Toys are way more important than we think of them, especially when it comes to providing valuable learning to your kid. Toys are devices that help in the overall development of a growing kid. If you choose the right one, you are sure to witness betterment in their senses, logic, and physical capabilities. The most important age for development starts when a child is 4 years old. So, this is the age where you need to introduce good quality educational toys to him.
But the question arises, which toy should you buy for your kid? The market is flooded with different types of toys, and you need to think a lot before buying one. In this article, we’ll solve this issue by providing you some crucial Buying Tips and toy options that you can use while buying you for your 4-year-old kid. Let’s dive in:
Language development
Most people don’t notice it, but this “age of 4” is very important in terms of speaking ability as well. At this age, when you narrate a story to your young kid, he asks a question related to that story. Considering this factor, you can buy toys that involve reading and reasoning. The best option for this purpose is a puzzle, and you can buy a puzzle of any kind. Children while playing puzzle games can communicate with each other, which is a great advantage.
Budget
Another concern is the budget, which is the factor you should think about before buying anything. The market is flooded with numerous toys that also differ in terms of their price. However, they might not have a similar quality as per what they cost you. You should keep in mind that after a certain period, your child would be bored with certain toys.
So, it’s not wise to spend a huge chunk of money on buying toys that aren’t good enough in the long run. Make your list using the options below before you get started with your toy shopping online or offline and then buy accordingly. This way, you can save as well while purchasing toys for your 4-year-old.
| Educational Toys | What’s Good | What’s Bad | Check Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasonwell Aqua Magic Doodle Mat | Brain development | It does not dry fast | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Flybar My Foam Pogo Stick | hand-eye coordination growth in kids | Prone to get damaged | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Li’l Gen Dinosaur sound book | Made of non-toxic material | Sharp ends may harm your kid | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| FREE TO FLY Large Aqua Drawing Mat | water-resistant material | Small drawing area | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Melissa Doug See | Skill development | Less Durable | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| ThinkFun Zingo Sight Words | Good for all age groups | Prone to damage | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Soyee Magnetic Blocks STEM | Improvement in skills | Adult supervision required | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Melissa Doug Wood Blocks | Skill and sense development | Pieces can get lost | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Toyk Aqua Magic Mat | no toxic materials are used | It requires plenty of time to dry | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Kidtastic Dinosaur Toy | safe for all kids’ age groups | Pieces are prone to get lost | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| LiKee Wooden Pattern Blocks | non-toxic material | Pieces can get lost | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| CreativeELF Drawing Stencils | Skill development | Adult supervision required | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| VTech Touch and learn Activity desk | Vocabulary development | batteries aren’t included | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Brickyard Building Block STEM | Good for skill development for all kids’ age groups | Pieces can get lost | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Just Smarty Electronic Alphabet wall chart | Improving of skills | Quality issues | CHECK ON AMAZON |
Best Educational Toys For 4 years Old: Reviews
1. Jasonwell Aqua Magic Doodle Mat
It is a multi-functional mat that works well on floors, tables, and can even be mounted on walls. It can be easily attached to the smooth wall or window with 4 suction cups. This doodle mat comes in a foldable design with amazing colorful pens. It is a perfect mat for learning through play. Also, the drawing booklet helps in the development of the brain and imagination.
Interestingly, the drawing magically disappears after 3-10 minutes. Your kid can doodle on it again and again. It comes with a storage box to store all the pens and stamps in one place.
Features:
- Larger mat size 39.5 * 31.5 inches
- No paint, non-toxic, and non-polluting
- Includes 6 bonus stamps
Pros:
- Wall mountable doodle mat
- Safe and easy to use
- Reusable magic pens and pad
- Made up of kids-friendly material
- Recommendable for boys and girls
Cons:
- The mat does not dry fast.
- The mat may start cracking easily.
2.Flybar My First Foam Pogo Stick
Designed especially for your little ones, this jumping stick introduces your kids to a new fun hopping activity. Built with durable components, My First Flybar comes with foam pogo sticks of superior quality. Crafted with foam to withstand jerks, it is an ideal pogo stick for your kid that makes bouncing fun. It can be used anywhere.
These sticks turn out to be a great active toy as it develops hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills. Moreover, the foam is durable enough and can hold up to 250lbs.
Features:
- The built-in squeaker makes jumping more fun.
- Soft and comfortable grip
- Adjustable bungee cord
Pros:
- Jumping does not scratch floors
- Can be used indoors as well as outdoors
- Enhances motor skills and improves balances
- Keep kids healthy and active
Cons:
- The foam tends to wear out over time.
