Best Educational Toys For 4 Year Olds 2022
Your child is now four. Your child has already developed many useful skills, and you’re happy for them. Although it is already a lot, you always want your child to improve more and more. Educational toys for 4 year olds are a great way of building on top of already existing skills as well as accelerating the development of new ones.
These skills that your kid possesses now function as a foundation of more important and refined skills he or she will gain later.
Though, you may ask - “how do they help children’s development”, “what kind of toys are the best ones”, “how do I choose” and “what else should I know?” Well luckily for you, these are exactly the things we’ll be discussing in this blog post.
Table of Contents
- What kind of toys should a 4 year old have?
- Why should you choose learning toys for 4 year olds?
- Top educational toys for 4 year olds
- What does a 4 year old need for their growth development?
- How to choose the best educational toys for 4 year olds?
- How do educational toys for 4 year olds differ from the same toys for 3 year olds?
What kind of toys should a 4 year old have?
When it comes to educational toys for 4 year olds, it’s important to know. What kind of toys would be fitting for a 4 year old?
Generally, it is best to look for something that can capitalize on skills that have already begun to develop. For example, kids at this age start to understand numbers better, so you should look for a toy that can provide you and your child with the opportunity to learn numbers better.
However, a lot more skills need to be developed besides counting and understanding numbers. Therefore, it is best to choose educational toys for 4 year olds that are well-rounded and provide an opportunity to learn multiple things instead of just one.
Why should you choose learning toys for 4 year olds?
You might ask, why? Well, for starters, educational toys for 4 year olds have been proven to be a good way to further a child's educational journey. They develop new skills as well as refine and improve some already existing ones.
Think of all the things your child is capable of cognitively, physically, or emotionally. All of these aspects can be accelerated with the help of fun educational toys for 4 year olds.
Top educational toys for 4 year olds
Once again, it is time to take a look at some of the best educational toys for 4 year olds on the market currently!
GIGI BLOKS 100 XXL BUILDING BLOCKS
Starting with a set of big building blocks from GIGI Bloks! This set of cardboard big building blocks is one of the best educational toys for 4 year olds. It can ignite your child's creativity in a matter of seconds. Once they see what you can build and do with it, they will fall in love.
If paired with a little bit of external effort and creativity, this toy can be very multifunctional. Even though your child can build whatever he or she wants to, the blocks can also be used to learn about numbers, colors, and a lot more.
Think Peak Toys Binoculars for Kids
Since children this age are into playing games that require pretending to be in a role, this toy surely ranks among the top educational toys for 4 year olds. These binoculars can be used for many scenarios. Your child can pretend to do a lot of things with these.
They will boost your child's creativity since they will have to come up with scenarios that require the use of binoculars, and also it can ignite your child’s curiosity about things.
Skillmatics Card Game : Found It
Who doesn't love some quality family time? Well, with the help of this card game a great family time with an educational twist for the little one is guaranteed. The game contains questions that require searching and finding things that fit the writing on the card.
For example, you might have to find something that is in a certain shape or color, etc. Generally, learning toys for 4 year olds are meant solely for the children, though the good thing with this is that they will bring joy to the whole family.
STREET WALK Frog Balance Counting Toys
This one is also one of the best educational toys for 4 year olds, all because of the interactive aspect it has. This toy features pieces of numbers 1-10, 19 small frogs, and 30 double-sided cards.
The game encourages interactive play, develops fine motor skills and improves memory. It can also be a great time for the child if they play it with a parent!
Skillmatics Card Game : Guess in 10
Another game from Skillmatics! This animal-themed guessing game is a great way to have a fun yet educational time with your child. The set contains 35 cards with questions that need to be answered in 10 seconds.
This toy provides a lot since it affects the development of social and communication skills, memory, decision making, and a lot more, which is why this is one of the best learning toys for 4 year olds.
Coogam Wooden Geoboard
After looking at the top learning toys for 4 year olds, this seems a bit simplistic, though I can assure you this toy, can be very helpful in improving spatial awareness and understanding since it allows children to learn about various 2D shapes.
This toy also requires to work with your hands and fingers, therefore it is a great toy for children who need to improve their fine motor skills as well.
Babysea Dance Mat
This toy is great for active children! It is a fun way of combining casual activities like dancing with learning since they have to step on different places on the mat at different times.
Great learning toys for 4 year olds like this can be very beneficial for the development of their motor skills. It can also be great for cooperative play!
Okis Toy STEM Toy
At the age of four, children like to help others. I remember myself being little and going out to help my parents with yard work. Although I wasn't much of a help realistically, I enjoyed it and felt great about the work I did.
This toy set can help your child also embody the role of helper and achieve the feeling that a day of work brings. This toy will bring great fun to your child, and will also have an educational effect since it touches upon and further develops many developmental aspects.
This is why when it comes to STEM learning toys for 4 year olds - this is one of the best!
Melissa & Doug See & Spell
This is a wooden learning toy that will help your child learn how to spell. The set features wooden letters and 8 double-sided wooden boards which spell words.
All around this is one of the great educational toys for 4 year olds, since it has many functions. It improves not only the vocabulary but also fine motor skills and communication.
