The holiday season is nearly upon us and parents across the land are researching frantically for the best toys for their kiddos. I’m here to save you some time as I’ve curated a list of the best Christmas gifts for 4 year olds (although most are suitable for 3-6 year olds). Whether you have a kid who loves  the great outdoor or one who is about open-ended play – I’ve got you covered. Let’s get shopping! You can do this!

Some of the toys/books have been gifted but all opinions are my own. A few of the links are affiliate links. You don’t pay extra buying from these – the benefit is that I earn a slight commission, which I’m always grateful for. 

​The Best Gifts for 4-Year-Olds

Cat-astrophe 

If you’re the sort of family who love play games together, the Cat-astrophe game would be a great one. Cat-astrophe is an easy to learn stacking tower game and great fun for all ages. Build your purrfect stack of kittens as high as you can, balancing one kitty on top of another, but take care, one wrong move and it could all end in Cat-astrophe! 

The game is suitable for kids 6+ but as a parent of a 4.5 year old, I think 4 and 5 year-olds would be capable too. A brilliant game to build focus and concentration. Board games are great for connecting with your kid after a long school day too. We like to play them now that the dark evenings are drawing in. 

Available from Oliver Bonas and Gift Republic. 

The Story Orchestra Musical Puzzle

How sweet is this musical puzzle from Kaddo. Story Orchestra Musical Puzzles are 48-piece puzzles withs shaped pieces and four musical excerpts. Piece together the spell-binding magical adventure ofTchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and The Nutcracker using the full puzzle image on the poster as a reference. Then press the musical notes to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Tchaikovsky’s original score. Inside the boxes you’ll find an educational poster with details on the story’s happy ending and biographical information about the composer. 

​My 4 year old has always had an interest in music and so I think he’ll love this puzzle. It’ll be a lovely thing to make up together and then he can play without over the Christmas period. I imagine it’s the sort of thing that you could bring out every year and pass down to Grandkids etc.

Available from Waterstones and Amazon.

Plus-Plus Tubes

Maybe you have kid who loves Lego (I do!) but you’ve not heard of Plus-Plus yet. Well, Plus-Plus is very different to Lego but the same concept of building and being creative. With one double-cross shape and endless design possibilities, Plus-Plus is an award-winning STEM educational toy, that stimulates fine motor skills, creativity, focus and patience. Rooted in Danish quality, Plus-Plus is hygienic, fully recyclable and made from eco-friendly plastics.

There are so many different tubes you can get, from Christmas and Halloween themed to robots, mermaids and basic colourful tubes. The Plus-Plus tubes would make the perfect stocking fillers. We love imaginative play in our house and so I know the Plus-Plus builds will be a wonderful addition to the creative lands we make. 

Available from Toys R Us and Amazon. 

Windmill Bike Bell From Kikkerland

I can just see my little one on Christmas morning, riding his new scooter down the street with this little windmill bike bell attached. It’s so cute! I know he’ll love it. The bell would make a great stocking filler. I assume it fits onto most bike or scooter handles. I couldn’t find the exact colour we have but I’m sure it’s out there somewhere.

Available on Paper Tiger. 

​Huckleberry Grass Whistle

The perfect tool to bring on camping trips or on long walks to keep the kids amused! This grass whistle looks simple to use and would provide endless fun. My husband is always trying to show my 4-year-old how to grass whistle (not joking!) so when I saw this, I couldn’t not get it.

Eco-friendly and made of solid bamboo with dual magnets. I can imagine it would provide a lot of fun but also has an educational value too. You get to learn a new skill! Would make a good stocking filler. 

Available on Conscious Craft. 

Madd Gear Carve Rize Foldable Light Up Scooter

​Scooters are such a popular item for kids on Christmas day. Enjoy a Christmas day walk with this jazzy light up scooter! I know my kid is going to LOVE it. I can’t wait to see his face on Christmas day. The cool thing about this scooter is that it folds up. Great for packing into a car for walks or to take on staycation holidays. 

This is Madd Gear’s lightest and most compact scooter. Designed specifically with the younger rider in mind, this folding scooter is perfect for any size rider aged 3 years and up.

With its light-up wheels, height adjustable handlebars and lightweight yet durable construction, the Madd Gear Carve Rize Scooter is perfectly balanced and effortless to control. Backed by Madd Gear’s reputation for quality and industry leading 3-year manufacturer’s warranty, you know you are buying a kick scooter that will last for years to come. The Madd Gear Carve Rize 100 Alloy Folding Kick Scooter requires no assembly or batteries, easily unfold it and it’s ready to ride straight out of the box!

Available on Skates.

Wheels by Tom Schamp

​For every kids loves all things that have wheels – how adorable is this book?! 

From prehistoric carts to cars of tomorrow, Wheels: The Big FunBook of Vehicles takes a historic journey through a world where everything has wheels, from the Trojan horse to the HarleyDavidson; from the stagecoach and the steam train to the Vespa and the Ferrari; from skateboards to electric scooters. Every spread of this entertaining and educational book is filled with quirky and colourful art. Sly, subtle texts will make older readers smile, while younger readers will discover what different countries’ emergency vehicles look like; learn about buses of every imaginable dimension and weight; and choose which bike to use to win a race. Each viewing will reveal charming new details which are absurdly funny and educationally rewarding.

My 4-year-old has always had an interest in wheels so I know this book will be appreciate on Christmas day. I’m sure he’ll spend many rainy days reading it with me. Perfect for a big kid too. 

Available on Amazon. 

