15 Great Educational Toys for 4-Year-Olds

When teaching your child hard skills like how to read, it can be hard to know where to start. This kit takes away all of the guesswork for both of you, including nine activities, seven books, and a play guide. When they’ve mastered this one, pick up Part 2: Words to Books and Part 3: Advanced Rules to Chapter Books for them.

Inspire your child to join you in the kitchen with a set of real cooking tools — including two knives, a cutting board, a peeler, a chopper, a veggie scrubber, veggie cutters, and gloves — specifically designed to be safe and functional for little hands. Whether they’re acting as your sous chef or following one of the included recipe cards, they’ll be developing their fine motor skills and learning about healthy food choices. In the storage bag, there are also stickers to reward their curiosity.

A device that doesn’t involve screen time, this audio player is simple enough for young kids to operate, automatically starting when they place a “Tonie” figure on top of it. There are hundreds of characters to choose from, offering something for everyone: catchy songs that teach math, popular Disney stories in both English and Spanish, or wacky lyrics set to iconic classical music. Children will love the entertainment, while parents will love that the Tonies are big enough that they won’t be easily lost.

This game is intended to strengthen both memory and spelling skills. It’s played by selecting one of the 30 double-sided flash cards, inserting it into the tray slot, hiding the word by flipping the cover, and then using the eight letter cubes to spell out the object’s name. The cubes and flash cards can also be used separately, allowing for more learning possibilities.

A classic for decades, this cash register is equipped with true-to-size bills, coins, and even a credit card. In addition to engaging in imaginative play, it gives kids a chance to learn about math and money. An underrated feature? The fact that it’s solar-powered, so you never have to worry about batteries.

This play kitchen takes realism to the next level with a functioning sink. In addition to the fresh water tank, it comes with a drying rack, a towel, towel hooks, a colander, a chopper, a cutting board, stainless steel utensils, and a utensil drawer. Between the tools, the kitchen itself, and the 20 activity ideas included, your child has everything they need to enjoy imaginative play and build practical life skills at the same time.

Promote social-emotional learning with a game that’s played by matching emotions with feelings and faces. With 24 double-sided caller cards, 12 double-sided chat cards, and 12 double-sided emoji tokens, no two games are exactly the same, making it uniquely engaging each time. There’s also an activity guide included, which helps you encourage conversations around the feelings of both your child and others around them.

A Montessori matching game for the whole family, this is played by randomly putting 24 wooden pegs into the board and trying to remember which of the six colors each one is. From strengthening your memory to developing your logical abilities, there are all kinds of benefits to this chess-like activity.

Can 4-year-olds learn physics concepts? Yes, and this marble run is proof. Newton’s laws of motion will come to life as they configure mazes with the five bases, 15 action pieces, and 45 track pieces. Included in the kit are five glow-in-the-dark glass marbles, which can rapidly recharge with the included UV light. When you’re not playing, the storage bag keeps everything corralled.

The possibilities are endless with this magnetic building toy that uses 2D shapes to create 3D objects. The parts are flexible but still have design constraints, making creativity and an engineering mindset requirements. Whether they’re making hats and bracelets or cars and planes, your child’s fine motor skills will also be thoroughly worked.

Make playing house clutter-free with a dollhouse decal. Complete with four characters, all the furnishings you need, and even some trees, your child will experience imaginative play in a way completely different from what they’re used to. With the poly-woven fabric, which is also fade- and stain-resistant, you don’t have to worry about ripping the decals, damaging the walls, or being unable to peel off the pieces.

Problem-solving, fine motor skills, concentration, memory — puzzles have always been known to strengthen all kinds of skills. This search and find takes it one step further, with over 40 hidden bugs and insects to discover in the 64 pieces, offering a new way to experience and learn about nature.

Your 4-year-old’s inner engineer will be inspired by all the ways they can build with these magnetic tiles — and so will the rest of the family. The 60 pieces come in seven shapes and the six colors of the rainbow, offering open-ended play that organically leads to learning STEAM concepts.

Using a combination of logic and memory, players must work together to save the dinosaurs from an imminently erupting volcano. The beauty of a cooperative game like this is that you learn necessary skills like how to problem solve and make decisions with others. Plus, no one ends up upset over who won because you’re all on the same team.

Whether they’re at home or on the go, your 4-year-old will be endlessly entertained by the versatility of this 136-piece set. In addition to the dry erase board and marker, they also get scene cards and magnetic shapes and letters in an easy-to-transport storage box.