Need Toy Ideas

Hi! I just sat down with my oldest little boy and took some plastic characters in my hand and began making them come alive with voices. Playing with him helps a lot.

I say try the Lego construction thing. You might be undersestimating him. Plus this could be a 'big boy' gift and something that he would get to do with you. And so what if he doesn't follow the exact directions! Let his mind be creative. Maybe try a cool costume of one of his favorites or a real football uniform that might have a helmet with it.

My little dude has been playing with DUPLO blocks since he was 2 - LOVES them. They are a little larger than lego. And have an inexpensive table and chairs that go with them at Toysrus. I JUST found a new building system for his 3rd birthday. You have to order on-line (Amazon I think) called MAGNEATOS. They have Jumbo for younger children and intermediate for a little older. It has balls and posts that go together that are magnets. I got the 114 pc set of intermediate for about $44. It is rated for 5 yrs to 99. But Toyrus rates it from 3 and up. I have detected nothing unsafe about the constuction of the intermediate size and seems just fine for my 3 yr old. Hope that helps.

Tinker Toys! My little girl turned 4 in Feb and she too loves to "do" and to build. She has always loved her big wooden blocks so the transition to the TinkerToys was easy. I'm amazed at some of the things she creates. I am very fortunate that my mother was able to save the wooden Tinker Toy set that my brothers and I grew up with in the early 70's and we gave the set to my youngest this past year for Christmas. She also has a Lego set and once we did it together a time or two she was able to follow the instructions and play on her own.

Hi H.,
Legos can be a little difficult, not to mention the pain in your foot if you happen to step on one. Don't ask how I know, just trust me.
But, how about Lincoln Logs? I had a set growing up and we bought a set for my daughter when she was three or four. Like legos they come in different sets. Unlike legos they aren't any pointy corners.
I have seen them at Target and Toys 'R Us but I think TRU has a larger selection.
Hope you find something fun for your son.

Legos and blocks are great. It may also spark the "make believe" when he makes something with the legos. If you get just the "bricks" and not the complicated sets that make something, then it may be better for him. My boys make towers, houses, even cameras and run around taking pictures of everything.

When my step-daughter was 4 she really loved playing with puzzles. They're pretty inexpensive at Walmart and may hold his interest for a long period.

they have cool home depot kits for children at toys r us. they have trains, planes, etc. that you paint, glue together its fun! also at ac moore you can get unstained bird houses for cheap! my son loves to paint those and then we hang them up outside! he loves to watch the birds come in/out! good luck! hope this helps!

You don't need to buy lego construction sets where he has to follow directions to build something - they sell boxes of generic legos that kids can build with using their imaginations. Also try K'nex, Lincoln Logs, or plain old wooden blocks.

Also, how about board games? Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Perfection, Hi Ho Cherry O, Elefun, Whack-a-Mole, and Trouble have been some of my kids' favorites.

Some final ideas - costumes, art supplies, outdoor toys, moon sand, or a musical instrument like a kid's guitar or keyboard would be fun, and mine have loved all of those things as well.

Good luck, and Happy Birthday to your son!

Kid K'Nex were a HUGE hit with our son at that age... and he still loves them 2 1/2 years later. Lincoln Logs are wonderful, too. The best part of both is, when he insists you play with him, you'll both have fun :)

It sounds like you maybe want to encourage make-believe...? At his age, a box of boys' costumes would be great. Lillianvernon.com and other catalogs have dress-up costumes for kids and have some geared towards boys, like a box set with astronaut, police officer, firefighter, cowboy, etc. costumes. It's something you "do," as he says, combined with a nudge toward make-believe. If you also get him something like a space play kit (space shuttle toy, toy astronauts, etc.) from the Air and Space Museum if he's interested in space, or a firefighter set (toy engines, firefighter figures, etc.) that goes along with some of the costumes, that might get him into roleplaying. Just a thought. If he's not exposed to more chances for make-believe he won't give it a try, and costumes and associated toys might expose him. Good luck!

How about Magnetix (not sure if this is the right spelling). My son still loves making things from them. Don't worry about playing "make believe". My son never did either & he's great at age 10.

Puzzles! My son is the same way- could care less about action figures and make believe sets. He loves puzzles, he five now and can do a 300 piece by himself-takes two days of coming back to it, but we have been doing them together for about a year or so. He has loves puzzles since he was 2 and started with a number train puzzles that went to 12. Got to Fat Brain Toys online- they have a wonderful selection of puzzles and toys to think by. "Doug & Melissa' have a great line of age appropriate floor puzzles, as does the brand 'Ravensburger'- good quality. Once you get a feel for what he's into- ebay usually has great prices on some of the same stuff.

Since he likes trains maybe you could look into the Brio Train sets. They are a bit expensive but last through many children. I bought my first set with my first child and the set plus many expansion sets have lasted through four children. My oldest now 17, doesn't use the train set any more but sometimes the 11 year old will still help the 7 and 5 year old set up tracks.
Check them out at http://brio.knex.com/customer/home.php?cat=378

My son is 4 1/2 and loves to play with his cars (matchbox and hotwheels), he also has a couple of sets of Tinker Toys.

But his favorite is Lego. He doesn't follow the directions, but still comes up with some amazing "inventions" (his term.) I've saved for directions for him until he's older. We bought two huge boxes of mixed legos on Ebay - very cheap.

Another idea, is to take a large plastic bin and fill it in with all types of craft notions: glues, glitter, feathers, pipecleaner, felt, markers, etc.... You can find alot of notions at the clearance bin at your local craft store.

