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This is part 2 of the article.
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Building Toys
Toys for building promote cognitive and language skills, coordination, and gross and fine motor development.
To support your child’s development, buy toys such as blocks for building complex structures, LEGO, construction sets, and transportation toys.
Toys That Promote Creativity And Imagination
Four year olds love creating and inventing things. To boost their imagination and thinking abilities, provide a variety of things to create with, such as:
- Finger paint
- Large and small markers and crayons
- Large and small chalk and chalkboard
- Paintbrushes
- Play Doh and modeling clay
- Modeling tools
- Preschooler-sized scissors
- White and colored paper
- Tissue paper and coffee filters
- Pipe cleaners and pom-poms
Music And Musical Instruments
Provide devices with a variety of music and buy some of the toy instruments such as xylophones, tambourines, or maracas.
Music boosts memory skills and helps young kids learn the sounds and meanings of words.
Dancing to music promotes self-expression and develops motor skills.
Books
Read to your preschooler every day and introduce new books often.
Buy picture books with detailed pictures and encourage your child to repeat stories, name the characters, and express his opinion about what you are reading.
Books and reading promote literacy and language, boost thinking, memory, and imagination, and encourage emotional expression.
Toys That Promote Movement
Use a variety of toys that encourage your child to use his large and small muscles, such as balls, ride-on equipment (climbers, push-toys, tricycles, wheelbarrows, wagons, tunnels).
Outdoor toys and equipment promote physical development, coordination, agility, and strength.
Summary
Four year old toddlers are becoming more and more independent.
They also enjoy engaging with their peers and love exploring and playing with a variety of toys.
They are learning skills essential for school success and preparing for kindergarten.
To promote your 4 year old’s learning and development, encourage lots of free play, provide a safe playing environment, and buy a variety of developmentally-appropriate and engaging toys.