Heading to the beach next month with a 4 year old and 3 year old boy (in addition to my girls). Besides cars, trucks and trains, what does your son play with? I'm going to be hitting some yardsales, trying to find things that all, or at least the oldest 3 will play with.
Re: What does your 3/4 yo boy play with?
Tools, his lawn mower, shovels and buckets, construction trucks (he's really into pretending to fix the road), his garbage truck, balls, his tricycle, books, and his kitchen are all toys he plays with regularly. He really wants a tent, so he can go camping. Today he was playing with my curiling iron, pretending it was a fishing pole, catching fish and cooking them on his kitchen. I'm not sure where he learned about fishing, probably tv or preschool, since we've never taken him.
Trains, books, puzzles, balls, cups (to fill and dump with water).
When my son was that age, he played with transportation stuff and other pretend things (action figures).
We sometimes vacation with a group of friends. There are usually close to 10 kids on the trip ranging in age from 1 to 11. I always try to bring some toys for inside to share. Play-doh is a hit but can be messy. Kids like things like tops and kaleidoscopes. Crayons, paint-by-number books, puzzles and activities usually work well for all ages too.
tractor, baseball/t-ball set, any kind of truck or bucket that can be used to gather dirt, watercolors, lawnmower.
Legos are hit and miss for us too.