Gifts for a 4-year-old boy — ideas he’ll love

No time for the whole list? These are our four favourites for a 4-year-old boy: LEGO Spidey on his motorbike against Rhino, a small present that plays big and that he builds himself; the picture book De ridder zonder billen (“The knight without a bottom”), guaranteed to have you both in stitches at bedtime; the Plus Plus BIG Activity Farm, big pieces for small hands and a farm that’s different every day; and the Siku New Holland tractor at 1:32 scale, metal and sturdy, the way toy tractors should be. Four gifts you can’t go wrong with.

A small gift for a 4-year-old boy, for his Sinterklaas shoe, for a birthday party or as a reward. Everything below costs less than ten euros.

With up to 25 euros to spend there’s plenty of choice for a 4-year-old boy: a vehicle, a puzzle, a dressing-up cape or a first board game. Everything below has been picked for this age.

Plus-Plus is a wonderful building system: one shape, endless possibilities, and the tubes of 100 pieces come in dozens of themes. The BIG version has larger pieces for small hands. A tube makes a lovely small gift; a big box is a present the whole family ends up building with.

At 4, reading aloud is the best moment of the day, and a boy this age wants a story with a tractor, a firefighter, a dinosaur or a good helping of silly humour. Studio Bambacht and LazyLama have a lovely selection of picture books for this age. Most are in Dutch — which, for a child learning the language at school, is exactly the point.

At this age, dinosaurs are almost a phase of life. From a first dinosaur game and a puzzle to a set of figures to roar with: anything with a T. rex on it is good. Go for something he will actually play with, rather than just something to look at.

A 4-year-old boy would rather be outside all day, and indoors he doesn’t sit still either. For outside: a scooter with light-up wheels for the walk to school, a ball, a kite, a throwing game for the garden or garden tools to help out. For indoors when it rains: a balance board to wobble, rock and practise his balance on. Check the size of a scooter: the Maxi is for ages 5 to 12 and still just too big for most 4-year-olds, while the Mini fits perfectly now. LazyLama and Little Dutch have the full range of outdoor toys.

Tractors, diggers, racing cars and lorries: a 4-year-old boy can’t get enough of them. Choose something that can take a knock, like the metal models from Siku or the big work vehicles from Bruder, where the bucket and the arm really move. They get played with long after the reception years and are still worth something afterwards.

At 4, being a firefighter is the best job in the world, with the police a close second. A wooden fire engine or police car lasts for years and goes with the train set that may already be there, a Playmobil or LEGO set with figures gets the story going, and a magnetic book comes along in the car. Studio Bambacht has more wooden vehicles from PlanToys and Janod.

Four is the dressing-up age. A knight, a dragon or a dinosaur, with a cape and a mask that are comfortable and washable, so they still look good on day fifty. And a play tent as his own little spot to read in, camp in or turn into a castle. LazyLama has a large range of dressing-up clothes from Souza! and Great Pretenders: sturdy fabrics, child-safe materials and a finish that lasts for years.

Stickers, scratch cards, watercolours and a pencil case for his first school things: at 4, crafts should above all give quick results. LazyLama and Pipoos have plenty more. Also see our blogs on lovely drawing supplies for children and the best drawing books for children.

A game for a 4-year-old needs no reading and lasts fifteen minutes at most. A picture card game, a HABA dice game or a first board game with a side without text: sitting at the table together, and quite often he wins too. Lotana and 999 Games have the full range of children’s games.

A 4-year-old can do a puzzle of 24 to 50 pieces on his own, and a set with increasing difficulty grows with him for a year. Vehicles and dinosaurs always go down well. Lotana has a large collection of puzzles for young children.

A 4-year-old boy builds his first real LEGO. Sets with 4+ on the box have larger starter pieces, so he can put together a motorbike, a boat or a mech without help — and Spidey and the Ninjago dragons are the heroes of the moment. Browse the full range in the LEGO Shop.

A fun day out together is a treat in itself: you experience something special and make memories to talk about for ages. A few ideas:

🚒 An open day at the fire station

🦕 Naturalis in Leiden or a dinosaur park

🚂 A ride on a steam train

🛝 A big playground to run wild in

🍿 A film night with popcorn (and staying up late!)