light up his eyes, shoot a web dart, or do a cool backflip."Shooting a 'web' is truly thrilling for my 3-year-old," one parent tester said. "He screams with excitement and has built a whole storyline around playing with it." Ages 3+
Bluey Rubbish Run Game
Kids love how this game involves an actual trash truck,which kids deposit their "rubbish" into and press a button to load it into the truck. But watch out! Sometimes the back of the truck opens and a "surprise spill" sends trash everywhere. "My kids loved the design of the playing board, and the rules of the game," said one mom of a 4-year-old. "We love Bluey , and the familiarity with the subject matter definitely added to the fun and humor of play." Ages 4+
Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope
Kids who are curious about science, nature, and the world around can learn real facts about plants and animals with this talking microscope.It comes with more than 60 images on its slides, which easily store inside the microscope. There are also different modes of play, including Fact Mode for learning and Quiz Mode to see if they've absorbed the knowledge. If they're really into STEM, you can also get them the new GeoSafari Jr. Talking Telescope . Ages 4+; three AAA batteries required
hand2mind Numberblocks Add It Up Mini Market
Kids can practice early math skills in so many differentways while playing with this pretend supermarket, inspired by the Numberblocks TV series. They can count the fruit in the crates, add the value of the coins together, or count the boxes on the shelves. "My 3-year-old loved putting the coins into the register slot, and my 6-year-old did math, adding up how much two products would cost together," one parent tester said. Ages 3+
Hot Wheels City Ultimate T-Rex Garage
This behemoth has so many cool features to keep car kids entertained: First kids can put their cars into the dino's mouth and use it as an elevatorto bring them up to the top. Then, kids can launch the cars and see which path they take: the spiraling orange track, or down the T-Rex's back! "It's impressively massive, with tons of different tracks for cars to drive on, and my son has spent hours racing his favorite Hot Wheels cars," one parent tester said. It also has storage for 50 cars. Ages 4+
iPlay, iLearn Kids' Toy Golf Set
Fore! He'll have to work on his control and focusto hit the golf ball on this set, and then he'll get all his energy out chasing the balls to put them back in the feeder again. It comes with 15 golf balls, along with three club heads (a left driver, a right driver, and a putter). Ages 3+
Clarion Books 'Little Blue Truck and Racer Red' Picture Book
It's been a while since there's been a Little Blue Truck book, but Good Housekeeping Institute testers say it's worth the wait. This one pits the truck in a race against a sports car. "We also loved how the story included some lines from other Little Blue Truck books," said one parent tester. "It helped my little one feel like he knew some of the words!" Ages 4+
Star Wars Action Buddy Grogu
After seeing The Mandalorian and Grogu this year, they'll be saying, "This is the way." The body of this Grogu is soft like a stuffed animal, but press its head and it'll come to life like an interactive animatronic."My son loved the interactive features," one parent tester told the Good Housekeeping Institute. "He often had Grogu involved in other play—i.e., taking turns with other games as if he was another friend—or he was snuggling with him during downtime." It has more than 50 different sound and action combinations all together. Ages 4+; three AA batteries included
Magna-Tiles Space Set
Tester kids flipped for this outer-space set from the popular brand Magna-Tiles. "My kid loved the spaceman and the shuttle. He also said he loved that he could build his own space station," a mom told us. The 32 magnetic pieces all fit back into the shuttle for storage, a feature our tester parents loved. Ages 3+
Terra by Battat RC Climbing Housefly
Here's a buzzy toy—literally. Kid testers really enjoyed seeing this bug climb up the walls, with one parent even saying their daughter "fell in love with it" as they played. Kids can control the fly with the remote control, or put it in auto mode, where it wanders around on its own. Ages 3+; two AAA batteries included
Faber-Castell Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Sensory Bin
Kids can feel different textures and sensations while imagining adventures for their friends from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood . It comes loaded with moldable sensory sand, character finger-puppets, and a scoopertoo. "[My child] loved the characters and the texture of the sand," one parent said. "She liked how it could be rolled up into balls and then slowly separated." Ages 3+
ThinkFun Zingo Bingo
This fast-paced board game is great for preschoolers who are working on their pre-reading skills.Every player gets a card not unlike a Bingo card, with a grid of words and pictures on it. Then the "zinger" starts dispensing tiles with words and pictures on them, and whichever player fills up their card first with the most matches wins! Ages 4+
Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears!