- Choking hazard due to small parts
3. Li’l Gen Dinosaur Toys with Dinosaur sound book
It is a prehistoric play box that comes with original looking dinosaurs and a dinosaur sound book. It is an educational toy that helps to develop interactive skills and promote learning in an entertaining way. The dinosaur toys are bright and colorful, and the sound book allows kids to learn about different dinosaurs, their sounds, their pronunciation, and much more. Also, it is made up of non-toxic material that provides a life-like appearance to the dinosaurs.
Features:
- Includes 12 dinosaur animal figures of 7” each
- Comes with a dinosaur sound book that helps to explore the colors, landscapes, and habitats of the dinosaurs
- Can be played inside water as no water gets inside the toys
Pros:
- Helps to improve reading abilities
- Develops fine motor and coordination skills
- Durable and safe to play
- Recommended for both boys and girls
Cons:
- Sometimes, sounds don’t match the correct dinosaur.
4. FREE TO FLY Large Aqua Drawing Mat
The magic mat gives a shape to your child’s imagination with stunning color-pens. This painting pad develops painting skills and enhances creativity in your child. Furthermore, it improves hand-eye coordination and color perception. The best thing about this Free-to-fly large aqua mat is that it is portable for indoor, outdoor, and travel. And hence, you can fold it and take it anywhere that you would want or your kid might wish to play.
Features:
- One can easily fold this mat as it comes in a compact size
- The water-resistant nylon material never wets the floor.
Pros:
- Environmentally protected
- Clean and safe toy for kids
Cons:
- Sometimes, it does not erase all it is supposed to do.
- The drawing area is very small, as the border covers most of the parts.
5. Melissa & Doug See & Spell Learning
It is a fantastic wooden puzzle kit of learning tools all in one place. It offers countless ways to play with wooden letter puzzles, skill-building toys, puzzles to spell words. The kit even comes with a wooden storage case to store all the components together, without missing any one of them. Furthermore, it helps to make your kid familiar with letters, alphabets, and different sounds.
Features:
- It contains 50+ pieces of colorful wooden puzzle
- Easy to handle
- For easy storage, this set comes with a sturdy wooden case.
Pros:
- Enriches sight-reading vocabulary
- Improves language abilities
- Develops motor skills
Cons:
- Sometimes, pictures may mismatch with words.
- Less Durable
6. ThinkFun Zingo Sight Words
It is a fun and interactive word game that brings excitement in the process of playing and learning. This game was developed by educators in a bingo-style game to create a great learning experience. Also, playing with Zingo sight words improve language skills through play. Furthermore, it can be used in special classrooms as a great learning tool.
Features:
- It contains 72 Zingo! Sight words tiles, 6 double-sided Zingo! Cards.
- Includes a clear, easy and high-quality instruction manual and learning guide
Pros:
- Enhances fluency in reading
- Easy to operate
- Well-made pieces
- Recommended for all age groups
Cons:
- Words may be too easy for some kids.
- The cards may jam in the dispenser, making it difficult to use in the future.
7. Soyee Magnetic Blocks STEM Educational
It is a perfect kindergarten learning toy that helps in brain development and enhances the creative abilities of your child. The colored blocks in the kit help your kids in color and shape recognition. Additionally, they can build different shapes with these blocks. It plays a significant role in improving imagination, concentration, creativity, collaboration force, and logical thinking.
Features:
- Contains 24-pieces kit
- It has been tested by CPSC, and also, third-party laboratories have given their acceptance for the same.
- Made up of non-toxic ABS plastic magnetic blocks
Pros:
- Smooth edges of tiles do not hurt your kids
- Develops fine motor, creativity, and teamwork skills
- Enhances creativity and practical ability
- This is best-opted for children who are 3- years plus old
Cons:
- Choking hazard because of the small parts
- Adult supervision required while playing as it contains small magnets.
8. Melissa & Doug Wood Blocks
Melissa and Doug is a wooden block toy set that has 100 pieces and is designed for children’s fun as well as learning. It is considered as the most encouraging interaction game. The game’s main motive is to inspire the children to engage as well as develop overall. It will further enrich the idea of packaging and managing stuff around in your kid.
The name of the toy is given upon a real person named Melissa and Doug, who has six children. Also, they made the game with the vision of igniting the imagination of children, which will help them to discover the various possibilities they are living in.
Features
- Blocks are made of wood.