Besides the building sets and puzzles (both good ideas), what about getting him a little cooking set? Then he can help you in the kitchen, an activity you can do together. When my DD turned 4 she got a little baker's set (with child-sized & food safe tools, bowls and some baking tins) and I picked up a pizza set for her as well.

Also, use the craft projects for kids (there are tons in my local Michaels/JoAnn/ACMoore) to see what he might be interested in long-term. Woodworking, fiber arts, beading, candlemaking, soapmaking, using Fimo-type stuff to make things - all of these are hands-on stuff he might be interested in. When his project is finished, he'll have something solid to keep or gift.

None of these projects are particularly 'feminine' and I would encourage you to let him explore all kinds of hands-on stuff now while he's young, before you and he run into the gender-stereotyping that tells him that boys 'can't' do things.

Good luck!

My kids say Tinkertoys, K'nex, and no-one ever followed the directions for the Legos they just built what they wanted, Lincoln logs, Matchbox cars, Tonka trucks to build roads in the sandbox, and action figures from movies he likes. And they liked these cardboard blocks printed like bricks (about the size of a shoe box, came flat and we had to fold them together) they built houses and such. If he isn't into make believe kitchen, stand him on a chair in the real kitchen and have him help measure and stir(which doesn't answer the birthday present question)...or maybe it does if you get him a kids cookbook and pans, there are some cute ones out there. We've always been big on books, books, books.

My son is four years old as well.My son loves games. There is a card game set that is sold in KB toys and it is made by sesame street. It has numerous games like mix and match, gold fish and some other things.

I really do think the lego construction is a good idea. You are really never to young for them unless he is at the age were he will eat them. They help build his imagination and create excellent cognitive skills.Even if he is not interested, it would be good for you to encourage this type of play.

Then there is always the big things such as introducing bike riding and sports sets like baseball and bat and basketball goals. They love those things. I also gave my baby his first pair of roller blades. It has a helmet and knee pads with it. Be prepared to work lol.....

My four year old just loves games... card games like Uno, Crazy Eights, War, Go Fish, Memory... they come in cool decks like Thomas, Cars, Winnie the Pooh. He also likes Hungry Hippos and Chutes and Ladders - games given to him for his 4th birthday. It gives us some fun time together without getting too messy!

Also - you mentioned he's too young for Legos, but have you tried Lego Duplo? They're bigger, chunky blocks that fit together just like Legos. My guy loves to build towers. We have a huge cylander of building blocks as well, but he's just now getting into that...

Good luck. :)

My son Loves building with Tinker Toys.

He also really enjoys playing cards... go fish, memory, uno...

My son is five and he really enjoys building with the Lego sets. If you look online they have quite a few for his age. Your son might still need a little help, but it is something he can do at the kitchen table while you are preparing dinner.

Good luck

Lincoln logs and the Mega Blocks seem good. My son loved those. Or how about a pair of binoculars so he can see things outside close up. My son also loved a set of walkie talkies we bought him when he turned 4. He and his brother can play with them or if a neighbor friend has one he can talk to them. My son is 6 now and still loves them. Our neighbors have a set as well and he is able to just call over there with it and say hi whenever he wants. They are kept downstairs not the bedrooms so if they or he are sleeping they won't disturb each other. GOod luck. I hope you find the perfect thing.

How about Lincoln Logs? My brother and i both LOVED lincoln Logs, i hope you can still buy them. it feeds the need to create and build, and can also be done over and over again alone or with you.

My son will be turning four soon and he absolutely loves matchbox or hot wheels cars. Sometimes he uses his imagination more than others with these, but mostly he just loves making the "vroom" sound and going all around the house. Also, we have mega blocks (I think they're by Lego) and while the others are too small for my son, he really enjoys building with the bigger ones. He also likes that they connect so they don't fall over as easily as the wooden blocks.

My son never like "make believe" and he was always really creative. I bought him a huge box of Legos and he would just sit there for hours building his own designs (really intricate stuff!) and even now at age 9 still enjoys it. QVC's toy website is awesome and they sell alot of building sets, some that light up and make noise and have movement. He also loves to paint--I buy him those huge pads of paper and a water color set and he loves it. I also bought him a scooter (Razor) and helmet at age 4 and he still rides it every day. Good luck! B. B.

I like all the lego, knetix advice. My son loved those toys also. He also loved puzzles and a generic brand of matchbox cars called "Fast Lane" sold at Toys R Us because they came in a set that had little figures and props, usually police, fire and construction. Those little firemen climbed up and down toy ladders and put out lots of fires in their day. My son still won't part with them at a yard sale. He also loved construction, fire and police related books. If you want to go a bit more commercial, there are now Transformers for his age that he can change from a car to a robot and back.

Try Imaginext toys. You can get them at ToysRUs. My two boys (now 10 and 12) have been playing with them since they were about your son's age. They are modular pieces that can be configured as castles, dungeons, pirate ships, etc. My boys like them better than Legos. They have several sets and like to make up their own configurations. And you can purchase lots of accessories to go with them (pirates, knights, trees, animals, etc). They have a dinosaur line too.

Good luck!

My son is almost 4 also. He loves the regular sized legos and blocks. Lately he is really into golf. He got a golf set from Rite Aid and has spent countless hours with it.

hi! my son turned 4 in april and i just got him a set of little legos and he loves them! he doesn't really follow the directions, he just builds on his own. he'll spend hours with them! he also loves the games zingo and cariboo. he still loves building with tinkertoys, also. my son also loves crafts. we just tried the perler beads that you put on a peg board and then iron to melt them together. he really liked those. again, he doesn't really follow the pattern, but has fun making up his own.

hope that helps!