For my grandson, not quite 4 years old, we rigged 4" Senko with the o-ring in the middle(whacky style) on a light spinning rod and 10-20 lb. Suffix or Power Pro braid.
The braid cuts through weeds and is easier for kids and novices to handle on spinning gear....no excessive line twist etc. We fished that stuff in 2-maybe 8 feet of water and varied the weight of the hook accordingly. he caught fish.
If he is the cast and retrieve type(most kids are not real patient), and also for deeper water,then a Lucky Strike Scrounger jig head with Kalin grub or Kitek 4" Easy Shiner,on 10 pound braid.This worked so well, i "borrowed" the little spinning out fit myself and fished it to 20 feet for smallmouth up to 4 pounds.
Also the small sized chatter baits with a small swim bait trailer for days when the spinnerbait is not getting much attention.
For tough bites,1/8 to 3/16 oz Bitsy Bug with a small Zoom jig trailer. 1/16 oz for shallower stuff. Again, the 10 pound braid.The size bass that will hit these will surprise you sometimes.
As seal billy said,the Charlie Brewer Slider head,8-10 pound braid and a Baby Sluggo in gold/black or Arkansas Shiner will get lots of bites and also some quality fish. The baby Sluggo is as close to a slam dunk for bites as it gets.
None of this stuff is terribly expensive so if he gets hung up and breaks off, you won't break the bank,too. Kids are tough on gear sometimes.
For deeper water and light line, a 4-5" Yamamoto Hula Grub and 1/4 oz foot ball jig.This is a bit beefier presentation.