A physics lesson has never been so much fun as it is with this 100-piece set of plastic gears that fit together. Kids can build however they want, and then turn a crank piece to see which direction the different pieces spin. It's perfect for his newfound dexterity, curiosity, and fine motor skills. Ages 3+
LEGO Team Spidey Pirate Ship
With this set, the friendly Spider-Man leaves the neighborhood and takes to the high seas. Kids can build the ship, Spider Island, and two small boats, then have adventures with the Spidey, Ghost-Spider, Spin, Green Goblin, and Trace-E figures. They can reel in a fish, shoot the cannon, or send the treasure chest down the slide. Ages 4+
Lincoln Logs Lincoln Logs
Both kids and their adults love this Lincoln Logs building set, since earlier generations might remember playing with this building set in their own childhoods. The set includes 111 pieces made of real maple woodthat can be used to build structures like a cabin or two small houses with a bonfire. There are three different guides in the manual, but kids might have even more creative fun by building their own ideas. Ages 3+
Educational Insights Design & Drill Bolt Buddies Rocket
This one fosters both imaginative play and motor skills: Kids use a toy, battery-operated drill to build and disassemble these play sets, getting a feel for how to take things apart and put them back together again. There are lots of different play sets, including a recycling truck , a race car , a fire truck , and a barn set , among others. Each one comes with two "buddies" who also act as screwdrivers. Ages 3+; three AAA batteries required
Squishmallows Charles Pickle with Mustache
It's a pickle with a mustache —who wouldn't laugh? And, at 12 inches, Charles is just the right size to squeeze. If he's not into pickles, though, there's plenty of other Squishmallows to choose from. Ages 3+
Zuru Smashers Dino Island T-Rex Battles
This is a surprise-reveal toy for dino lovers, a big dino skull stuffed with more than 50 smaller toys, stickers, slime, and more. "This was a huge hit. My son loved the treasure map and the many things to open, play with, and put together," a parent told us. "He loved discovering the battling dinos and everything else, including the skull that cracks open and can be put together to smash again." Ages 3+
Learning Resources Switcheroo Coding Crew
This combination of coding and rescue vehicles was a certifiable hit with kid testers, who found it explained coding in manageable bites without needing any computer science knowledge.Kids draw a challenge card, snap on one of the vehicle shells (police car, fire truck, or construction vehicle), and program the cars to go in and save the day. They can even figure out "secret" codes, like how to make lights or sounds. Ages 4+; three AAA batteries required
Crazy Aaron's Intergalactic Thinking Putty
In Good Housekeeping Institute toy tests, one thing was clear: Kids wanted to squish anything they could get their hands on. This putty is just the thing, because it has a neat trick: It changes color in response to heat. Plus, the tin keeps it from drying out. Ages 3+
Crayola Light-Ups Recolorable Owl
They can tap into their creative sides—over and over again—with this cute night light. Kids can color a design on the owl, then turn it on to see how their creation looks when illuminated from within. Then, the colors wipe off with a damp cloth and they can do it again. Ages 4+; three AAA batteries required
Stomp Rocket Stomp Rocket Jr. Glow Launcher
Here's a fun trick: These rockets are entirely kid-powered,so if they want the rocket to go higher, they'll have to stomp on the launcher with more gusto—a good way to get them to expend energy. This set comes with four rockets that also glow in the dark, which will keep them outside and stomping for longer. Ages 3+
Fiesta Toy Slow Rise Plush
Who knows why butter became such a hot trend in toys? No matter the reason, instead of getting them a small butter squishy, get them this plush: It's still slow-rising and fun to squeeze but, at 10 and a half inches,gives them more to play with. No age recommendation given
Play-Doh Pizza Delivery Scooter Play Set