- It prioritizes the hands-on play experience.
- It is 100% screen-free.
- Best quality wood is used for manufacturing.
Pros
- The game is considered as an antidote for the screen time nowadays.
- The game helps to flex the muscle of a child who is developing a sense of identity.
Cons
- Wooden blocks might give small injuries.
- Comparatively heavier than plastic blocks.
9. Toyk Aqua Magic Mat
Aqua magic mat is a drawing booklet with a lot of areas available to draw. It helps in the development of the painting skills of the kids. There is a lot of space available so that the chaos of erasing to free up drawing space is not needed that often. It helps in the development of the imagination of the kids. Also, it increases the safety of kids because of the water-resistant ink and paint that doesn’t contain toxic chemicals that could be harmful to kids’ health. Moreover, wiping is not needed as the paint disappears automatically.
Features
- It contains water-resistant nylon material
- It is environmentally friendly.
- This is compact in size as it can be folded like a mat.
- This mat is best for birthday or Christmas presents.
Pros
- Kids can enjoy drawing with their friends.
- To draw on the mat, no need to use ink and paints.
- There is a need for just water.
Cons
- Minimal marks are left on the white space.
- It takes time to dry.
10. Kidtastic Dinosaur Toy
This toy is a play-based toy that also involves learning and has the aim of the core development of children. There are three basic skills on which this game focuses, which are STEM learning, fine motor, problem-solving, and socio-interactive. Moreover, it encourages the young mind and helps them to develop their skills in a very entertaining way.
Moreover, it is a constructive game that suits both boys and girls. Also, it helps to improve their memory as they have to remember the parts that have been used and how to assemble the remaining parts.
Features
- It is safe for all age groups of kids.
- High-quality plastic has been utilized to make it.
- Compact in size.
- Kids can enjoy the toy along with friends.
Pros
- The dinosaur toy is made from good quality plastic with small-sized parts suitable for kids to hold and play.
- It helps in precision skills as well and teaches time management on a small scale.
Cons
- Misplacing a small part can create trouble in the building.
11. LiKee Wooden Pattern Blocks
When it comes to games that are freestyle and could be played in many ways, the wooden block puzzle game comes to play. It consists of 60 pattern cards and 36 wooden pieces that help kids with their cognitive and motor skills enhancement. Likee has come up with this puzzle cum pattern block that has 36 wooden shapes and 60 design cards. It is time for every parent to play with the kids and observe their mental development with joy.
This toy helps the kids to hone up the skills of problem-solving, allowing them to explore each solution with different approaches. There are no predefined rules that will concern your kid. The cards are present in the box, which can be used to build the designs. Moreover, kids will be able to create their own designs and learn to sort the wooden pieces by their shapes and colors. Also, the game improves hand-eye coordination and promotes creative thinking too.
Features
- Small pieces are suitable for small hands.
- Lightweight.
- Easily portable.
- Made from non-toxic material, thus safe for kids.
- Suitable for any age group.
Pros
- Kids will learn how to differentiate between different shapes and colors.
- This toy will give them entertainment for hours, and this is 100% screen-free.
Cons
- Pattern cards are made from paper, so they need to be handled with care.
12. CreativeELF Drawing Stencils
It is one of the best educational toys that allow the kids to explore their horizons with the stencils. Ignite the drawing passion of your kids with the help of the stencils. CreativeELF has come up with this unique 54 sheets stencil, which can widen the artistic and experimental horizons of the kids with a pen and pencil.
Moreover, with a carry go case, one can take the full set anywhere and make the kids happy. 25 sheets of paper and a sharpener come in the box, and the three-ball pens are a bonus to the kids. Let the child make the outline with the stencils on the paper and then fill them with colors to give the most realistic look of the images. Also, by practicing with the stencils, it becomes easy for mastering free-hand drawing.
Features
- The stencils can be used by any child between 4 to 12 years.
- They are made from BPA free, non-toxic plastics.
- It can be taken anywhere.
Pros
- The stencils are washable.
- Its outer edges are smooth and prevent injury.
Cons
- The stencil sheets are thin.
- Its stencils are too small to move pencils.
13. VTech Touch and learn Activity desk
With the activity desk for the kids, it is time to give them the perfect play and learning table. Let the kids enjoy the learning sessions while spending time in this activity desk from the house of VTech. The five contents that are included in the desk are sure to engage the kids with their favorite passion. It could be drawing, identifying images, or listening to the fun tunes on the music player.