My First Adventure Book 

A book that your kid can interact with! Every read is an experience as you choose your own adventure. Each page divides into three, offering three different characters to play and an innovative wheel design. Once the story is over, start again and live a brand-new adventure with a new character.These 15-minute reads offer thousands of story combinations and are a fantastic first read for children.

Our little one is just starting to learn to read and so I think this would be a great addition to this library of books! I think he’ll love the fact that you can change the story. I went for the Argonuts story but there are others to enjoy, such as Discovering Atlantic, Journey to Ochre Land and Finding the Dragon. A great way to encourge a love of books. And little kids will love the interactive part!

Available on Zatu Games. 

Lego Imagine and Play Christmas

I had bought this for my kid last year but at 3.5 years, he was a bit too young to have the concentration and focus to deal with the tiny pieces. This year he’s grown such a love for Lego that it will be perfect. I’m so glad I held it back. The Lego Imagine and Play set comes with 60 pieces, an interactive activity book and a puzzle pad. You can build the characters from the stories, play along and create fun adventures of your own. The only limit is your own imagination!

 A brilliant toy to add into pretend play whilst helping building on that focus. I know I’ll be making the models with my kid but I love it just as much as him, so It’s secretly a gift for me too!

​Available on Amazon.

Tinch Unisex Kid’s Digital Watch

My 4-year-old has always loved clocks and has expressed an interest to have his own watch. I found this one the other day for a great price and couldn’t not get it. The Tinc watches are so clever. You just tap the LED screen and the time lights up digitally. I thought this would be good for kids who can’t yet tell the time but can read numbers. Apparently there’s also a timer function. Also just the feeling of being ‘adult’ and having a watch is enough for them!

The silicone straps come in orange, green, blue and pink with hearts. Available on Amazon. 

Magnetic Tiles & Magformers

Magnetic tiles are brilliant for kids to use critical thinking when building towers or a design they’ve got in mind. They are excellent open-ended toys and I would rate them highly. We’ve taken our magnetic tiles out to restaurants and it’s provided entertainment in places otherwise boring for kids. The perfect toy for durability. I reckon ours will last for years! 

So there are two different magnetic tiles to consider. Both are very similar really and neither is better than the other. The first is the flat, more square-edged tile. The sets you can buy online seem to have add-on bits where you can include wheels and make cars etc. Attractive transparent magnet toy set allow children to explore STEM and STEAM subjects through the power of play. To help build kid’s sense of creativity and get better understanding of geometrical shapes. 

The set i’ll link comes with 125 pieces which is the amount you’ll need for building huge structures. Available on Amazon.

The other type is the Magformers brand. They are more well known and their tile is slightly rounder and has a more rubbery. Magformers is the leading magnetic construction toy, proven to inspire children’s creativity and assist 3D brain development. They have lots of add-on sets too. We have the ferris wheel. 

There are so many different types of sets, from one suitable for 18 months + to a Fantasy Land Fairground. I’ll link the basic 26-piece starter set, however I’m sure you’ll find something to suit on the website. 

Magformers are available on the Magformers website. 

Bee Genius Game 

​I gifted the adult version of this game to my husband last Christmas and our son has loved it ever since! So when I heard about the kids version (for 3-8 year olds) I had to buy it. How it works: Roll the six dice to determine the locations of the worker bees. The challenge is then to fit all 11 of the coloured shapes around the bees, with no gaps, to complete the perfect honeycomb.

Play at your own pace and achieve more and more! This game helps to improve visual perception, spatial awareness, sequencing, strategic planning and speed of thought, whilst building self-confidence and resilience. The Happy Puzzle Company STEM games are designed to enhance hand-eye coordination, manipulative skills, logical thinking and problem-solving skills. Bee Genius is an excellent tool for helping with dyspraxia, dyslexia, ASD & ADHD.

​I think this game is going to be fun for the whole family (personally) and would be a great Christmas gift for kids who love puzzles!

​Available on Amazon. 

Foam Breeze Blocks

We’ve had our grey breeze blocks for a year now and they have provided hours of play! From building huge towers to making tunnels for a train set, they have given so much. As they are made of foam, they durable. Easy for smaller hands to pick up and build with. Perfect for kids of all ages. The possibilties are endless! The perfect size for storing under a bed too (that’s where we store ours!)

The set I’ll link comes with 20 bricks. Available on Amazon. 

Lego Classic Large Creative Storage Box Set

​Over the past year, Lego has been THE toy. This Lego set was the first set of smaller Lego that we bought for our son. It comes with many different pieces and instructions to build different models. It’s the perfect starter set for those perhaps moving from Duplo to Lego. It’s such a popular toy that will just keep on giving. It’ll provide hours of creative play and will last a long time! Building Lego is also a fun way to spend time as a family. I often spend hours building with my son. We build in the bedroom, the kitchen, the living room.. it comes everywhere with us! My little one loves telling stories with the Lego models he builds too. Such a great toy for sparking imagination. 

The storage box that the Lego comes in is also really useful. Available on Amazon.

Rainbow High Fashion Doll

If you have a big Rainbow High fan, then of course a Rainbow High Fashion Doll is certainly going to be on your radar! Each doll comes with its own set of unique accessories and clothes. Perfect for building a collection of your own Rainbow High Dolls. The one I was sent was Poppy Rowan from the Rainbow High Fantastic Fashion Dolls Collection. She comes with a brush for styling her hair as well as a clothes stand and a mini fashion magazine. I know a little girl who is going to be made up when she receives this on Christmas morning!

Available from Smyths Toys.

So there we have it. 16 great gift ideas for 4-year-old boys and girls. I hope this post has given you some inspiration for your own children and has enabled you to find the perfect gift. Happy shopping!

Which toy do you think you’re kid would prefer? I would love to know in the comments!