Figuring out what to buy when it comes to toys for 4 year old girls isn’t always the easiest thing in the world. After all, it’s such a crucial age as far as child development goes. It’s at this stage that little girls really begin to develop their imaginative play skills, including storytelling, exploration, and pretend play. Luckily for you, through hundreds of hours of research and testing, we’ve found the best toys for your little girl in every category. Toys to fuel her mind, body and spirit.
1. Ride-on Toys
Ride-on toys make for great gift ideas for 4 year old girls because they are a perfect mix of fun and entertainment while also providing quite a few developmental benefits. Toys like rocking horses, pedal (and motor) powered toy cars and trucks, and even small bicycles and tricycles all work wonders for developing both fine and gross motor skills, improving spatial awareness, and building up her sense of balance. As an added side benefit, ride-on toys are great for building up confidence and self-esteem in little girls as they encourage independent play.
2. Toys to Build Language Skills
Even though most little girls have normally been talking for quite some time by the time they reach 4 years of age, we still quite often see large gaps in language skills among children in the same age brackets. Toys intended to help build language skills can help to bridge that gap, so long as parents remain consistent with them while also recognizing that not all language building toys are created equally. (1) Studies have found that electronic learning aids aren’t quite as educational as many parents seem to believe, which is why we recommend sticking with educational toys like flash cards instead.
3. Giant Stuffed Animals
From a very young age, many children develop incredibly strong bonds with their preferred stuffed animal toys. However, as your little girl approaches preschool age, you may be surprised to learn that these stuffed toys can still offer quite a few developmental benefits. One particular study actually found that toys like teddy bears and dolls can help kids with developing good reading habits. (2)
4. Active Toys
In the modern world, it’s so important to make sure that your kids are getting plenty of active play time, while also minimizing the amount of time that they spend in front of screens. Active toys (like balance boards) make for great gift ideas to help encourage a healthy, active lifestyle. Not only that, but they also make for great educational tools, as they can help her to learn about problem solving, cause and effect, all the while helping to build both fine and gross motor skills.
5. Bedtime Books
It’s so, so important to make sure that your little girl is following a regular sleep schedule. Studies have shown time and time again that kids who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have problems at school and develop more slowly than their peers who are getting enough sleep. (3) Help her settle into a nightly bedtime routine with a great selection of bedtime books that are intended to help instill good sleeping habits.
6. Pretend Play Costumes
Pretend play costumes are among some of our favorite gift ideas for small children because 4 year olds are all about imaginative play. Giving her the opportunity to dress up as a princess, a police officer, or even a dinosaur will help to engage both her brain and memory. Some added benefits of dress-up play are that it will help to develop empathy, motor skills, and encourage socialization.
7. Table Manner Toys and Books
Learning all about table manners is an important part of growing up. We tend to prefer sticking with actual books when it comes to educating our children, and some studies show that there is indeed some merit in sticking to actual books. One particular study found that toddlers prefer reading from print books over tablet screens. (4) With that in mind, this selection of table manners books all make for fantastic gift ideas.
8. Age-appropriate Card Games
Even though card games have been around for centuries, there are still a great many benefits to be gained from playing them in the modern world with your 4 year old. Card games work great for kids when it comes to helping them develop their fine motor skills, as it takes quite a bit of agility and dexterity for their little hands to hold the cards properly. It’s also a great way to get more social interaction in, since many card games can be played with multiple people.
9. Musical Toys
It has been said that music can bring us all together, no matter what part of the world you may come from. We happen to agree with this and wholeheartedly encourage little girls to explore the world of music with this great selection of musical toys. Beyond offering up hours of fun, musical toys are great for helping with cognitive development, as music has been shown to help brain neurons fire more efficiently. (5)
10. Dinosaur Toys
Odds are pretty good that if you weren’t obsessed with dinosaurs as a kid, then you knew somebody else who was. Not much has changed these days, as dinosaurs are still an incredibly popular gift choice for 4 year old girls. The good news is that kids who have an intense interest in specific topics, including dinosaurs, have been found to develop increased knowledge and persistence, and an improved ability to process information.
11. Tricycles
Tricycles are a great “in between” step for little girls who aren’t quite ready to ride a bicycle unassisted just yet. They are incredibly effective for helping her to improve her coordination and balance, while also helping to nurture confidence and independence in her from a young age. The experience riding a tricycle will help to prepare her for riding a bicycle as well, as she’ll be used to where the pedals, brakes, and handlebars are all located.
12. Electronic Learning Toys
While we have mentioned time and time again that we try to steer our kids away from screen time as much as possible, there are still occasions where it can be beneficial. When used in moderation, electronic learning toys can be quite a helpful learning aid to go along with more traditional measures. Many electronic learning aids are quite affordable, and they come fully equipped with games, puzzles, and quizzes that will keep your little one engaged with her learning.
13. Age-appropriate Board Games
We definitely recommend aiming to have a family game night as often as you reasonably can. Playing age-appropriate board games with your 4 year old girl isn’t just a ton of fun for both of you. It will provide her with plenty of developmental benefits as well. It will help her learn vital social skills, develop her decision making and problem solving abilities, and even teach her all about achieving goals.
14. Drawing Books
It seems like almost all children are interested in drawing or scribbling at some point in their early childhood. The good news is that taking a set of crayons and scribbling away provides a wide range of developmental benefits for your little one. Getting her a few drawing books as a present is a great way to help improve her concentration, encourage creativity, and increase her general sense of self-confidence.
15. Dance Toys and Games
Toys and games that encourage your 4 year old to get up and dance work wonders for getting her active and engaged. Dancing and music are a lot more than just a fun way for our kids to entertain themselves though. Dancing has been shown to help kids with their development by helping them to express themselves and communicate better, while also giving a boost to their cognitive development and social skills as well.
16. Chore Charts/Toys
There are few things that work out as well for boosting your 4 year olds sense of confidence and self-esteem than giving them their own set of chores to do. This selection of chore charts and toys will go a long way towards helping your little one realize the importance of completing assigned tasks, while also teaching her the value of keeping things neat and tidy. In addition, it can help to give her more of a sense of belonging by making her feel like part of the “team” around the house.
17. Toys to Learn Personal Care
One of the most important parts about growing up is learning all about personal hygiene and how to properly take care of yourself. Help your little one along with these important developmental milestones with this great selection of toys that will help to teach her all about why it’s so important to brush her teeth regularly and have a daily bath. You will find everything from stuffed dental buddies to reward charts that will give her something to look forward to for staying on top of her personal care.
18. Books About Emotions
Our little ones experience a whirlwind of emotions on a daily basis as they grow up, and they aren’t always prepared with how to deal with the different ways they feel. That’s exactly why books that can teach her all about emotions are such a huge help. These educational books are a great gift idea that can help her to understand and process feelings like happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and more.
19. Duplo
Lego DUPLO toys are a great stepping stone for 4 year olds who aren’t quite ready for full blown Lego sets yet. These play sets feature thicker and wider blocks that make it easier for smaller children to assemble. Most DUPLO sets are designed to encourage creativity and imaginative construction as opposed to more advanced Lego sets that require a more specific design.
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