Moreover, with 20 songs and more than 100 words and 20 activities, it is a perfect activity desk where any kid will love to sit. Give your kid the right items so that the learning process becomes smooth and exciting. Also, it is easy to open without any hassles and can be set anywhere for use.
Features
- The desk can be effortlessly assembled and dismantled.
- There are four legs to give uniform balance.
- AA batteries are needed to play music.
Pros
- The music can be put on or off with a button.
- Made of plastic material that is non-toxic.
Cons
- The music player consumes too much battery.
- Its warranty period is only for three months.
14. Brickyard Building Blocks 163 Piece STEM
With this one, you can let your kids learn differently with do-it-yourself activities and showcase their imaginations and creativity. Also, allow the learning process for them to be filled with fun as they build various structures with the blocks. The 163 piece building block that comes with nuts and wrenches allows the kids to have their engineering skills honed up that are required as they grow old.
This educative toy from the house of Brickyard Building Blocks is sure to enhance the math, science, or engineering skills as they construct various models with the blocks. Moreover, it helps to improve the logical skills and the key learning processes. Moreover, the pack contains wheels to make any vehicle. There are built-in plastic screwdrivers to make the construction easy.
Features
- The blocks come in an array of colors.
- They are made f plastic and non-toxic and BPA, lead, cadmium free.
- The materials are certified as child-safe by the regulatory body.
Pros
- Promote teamwork as many kids can participate in the same construction.
- The numbers of blocks are more than other similar products.
Cons
- Kids above four years get less interested in this, and hence, it’s suitable up to the age of three
- The plastic becomes brittle after some time.
15. Just Smarty Electronic Alphabet wall chart
This electronic alphabet and digit chart is one of the best for any kid to learn them. The world is moving at a fast pace, and it allows the kids to stay with it. Expediting the learning process is the main focus of this electronic device made by Just Smarty. Let the learning process be filled with fun, and the child gets intuitive while playing with the device.
Moreover, it is 24 inches by 16 inches and has many interactive modes like listening to music, identifying objects, learning the digits and alphabets, and many more. You can hang the device on any wall and let the kids play with the touch screen. It further helps build concentration and memory by being curios about various subjects.
Features
- The device is easy to be hanged on any wall.
- It works on battery power.
- It shuts off automatically after staying idle for some time, saving the battery.
Pros
- Numbers and digits can be taught effortlessly.
- It can be taken anywhere and hung on the wall.
Cons
- The buttons are placed in weird places.
- Sometimes the device malfunctions prompting that the results are wrong.
3 Tips to Buy the Best Educational Toys for 4-year-old
1. Taste of your child
By taste, we mean the preference and what your child likes to play with. You can’t just provide him with whatever you like, but with what he or she would like to have to play with or to get entertained with. It could be any type of learning but has to be bought by keeping his or her favorites in mind. At times, this can be a problematic task, but the best way to know is to consult the child itself.
You can ask your kid about the theme he loves or the character they like the most. When it comes to toys, the majority of kids love to play with toys related to construction, but you shouldn’t generalize this.
2. Non-toxic
Safety comes first, even in the case of toys. Small children in the age group of 3-6 are very likely to chew or swallow their toys, and that is why it shouldn’t be toxic. You should avoid buying a toy that has small parts made out of plastic. Plastic, in general, is harmful.
When it comes to toys, you should prefer buying toys that are made of steel or wood. Steel or wooden toys are not toxic and are durable at the same time.
3. Toys that can aid physical development
After you have decided everything above, another major step comes into play, which is what to buy. Keep in mind, the type of toy you offer to your child will be directly linked to his growth and development. So, you should choose a toy by considering factors such as physical development.
Kids grow in this age, and they need physical stimulation for this. You can help it by providing toys like basketball and football.
Conclusion
Considering that not every kid is the same when it comes to his or her interest in toys, you may have a hard time choosing what suits your kids’ needs. Well, if this is the case with you, we understand your pain, and hence, we have picked 2 products out of the 15 mentioned above. These products are great for almost any kid, and he or she would love playing with it and will learn plenty of things too.
The first one is the Jasonwell Aqua Magic Doodle Mat, which is great, especially for the overall mental development of your kid. It will further ensure safety while playing. The second one, which we highly suggest is the Li’l Gen Dinosaur Toys with Dinosaur sound booklet that is completely safe for your kid. Furthermore, it is compiled of non-toxic material and promises to improve reading abilities.
Do comment your thoughts in the comment section below and in case of any queries!
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