These Top Gifts for Four Year Olds are Perfect for Play Time

Trying to find the perfect gift for 4 year olds is never an easy task. At this age, they are no longer Toddlers and are just entering those fun preschool years. But fear not! We’ve done the heavy lifting and found a great list of gift ideas that not only limit screen time, but also will keep your little kids busy and entertained so you can actually drink your coffee while it’s hot.

Without further ado, here is our list of 22 of the best gifts and toys for 4 year olds that vary in both category and price. Happy shopping!

Active Toys 

Poppyseed Play Wooden Balance Board

If your little one has more energy than you can handle (let’s be honest, who doesn’t?), this Wooden Balance Board is a total game-changer. It’s built for all kinds of fun—rocking, twisting, balancing, and just letting your child move in any way they choose. It’s an awesome open-ended toy that helps your 4-year-old build strength and coordination while having a blast. Bonus: It looks sleek enough to be an actual piece of furniture in your living room. Similar to a play couch, it offers versatility and functionality, transforming into various configurations to enhance imaginative play including a rocker, lounger, and slide.

Poppyseed Play Wooden Balance Beam

Channel your 4-year-old's inner acrobat with this Wooden Balance Beam! Inspired by Montessori principles, this play set helps kids develop balance and coordination while sparking their imagination. They can pretend it’s a tightrope, a bridge, or even a runway—it’s all about creative play. And of course, you’ll get some bonus physical activity too (because chasing them around this beam will work up a sweat!).

Micro Mini Scooter

The scooter is the perfect way to introduce your toddler to the world of scooting. Super stable, lightweight, and easy to steer, it’s designed to help young kids build balance and coordination. Plus, it’ll give them the freedom to zip around the yard or sidewalk—and let’s be honest, watching them zoom by will never get old. And our favorite feature...the handle adjusts so it grows with your child and their many growth spurts.

Poppyseed Play Wooden Stepping Stones

Ready to turn your living room into an obstacle course? These Wooden Stepping Stones are perfect for that! This set comes with six anti-slip stones that encourage imaginative play and help your kiddo develop gross motor skills while they jump, hop, and balance across them. They’ll love creating their own little “trail” or pretending it’s a river to cross. It’s fun, safe, and adds a nice touch to any play space. Many kids enjoy using the Wooden Stepping Stones for imaginative play and physical activity.

Tender Leaf Bowling Set

If you’re looking for a toy that won’t end up strewn across your house in five minutes, these Birdie Skittles might just be it. The adorable bird-shaped pins and mini bowling ball are perfect for building hand-eye coordination, and your kid will love the thrill of knocking down the birds (we’ve all got a kid who loves a good crash). It’s simple, fun, and a great way to get some giggles while sneaking in a little learning.

Poppyseed Play Ultimate Climbing Set

If your 4-year-old is always on the move (and honestly, when are they not?), this Ultimate Climbing Set is the answer to their endless energy. It combines a slide, ramp, and climbing structure into one fun, multifunctional toy, giving your little one a safe way to climb, slide, and explore. This set helps develop strength, coordination, and balance, all while encouraging imaginative play. It’s perfect for turning your living room into an adventure zone, and when they’re done, you can fold it up for easy storage—because every parent loves a space-saving win!

Pretend Play

Melissa & Doug Doctor’s Kit

If you’ve got a little one who loves playing doctor, this kit will have them treating their stuffed animals, action figures, and maybe even you to some pretend check-ups. Complete with a stethoscope, thermometer, syringe, and other tools, this set lets kids step into the role of a caring healthcare professional, all while boosting their fine motor skills and empathy. It’s a fantastic way to play pretend and encourage imaginary play and social skills, plus it’s made from high-quality wood, so it’s built to last through countless “patient visits.” Bonus: It’s a great way to introduce basic health concepts in a fun, approachable way (and a good excuse to practice their “doctor voice”).

Tender Leaf General Store Till

Remember when kids used to play "store" with empty cereal boxes and random junk from around the house? Well, this General Store Till is a whole upgrade—complete with a scanner, money, and little wooden items to check out. It’s great for teaching early math skills like counting and sorting, and it lets them role-play being the cashier (without actually needing to know how to swipe a card). Plus, it's eco-friendly, so you're not only giving them hours of fun but also being kind to the planet.

Artistic Toys

Play-Doh Modeling Compound 24-Pack

If you’re tired of finding crayon marks all over the house for months after playtime, this 24-pack is your best friend. With enough colors to keep your younger kids busy for hours, this classic toy encourages creativity and fine motor skills. Plus, you’ll be amazed by what they can make—everything from a rainbow-colored dinosaur to a mini pizza, and if you’re lucky, maybe even a “Thank you, Mom” sculpture.

Paint By Sticker Kids Sticker Book

This book is a double whammy of fun—it’s a sticker book and a painting book in one! Your 4-year-old can decorate each page with vibrant stickers and then use watercolor paints to add their personal touch. It’s great for fine motor skills, creativity, and keeping them occupied when you need a quiet moment (because, let’s face it, that’s a win in any parent’s book).

