4 year old boy ideas

[sbgrace]

What do boys like for the four year old age range? Any must haves?

My boys are coming up on a birthday and holidays. In the past three years I've bought stuff that was a complete waste. I seem to be horrible at gauging what works for various ages.
I can't do a ton of stuff and so I want the choices I do make to have half a chance of being enjoyed and used!
I'd love some btdt thoughts!

[P-chan]

Tinker toys were a HUGE hit for my son's fourth birthday. At first he wanted me to make the structures featured on the box itself, and then his imagination took off.

He has a subscription to Highlights Magazine that he has started to really look forward to.

Books, of course. We have a "kitchen science experiments" book from DK Press that is a big hit. Any of the books by Mo Willems; the George and Martha books by James Marshall; Shel Silverstein poems.....

[jillmamma]

My DS is really into Thomas trains (he is enjoying creating his own track layouts more now), hotwheels cars, puzzles (loves more challenging jigsaw puzzles now), legos, art projects with various supplies and stickers, outdoor things like his sandbox, basketball hoop, t-ball stand, etc.

[sebandg'smama]

A dress-up cape. One, with imagination, that he can be a superhero or a magician or a ____ !

[LuckyMommaToo]

Most-used at our house is his LikeABike (kettler sprint bike or skuut are good alternatives), MagnaTiles, Cars (the little diecast ones from the movie) and Playmobil (he's getting a castle and some knights for Christmas). Oh, and Zingo (a game he wants to play constantly). Maze and dot-to-dot books. Lego kits. Mostly he does those with DH, but is starting to be able to rebuild things by himself. He also still likes Playdoh (he uses it with little diecast construction vehicles mostly).

HTH,
Erin

[4evermom]

Marble runs, Woody Click (esp. the wood vehicles that can be pulled apart and snapped together in different ways), play dough (ds liked the extruder thing. I think he would have liked the Melissa and Doug set with different rolling pins. He liked to drive vehicles on the rolled out play dough and make tracks), glitter glue and craft sticks. He started using the small legos a few months after turning 4. He was mostly out of the throwing stage and had good finger dexterity but needed a little help. It was generally something he did with Dh.

[LuckyMommaToo]

Oh, also a small rolling suitcase and sleeping bag. Great for pretend play!
-e

[Rainbowbird]

DS is 4.5 and loves his train sets. He constructs all his own layouts. Also big are art supplies, lots of blocks for building huge cities, lots of small cars, marble runs, gear sets (they have some cool ones on liveandlearn.com) and he is beginning to get into dressing up and pretending more.

I often give my kids toy catalogues and ask them to circle things they like. I give them catalogues that have toys I approve of, of course. Then I get a good sense of what they want, esp. if they keep going back to the same pages over and over again.

[Lovenest]

My son who is 5 enjoys:

Legos
Tinkertoys
Lincoln Logs
Train set
Art stuff like dot markers, tape and all that fun stuff

He loves the computer as well, and computer games.
Right now for the past week or so he prints off all different money on the computer and cuts it out and lines them up, talks about money etc..um ya.. my house is a crazy paper mess.

[sbgrace]

Thank you all so much for the ideas (some I definitely wouldn't have thought of)! It makes me feel like I have a shot at spending wisely this year!

[Ell-Bell]

Of course I second the supercape idea... there are several places that sell them (many very simple and inexpensice) or you can easily make your own.

What about some science stuff? A microscope or telescope? There are some cool science kits for little kids out there.

[marieangela]

Ds1 is now approaching 5 years old. My dad and I made him a cape for his 4th birthday and included it in a dress up chest with hats and masks and such. He and his younger brother both have fun with that. Also, my parents dug up a small section of there yard to be used as a construction site and got the boys matching diggers to go with their dump trucks. Ds1 can spend a good deal of time at the "construction" site and really seems to enjoy. He also enjoys lincoln logs and legos. I, too, go through catalogs with him and mark what he likes. Lately these include a guitar, a bug habitat, a microscope, various trucks, a baby doll, a cash register, a fireman outfit, etc. Good luck!

[hjohnson]

Items for pretend play such as a pirate hat, fireman coat and hat, chef's hat, cape etc. DS also loves playing with Dinosaurs, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, the play kitchen, and the hot wheels cars.