DynaMax STEM Master Building Toys
Talking about fun learning toys for 4 year olds, this one is fun! It features 176 colorful plastic pieces which can be arranged in many ways, the set also comes with a booklet that displays 42 designs the set can be arranged in. The difficulty also varies since the levels are beginner, intermediate and advanced. Your child can create a lot with this, and it also makes for a fun toy for cooperative play.
What does a 4 year old need for their growth development?
Learning toys for 4 year olds offer a lot, though first, it is important to understand, what exactly your child needs…
Many things are very important at this age, your child develops in every aspect of life. Your child becomes more involved in make-believe play, can say sentences with four or more words, can name a few colors on certain items, and a lot more.
This aspect is one of the most important, though before we should take a look at other aspects that are well worth taking into account so you can make the best decision for yourself and most importantly your child.
What are 4 year olds usually interested in?
It is tough to pinpoint particular things that a 4 year old is interested in because from my personal experience I can say that every child is a bit different, there are so many different interests that it’s tough to choose just a few.
It all comes down to what you and your child prefer. If you don't know or can't decide it would be best to choose the most universal toy in your opinion. Look at the toys together with your child and ask for their input and opinion.
What skills do kids start to develop at 4 years old?
- Engaging in make-believe play
- A better understanding of emotions
- Can tell something about how their day went
- Can remember some song lyrics or rhymes
- Can name a few colors of items
- Able to unbutton some buttons
- Holding a pen between fingers
What abilities should a 4 year old have?
- Able to say their first and last name
- Has a better understanding of time
- Understanding the concept of counting, maybe even knowing some numbers
- Viewing themselves as a whole
- Cooperating with other kids
- Becoming noticeably more independent
- Throwing a large ball, catch, kick
- Being able to stand on one foot
How to choose the best educational toys for 4 year olds?
There are many factors to consider here. Firstly, you want to think about what you want your child to achieve with the help of these educational toys for 4 year olds. You need to think about the benefits they bring as well as what exactly will they teach your child.
What sort of benefits should educational toys for 4 year olds have?
The best educational toys for 4 year olds, have many benefits, such as improvement of problem-solving abilities, concentration, creativity, and more. They also help to develop social and emotional intelligence. Educational toys for 4 year olds truly offer a lot, but what skills exactly should they teach?
What skills should learning toys for 4 year olds teach?
The top learning toys for 4 year olds will teach your child a lot. Some of them include:
- Problem-solving
- Creativity and imagination
- Will improve attention span
- Fine and gross motor control
- Hand-eye coordination
Don’t forget to account for:
Don't forget about the more practical elements regarding this. While, you mainly need to focus on the educational value of the toy, practicality and safety cant be forgotten. When searching for educational toys for 4 year olds you should ask yourself:
How safe are your selected educational toys for 4 year olds?
Always check for safety and assess whether the product is safe for the child to play with. Look for sharp edges, brittle material, and everything else that may pose a risk. Any material is good, though it might be good to look for toys made out of natural materials like cardboard or wood because these materials are generally safe and pose very little risk.
Interested in reading more about natural toys? Check out our blog post about The Best Natural Toys
Are you getting the most for your money?
Educational toys for 4 year olds have a wide range of prices. They can start from 5USD - 150 USD. |
Though, we recommend you choose a product that costs between 70 USD-90 USD since products of this price have been proven to have good quality and durability.
Is the toy any fun?
This may be one of the most important factors by far, because what good is a toy if it doesn't bring fun and joy. Give a thought to how your child will like it, and think about the possibilities the toy will present to your child.
Think of some fun activities that you can do together that involve learning toys for 4 year olds. If you show your child that you can have great fun with the toy right off the bat, your child will become even more interested in it!
Is your child going to outgrow the toy after just a few months?
Educational toys for 4 year olds are generally meant for that specific age, although the best educational toys for 4 year olds tend to last long because they offer a wide range of options and usages. For example, a multifunctional toy can be used for multiple things after the initial goals are achieved, all you need is to think about ways you can do it!
How do educational toys for 4 year olds differ from the same toys for 3 year olds?
Educational toys for 4 year olds are different from toys made for 3 year olds. Toy manufacturers think about how the toy should function so it fits the needs of the age it's meant for. Learning toys for 4 year olds work on improving different skills than they do for younger children.
The manufacturers know what is it that the child of a particular age needs and that is what they work on. Great toys can last and serve longer, but generally, there is a difference between the toys made for different ages.
In conclusion
Educational toys for 4 year olds offer many options. These toys can help you develop many skills that are vital and also very important because they function as the foundation for the next skills to develop on top of the already existing ones. Assessing everything before buying is very important, so you know the toy actually provides educational value and is also safe to use.
There have been many great toys displayed in this blog post. In my opinion, both Skillmatics car games were great because they are great at improving memory and more. My other favorite is the set of big building blocks from GIGI Bloks, because the toy is very well-rounded, it’s safe, and has a lot of educational value.
You have been provided with all the information you need to know regarding learning toys for 4 year olds. I hope that you find this useful in your pursuit to further your child's educational journey.
And remember:
Dream BIG
Build BIG
Written by: Pauls Paeglis