Parents of 4yo's: What are your most-used toys?

[gozal]

I have been doing toy rotation for a while and there are a few types of toys that don't seem to interest DS much - for instance, stuffed animals. So I was just wondering what works for other 4-year-olds, to maybe get some ideas for the future. I try to choose toys carefully because I don't like to have too many (and we have a limited budget), but I feel like I've been choosing things the DS just isn't that into lately. I feel like we're all set as far as art supplies, books, music, and games, but toys, I wonder what he might like that I haven't thought of. What does your child like? What are the toys that get the most love and use in your home?

[LynnS6]

At 4, my ds was very much into trucks: Garbage trucks, and then slowly fire trucks and ambulances. He would drive trucks for hours. (Every single pair of pants had a hole in the knee from being dragged on the ground for hours.)

If your son is a builder, good blocks or a lego set would be nice. (My son is the only child I know who actively avoids legos!)

Does he like dress-up play? You can sometimes get a good dress-up bin via Goodwill/Salvation Army or if you sew.

Trains. 4 is about the right age to begin to be able to put the wooden tracks together and create some really interesting layouts.

(And I can't, for the life of me, remember what dd played with at age 4. Stuffed animals, I know, but other stuff?)

[Imakcerka]

Dirt, a shovel and string.  If you're asking what they play with most.  They fight over the shovel, I had to buy another one.  I literally tossed almost all toys.  Oh and their cardboard hand made weapons.  (girls by the way) 

[Red Pajama]

These are expensive, but have been wonderful. They are worth the expense.

http://www.magnatiles.com/ 

In my opinion, get the big set, and get the clear colors.

We're big fans of Playmobil, too.

http://store.playmobilusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Search-Show?cgid=S_ARTIKEL 

And while I don't often order from this catalog, there are some great ideas and neat things to look at

http://www.magiccabin.com/ 

At four, Legos were too small for my boys. But Duplos (the larger blocks) are short lived if you're just starting to get them. Unless you already have a duplo collection, I'd wait a year (or two) and get legos.

[pianojazzgirl]

Originally Posted by Red Pajama 

We're big fans of Playmobil, too.

http://store.playmobilusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Search-Show?cgid=S_ARTIKEL 

 

At four, Legos were too small for my boys. But Duplos (the larger blocks) are short lived if you're just starting to get them. Unless you already have a duplo collection, I'd wait a year (or two) and get legos.

Playmobil is THE toy in our house.  Both my (just turned) 7yo dd and (almost) 4yo ds can and do spend HOURS everyday playing with these toys (and this is not just a phase - they've been playing with Playmobil for the past year and a half or so).  I find that the 4yos who come visit our house have just entered that stage where they get REALLY into playing with all the detailed bits and pieces involved with Playmobil.  It's my go-to gift for 4th b-day parties.

Re. the Lego.  I agree with the above.  But, check around on Craigslist (or equivalent) and sometimes you can find whole lots of used Duplo for dead cheap.  If you can find it that way I'd say it's definitely worth the investment.  My dd is 7 now, and loves regular lego, but will still play with Duplo at a friend's house etc.

[4evermom]

At 4, my ds was just starting to get into legos (the little ones).  We'd do them together.  Actually we did everything together because ds had high needs for interaction and didn't do any solo play at that age.  But he needed a little help with the small legos, regardless.  He liked his wooden train set and he and his daddy would build elaborate set ups all over the floor and then chase each other's engines around.  The marble run was a hit with him (anything maze like, something the marble run and train tracks have in common).  I actually like the plastic ones better than the expensive wood one everyone drools over.  They stay together better if they get bumped and I especially like the translucent ones so you can follow the marble rather than have it just disappear and reappear.  Ds did not like stuffed animals or little people so we didn't get into playmobile or use the lego minifigures.  He liked vehicles more, especially construction vehicles with working parts.  He also really did NOT like puzzles.

[SweetSilver]

Mainly animals.  The sweet wooden ones....eh.... the plastic ones by Schleich or others are the favorites.  Those go in the sand, in the bath, in the sink.  They get harnessed together with pipecleaners.  I've cut "collars" for them from old poly fleece.  My youngest, nearly 5, likes her PlanCity rail&road set.  She also like s building sets like lego (small kind) and erector (plastic).  Both have absolutely loved those giant cardboard blocks.  They look pretty shabby after 3 years, but are still sturdy and still get lots of use by one and all.  We have lots of baskets picked up from the thrift store.  Buckets and trowels.  A narrow, long board (like a yardstick) for "bridges".  They like those little mini fairies from Magic Cabin.  Puzzles are a favorite at our house, wooden shape blocks (we call the "picture blocks" and lay them out on a yoga mat) and board games.  4yo is not necessarily too young to learn money games like Monopoly, or others like Battleship.  While they have liked the more traditional kids' games--Hi Ho Cherrio or Candyland-- they don't necessarily hold their interest for long.

