Good Gift for a 4 Yo Boy?

Hi M.,
What a wonderful thing for you to do. My son is nearly 6, and for the past 2-3 years, has been obsessed with any type of building toy like the wooden erector/construction set from Melissa & Doug and the kid-k'nex sets from K'Nex. These have large parts which snap together easily and can be used to make anything from cars to critters to whatever his imagination dreams up.
I think the most important thing for this age is to select toys that can be used in multiple ways; that is, not just a puzzle that only goes together in one way, or a car that is only a car. Building sets help kids develop both their fine motor skills (to put the parts together) and their visual/spatial cognitive abilities (what parts do I need to make the airplane I'm imagining).

Hope this is useful!

Happy Holidays.

when in doubt, Legos!

A Stomp Rocket. You can check them out online. I didn't know what one was until recently, and all the kids LOVE them!! I haven't seen them at Toys r Us, but most smaller toy stores carry them, and they're only about $14. Don't know where you're located, but I'm in Terra Linda/San Rafael and get them at Child's Delight (in Terra Linda or Corte Madera) or 5 Little Monkeys in Novato.

Blocks, anything simple with wheels and art supplies, like crayons, are my suggestions.

S.

I have a 4 year old son and he loves trucks, cars, remote control cars, Buzz and Woody from Toy Story and Superheros.
He also loves books, learing games and Go Fish.

Best of luck, I am sure you will do great.

When I don't know a child well enough, I usually give some sort of board game. Some good ones for that age: Uno, Sorry, Trouble, Connect Four. There are some other good ones, too!

Hello M.,
I have a couple of ideas for you. I don't know if this child has an ill or impaired parent -- but if he does then don't get something that takes 2 people to play because he may not have that.
I have 5 children and had a great times going back to when they were 4 and also the things that I have gotten for 2 4 year old girls this week.
movies, anything veggie tales, the movie UP is a riot, anything by leapfrog can't be beat, anything Transformers or Star Wars, we bought a warm sleeping bag to be in while they read or watch TV, TRUCKS & CARS are also important becasue they have to use the imagination, story books, and lincoln logs, and blocks are terrific. We bought a rug that has a preprinted city and road and got assorted trucks and cars to play on it. It is a wonderful thing that you are doing and I know that it will make a differance to the child and that is the greatest thing you can do in life. God Bless, Nana Glenda p.s. just a thought that you might think of putting your gift inside a rolling back pack so that he has a super fun place to store the toys and yet use the caase in otherways if needed. Happy Holidays, Glenda

My Nephew is turning 4 at the end of December and he is very excited about the Imaginext toys by Fisher Price. He also likes Dinosaurs and Super Heros (Batman, Spiderman). Hope that helps.

magnatiles are incredible. the kids at preschool and aftercare play for hours. they are a great toy. if you only have one toy for your child, it should be wooden blocks! blocks rock....
thank you for your kindness and generosity this season!

Sports stuff would be a good bet for a 4 year old boy. My nephew has gone crazy over a baseball set including a ball, bat and glove. Cars are also a great idea. They love the little hotwheels and those come with some pretty cool accessories.

Dear M.,
What a wonderful thing for you to do!
I agree with Michele that not knowing his specific living arrangements, you should keep in mind how much space, etc there might be for him to play with certain things.
My son at that age was crazy about firetrucks, anything Spiderman. We used to have the coolest store here called Moon's play and learn. They had all kinds of educational toys and puzzles. Really fun stuff. I'm sure you could find something like that in San Francisco.
What about getting him a really cool back pack and putting different things inside it? A notebook and some colored pencils, a toy truck, a small Lego's kit that has all the peices to make a certain toy out of, an action figure. A little hand-held educational "game boy" type of thing that helps with spelling and math. A portable cassette player with headphones and a cassette of educational songs or stories on tape that coincide with a book so he can read along and listen at the same time.
Just some ideas, but the back pack could be used as a place to keep his toys in and be used for other things as well. I'm sure he'd love the back pack and then finding the other things inside would be such a treat!

I hope you get some other great ideas and bless you for your giving spirit!

The Duplo version of Legos are great for that age--our 6 and 9 year old boys still play with their legos on a daily basis. They're great for little ones because they help with gross and fine motor skills, problem solving, and creative thinking.

The other thing they enjoyed was Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. You can use a 40% coupon at certain Michael's (the one on Lone Tree in Brentwood carries the Thomas stuff) and get a simple set for $30 or less. The boys had a great time with their trains and still bring them out once in a while.

Have fun choosing!

I was talking to a friend who works with disadvantaged people and she mentioned that sometimes people who are poor may also have living arrangements that make some toys not so good. For instance, if the family is living in one room they might not have storage for a toys with small pieces. So perhaps a compact toy with few parts. Consider getting a wooden toy as that may last longer. Amazon has a good assortment of Doug and Melissa toys that are well-made and reasonably priced. Good-luck!

My 3 and 4.5 year old are totally into trains and cars. There are some cool playsets that have cars and some sort of terrain for them to ride on that would be a lot of fun.

Our little guy loves his playdoh. He also LOVES the stomp rocket, which was a bit of a surprise to us -- he can shoot those things for a long time without losing interest...