1year old and 4 year old-What gift can they play with together?

[hollyangel]

Hi everyone, would love some advice as to what presents/toys have made your boys and girls of differing ages play well together?I

I find the age gap means they often are doing totally different things in the play room and I'd love to encourage more group play.

Mine bathed together at that age. Bath toys worked well.

Mine are one and nearly 3. They have great fun with a pop up tunnel/tent thing. They have crawling races through the tunnel, put their dolls to bed in tent, race cars through tunnel, play hide &seek etc etc.
I got it for about a tenner, best money spent in ages.
Other than that, anything to do with pouring water all over each other is usually a hit.

Mega blocks or duplo. My 7yo DS happily plays with it with my 2yo DS. They build to their own standard

Based on my 5yo and 2yo and what they played with when they were 4yo and 1yo I'd say a play kitchen, sandpit or water table, a tuff tray that you can use for various activities, some paints and other art supplies, a bubble machine.

I have a four year old and a 7 month old, things I envisage they'll play with together soon are

Happyland
Duplo
Playdoh
Wooden train set
Toy cars/garage

I got my DD the leapfrog ice cream cart for her 1st birthday, my eldest (5yo) plays with it with her all the time. As do any other visiting children!

Duplo is another good one. Although I find my eldest makes elaborate constructions which the youngest destroys so it can lead to tears!

Mine are 5 and nearly 2. They both play with the kitchen, wooden animals, train set, doll's house and garage. The wooden blocks, rainbow, peg dolls etc are used a lot by both. Also Duplo and Playmobil.

When the one year old tries to grab everything the four your old has how do you all deal with it. I’m finding that the oldest can’t do anything in peace unless she goes in another room which understandably she doesn’t want to do. The little one just crawls to whatever she’s doing and wrecks it and doesn’t have the understanding not to. The room is small so that makes it worse. Would love something they could both play with enjoyably.

Toy kitchen

Toy kitchen and play food... Maybe have to put the smaller pieces away for a year or two though..
Shopping trolley to go with it!

Thank you for all your responses. We have a lot of these things, but doesn't seem to lead to joint play yet.

@Minionoftheantichrist , we have the opposite problem, my 4 year old won't leave the 1 year old alone! Anything she has he wants.

I think the pop up tunnel/tent is a really good idea. Some other things that are v popular are the stickle bricks and magnatiles. I think I'll also get some more mega blocks, they're fun for both of them.

Toy instruments

Keyboard, guitar, mini drum for youngest

Earplugs for you

hollyangel yes we have a reverse of your scenario - 4 year old tries to set up train set, 1 year old crawls over and pulls up the track or takes off trains. 4 year old starts on duplo, 1 year old crawls on top of structure and takes off the bricks. It’s a nightmare.