I will point out the obvious-- every child is vastly different.  My oldest has always stuck close to her animals and still plays with them much in the same way she did when she was 4.  My youngest, however, likes anything and everything.  She makes games of the simplest objects and will play that game for days.  She is the one that scours the house for toys not played with for months.  She is the one to ask for the twist ties for her animals or fallen green apples to make mud soup.  She is allowed pretty free use of the hose for her sandbox and wheelbarrow.

[gozal]

Wow, so many great ideas here. Thanks, guys! It definitely sounds like some of my son's favorites are favorites in your homes as well. You also mentioned a bunch of the toys I'd been considering but haven't tried yet, so I'm encouraged to hear they get lots of love.

[*bejeweled*]

Our wooden easel with blackboard and whiteboard. Also a play kitchen.

[Magali]

His spiderman action figures, dinosaur figures, costumes (right now dh is making an awesome Link costume for him!!!!), and robots.

[lookatreestar]

my kids (boy and girl) play with two things. ds is into trains and tracks. dd is into polly pockets. other than those two toy sets they want cups/boxes/kitchen utensils etc.

[sagelove]

My 4 year old son rotates most among the following toys: trains (loves the bigger, plastic Thomas ones), particular matchbox race cars, trucks, shovels, balls.

[KCMichigan]

I second the schleich /safari LTD figurines! Mine have played with them non-stop for over 2 years. We have dinos, animals, fairies (I have girls), etc. They are very very sturdy and have held up to numerous baths, dirt immersion, and general play.

Mine also loved to play in the sink full of water with basters, spray bottles, measuring cups....add marine play figures and they were very happy! (they have what is called a toob brand of a theme-- they have dinos, marine animals, farm animals, people, dogs, etc they are a good size for imaginary play and held up really well).

Other favorites:

castles, little houses, play mats( printed fabric with roads, forests, etc on it), blocks

Mine do/did a lot of creating things out of strings, recyclables, sticks, etc.

[JudiAU]

My son is 4 and spends a LOT of time drawing and doing other art projects. Good quality art supplies are great and last a long time. We finds a good large colored pencil like the Lyra ferby to be easily gripped and they last a long, long time. The easel/white board/chalkboard never has any play but he does like a Waldorf-style painting board/learning tour. I think it gives him more control.

We plays a LOT with duplo legos especially some castle pieces that I got off ebay. That combined with a smattering of playmobil pirates. Um, like 2-3 hours straight. Every Day for months now. And he still plays with little dinosuars/animals like schliech and occasionally wooden trains, which he was obsessed with for a long time. But if he could live in a world of playmobil he probably would love

We read  a lot.

He starting to get more interested in dress up and he isn't super physical. We have lots of both plain and pretty Haba blocks and he'll build big machines with them if everything else is put away.

This gets a lot of play too: http://www.toideloi.com/index.html as a castle or barn or dollhouse. You don't a big set and you can expand it if you like. We never bothered with furniture.

And I disagree about waiting for legos and not buying the duplos. They aren't really cheap but you can easily pick up a mixed lot on ebay. And they more or less hold their value because they don't really break or wear out so you can sell or regift them. They are much, much easier to manipulate than the regular legos (exactly twice as large) and thus more rewarding for smaller hands. And I also love the duplo figures and animals.

[Happily Blessed]

dinosaurs, dinosaurs, dinosaurs.  Books about dinosaurs, movies about dinosaurs, songs about dinosaurs.  Flash cards about dinosaurs.  I figure my son will be able to go to Kindergarten and know which dinosaur belongs to which period.

[philomom]

Originally Posted by Happily Blessed 

dinosaurs, dinosaurs, dinosaurs.  Books about dinosaurs, movies about dinosaurs, songs about dinosaurs.  Flash cards about dinosaurs.  I figure my son will be able to go to Kindergarten and know which dinosaur belongs to which period.

Both my daughter and my son went through a dinosaur stage. I hear you and I can still rattle off those names.


Both my kids were wild about the wooden train sets like Brio and Thomas.

And I should have bought stock in Playdough and Wikki sticks. Jeez.

http://www.wikkistix.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=5