10 Best Gift Ideas for Four Year Old Boys

My favorite little guy keeps growing up! This year, he is an energetic and creative four year old, and I want to find gifts that will entertain him, for more than a few minutes.

Even though he's growing up, my little guy can still be a bit rough with his toys, so whatever I buy for him has to stand up to the rugged treatment. You don't want to spend money on something, and have it fall apart a few weeks (or days!) later.

The gifts don't have to be expensive -- you can find excellent presents at a reasonable price, if you shop carefully. Shown below are gifts that I'll be giving him this year, and I know that he'll enjoy them -- and his parents will approve.

If you need gift ideas for a younger boy, please read the hubs I wrote when my little guy was two and three:

• 10 Best Gifts for Two Year Old Boys
• 10 Best Gifts for Three Year Old Boys

My four year old loves pirates, and spends hours playing with an old pirate ship when he visits me. We crawl around on the floor, and attack one another's ships, and have tons of fun.

Somehow, my pirates always manage to lose the battles, but I don't mind. We have fun, and he tells great stories while we play together.

So, I'll get him a pirate ship to play with at his house, for the times that he can't come to visit me.

Keeping with the pirate theme, I looked for a book about pirates that was suitable for a four year old. You don't want to give read them a story that's too scary or violent, even if they like to pretend to fight as pirates.

This Pirate Pete's Talk Like a Pirate story will be perfect! It's silly, instead of scary, and his parents will enjoy reading the story aloud, while they talk like pirates. I predict that there will be lots of bedtime giggles, thanks to Pirate Pete.

Another activity that fills hours of our playtime is constructing towers with our building blocks. This wooden block set from Imaginarium is excellent quality, with smooth edges, and non-chip paint finish.

There are 150 blocks in the set, in a variety of shapes, so we can build castles, and towers and garages for our toy cars. Then, when we're tired of those buildings, we knock them down, and start all over. He'd enjoy a set of his own, to build towers at home.

Four year old boys are getting too big for cuddly toys, but they still like to have a soft toy to talk to at night. My guy loves the cartoon character, Agent Oso, so I'll be getting this plush toy for him.

When I first saw Agent Oso, I wasn't sure what kind of creature he was supposed to be. Have you ever seen an animal that's yellow and green, and wears a vest? Me either!

My four year old friend told me that Agent Oso is a panda, so I'll take his word for it! Anyway, the toy is cute and cuddly, and will be a good friend for a sleeping boy.

Another cartoon show that my four year old buddy likes is Jake and the Neverland Pirates. We don't want to spend too much time watching television, or staring at movies, but the occasional treat is okay.

With this Jake and the Neverland Pirates DVD, we can pop in the disc, and watch an episode, while we relax and have a snack. It's not Masterpiece Theatre, but the shows are watchable, and encourage good behavior, like sharing.

Four year old boys love cars and trucks. This gift idea combines those two loves into one awesome package -- a car carrier truck!

The toys from Melissa & Doug are excellent quality, and built for rugged play, so it should provide hours of fun. We can make truck noises and car noises, and deliver our load of cars to different rooms around the house.

When you need a laugh together, crack open a Dr. Seuss book, and enjoy the silly stories. You can buy a single book, or this collection of beginner books. It includes several of my favorites -- Cat in the Hat, Hop on Pop, One Fish Two Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, and Fox in Socks.

I've read those stories countless times, and it's still a joy to read them. And the books might be old to me, but they'll be brand new to my four year old. He'll want to hear them again and again.

When the weather is good, we like to play outside, instead of indoors. This Safari Field Scope is a great gadget to bring along, and investigate things up close. The little explorer can check out bugs or leaves or even the garden dirt, to see how it looks.

It's a fun activity on a hot summer day, when you don't want to run around. Find a cool spot in the shade, and take a close look at the backyard wildlife. Who knows -- you might encourage a budding scientist!

For quieter times, and indoor days, a simple game, like this Sid the Science Kid Memory Game, is fun for a four year old. The game is simple to play, and don't be surprised if the younger players beat you -- without any help! Maybe your memory is improving with age, but mine sure isn't.

We don't play this game for hours on end, but the four year old attention span usually lasts for a game or two. That gives you a little break from the livelier activities, and you'll probably appreciate that!