It's an indoor ride-on, it's a Play-Doh set, it's a lot of fun packed into a wow-worthy play set. Kids are encouraged to create pizzas out of Play-Doh and then deliver them—a pretend cell phone is included so he can tell you, "I'm here!" There are plastic molds for making ice cream or a sweet drink, too, if his customers are in the mood for something sweet. Or, for a smaller Play-Doh set that still encourages pretend food play, try the Play-Doh Super Slice Cake Play Set for $46, or the Play-Doh Super Sizzlin' Kitchen for $45. Ages 3+
Brio World Dinosaur Adventure Set
It's two preschooler favorites— dinosaurs and trains—in one wow-worthy set. The dinosaurs even have moving parts and magnetic elements. "My 3-year-old loves that the dinos can carry the eggs around due to their magnets," a parent said. "The bridge pieces are also a big hit." This year, Brio also came out with a space station set that's just as impressive. Ages 3+
Schleich Mammoth
Spark their love of imaginative play with this incredibly detailed mammoth figure. If they want to fill out the world, there's a Smilodon (sabre-toothed tiger) that can go with it—or, if the prehistoric theme isn't their favorite, they can get a set of farm animals . Ages 3+
Peaceable Kingdom Hoot Owl Hoot Board Game
This is a cooperative board game, so kids just getting into games can practice their strategy, turn-taking, and patiencewithout having to worry about who wins or who loses. The object is to get all of the owls back into the nest before sunrise, and the owls move by drawing colored cards, so there's a color-matching component. Ages 4+
Skillmatics Scissor Skills Activity Book
Scissor skills are going to serve them well in kindergarten—better start practicing now! This activity book makes it fun, with 25 different cutting activitiesand crafts for kids to work through. It also comes with two safety scissors and a glue stick, and Skillmatics also makes scissor skills sets with PAW Patrol and Bluey themes. Ages 3+
Hearst Home Kids 'Good Housekeeping The Little Lab: Fantastic Science for Kids' Book
Kids will get ideas for 22 STEM-based experiments and activitiesin this book, which encourages kids to look at the science behind the world around them. Along the way, they'll also get an introduction to the scientific method. Ages 4+
LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box
This big box o' LEGO bricks is the perfect mix of guided builds and open-ended play.It comes with instructions for how to make things like a tiger, a toaster, or a toy train—or they can use the 484 pieces to make whatever they want. Ages 4+
Melissa & Doug Fire Chief Costume
Playing pretend is a big part of 4-year-old life. We've seen kids leap into imaginary adventuresin this pretend firefighter outfit that comes with a helmet, fire extinguisher, and a bullhorn with sound effects. The brand also makes a veterinarian costume with a little dog and a construction worker costume with pretend tools. Ages 3+; two AA batteries required
hand2mind Express Your Feelings Sensory Bottles
For a toy that works on social-emotional skills—something lots of kids can use help with these days—these bottles of swirling liquids are a ton of fun. They're like fidget toys with an emotional boost. Each is a different color and can be used to start conversations about feelings. Ages 3+
KiwiCo Speedy Race Cars
Race cars are fun to collect—but even more fun to build yourself. This kit comes with enough materials to build and decorate two different race cars.Along the way, they'll learn about scientific concepts like how wheels work and what helps cars go faster or makes them go slower. Ages 3+
Why trust us
Before including most of these picks in the article, the Good Housekeeping Institute does rigorous toy testing to ensure we're only recommending the best. Many of our choices come from our yearly Toy Awards, where we test each item for:
✔️ Safety:Our engineers and analysts check against the most recent safety standards, including checking for pinch points or small toys that could be choking hazards.
✔️ Ease of use:We ask parents, kids, and adults for feedback on how easy the toy is to assemble and how durable it is.
✔️ Kid approval:Aside from testing each toy for skill-building attributes, all of our final decisions are based on the feedback of hundreds of kids, ages 1 to 15, who assess the fun factor!
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