TEKFUN Writing Tablet

If your kid loves to draw but you’re tired of the paper clutter, this writing tablet is a game changer. This colorful, electronic drawing pad lets your child sketch, write, and doodle to their heart’s content, and with just a press of a button, everything clears away for a fresh start. It’s perfect for on-the-go fun or quiet time at home, and helps develop fine motor skills and creativity—without the mess. Plus, it's durable enough to survive a few accidental drops (because, let’s face it, that happens).

Wooden Kid's Art Easel

For your little Picasso, an art easel is the perfect way to let their creativity run wild. This sturdy, double-sided easel comes with a chalkboard on one side and a magnetic whiteboard on the other, offering endless possibilities for drawing, writing, and learning. It includes paper rolls for endless drawing sessions, plus a set of accessories to keep things neat and organized. Whether they’re doodling their latest masterpiece or practicing their ABCs, this easel will help them build confidence while developing fine motor skills and creativity. And it’s built to last, so it’ll be a part of your playroom for years to come.

Little Photographer Kids Digital Camera

If your 4-year-old is always snatching your phone to take pictures (and, let’s be honest, probably filling it with 100 blurry selfies), this camera might just save your sanity. It’s simple, durable, and perfect for tiny hands—plus, it lets them explore their inner photographer. Not only does it encourage creativity, but it also helps develop motor skills and gives them a fun way to capture the world around them (and maybe even stop using your phone for 5 minutes).

Wikki Stix Educational Craft Kit

Looking for a mess-free craft option? Wikki Stix are the answer. These bendable, sticky strands allow kids to create shapes, letters, and even 3D sculptures—all without glue or scissors. They’re perfect for keeping kids entertained and developing fine motor skills, and the best part? No clean-up required (seriously, you can’t go wrong with that).

STEM & Building Toys

iPlay, iLearn Space Shuttle

The iPlay iLearn Space Shuttle Toy is an educational set designed to encourage imaginative play and STEM learning. It features a shuttle with moveable parts, astronaut figures, and a variety of space-themed accessories, promoting creative exploration of outer space. Benefits include enhancing fine motor skills, sparking curiosity about space, and fostering problem-solving abilities through hands-on interaction. It’s also designed to be safe and durable for young children.

Mindware Elevator Marble Run

This is not just a marble run; it’s a whole engineering challenge in a box. Kids can build their own marble track and watch marbles zoom, twist, and elevate. It’s perfect for boosting STEM skills while sneaking in a little competitive fun (because watching the marbles race always feels like a win).

Magna-Tiles 32-Piece Set

Magna-Tiles are like the building blocks of the future—literally. With magnetic tiles that click together, kids can build anything from castles to cars to entire cities. It’s a great way to boost spatial awareness, creativity, and problem-solving, plus it’s so much fun that even you might get a little addicted to constructing new designs.

Little Experimenter Projector & Telescope Set

If you’ve got a future scientist or astronaut in the making, this Projector & Telescope Set is sure to be a hit. It combines the thrill of stargazing with the excitement of projecting fun images of planets, animals, and outer space. It’s a great way to spark your little one's curiosity about the universe, all while keeping them entertained indoors (bonus: it’s collapsible, so it doesn’t take over your living room like most "kid" gear).

Fat Brain Toys Magnetic Creation Station

Say goodbye to the usual building blocks and hello to the Magnetic Creation Station. This toy lets kids build and create 3D shapes with magnetic pieces that click together with satisfying ease. It’s perfect for developing fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and those early STEM abilities—and let’s be real, it’s fun for adults to play with too (we’re all secretly looking for an excuse to build a tower of magnets, right?).

Learning Resources Coding Critters Interactive Robot Pets

If your 4-year-old is more into playing with robots than action figures, these Coding Critters are a game-changer. These adorable, interactive pets introduce kids to the basics of coding and problem-solving through play. With no screens required, they’ll be programming their furry friends to dance, spin, and complete tasks—while learning foundational coding skills without even realizing it. It's like getting a pet and a lesson in technology all in one (and yes, they will ask to program it every five minutes).

Games for the Whole Family

Dinosaur Escape Game

This toy combines two things every child loves - board games and dinosaurs. Seriously, what kid doesn’t love dinosaur’s at this age…? Forget the usual “me vs. you” games—this one’s all about teamwork! In Dinosaur Escape, players work together to help dinosaurs escape a volcano. It’s perfect for young kids who are just learning how to play board games and teaches them important skills like cooperation, problem-solving, and how to handle a little friendly competition—without anyone actually losing (because who needs that kind of stress, right?).

Skillmatics Indoor Scavenger Hunt Card Game

If you’re tired of hearing the “I’m bored” complaint, this card game will be a lifesaver. It’s a quick and easy way to get kids moving and searching for hidden objects around the house—all while developing observation skills and having fun. The best part? It’s one of those games that gets everyone involved, even the grown-ups (no matter how much they pretend they’re “too busy” to play).