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Our kid has a birthday on the horizon and this year we have attended more preschool birthday parties than I can count. I compiled this gift guide for the best gift ideas for 4 year olds who love make believe.
Have you ever realized that your kid or your kid's friend's birthday is right around the corner and you have nothing to wrap? Or maybe you are an aunt or uncle who has no idea what a 4 year old would like. Have no fear, your gift guide is here so book mark this 😉
The following guide is a roundup of toys and things that we have at our house or things that I know my kids would be super into. I have two preschooler at the moment (!!) and we have been in this 4 year old age range for a couple of years now between the two kiddos. I love finding toys that will keep my little ones busy and that will help encourage their little creative ideas. My kids also LOVE playing make believe so these are the gifts that I notice are specifically helpful as a starting point when they are making up little stories.
This post is all about the best gift ideas for 4 year olds who love make believe.
Superhero Capes & Masks for Kids
My kids have had this exact set of capes & masks for a couple of years and not only has the quality held up BUT my kids actually play with them all the time and both love to grab different mixes of masks and capes and play out their super hero fantasies. Surprisingly, this is also an activity that I've noticed my kiddos don't usually argue about because there are so many options and there isn't any competition.
These are also at the right price point to be a birthday present gift for a friend or family member and it's not another plastic junky toy (ok ok we have our fair share of junky plastic toys that my kids LOVE) but you know what I mean 🙂
Link to capes here: LINK HERE
Magna Tiles for Kids
These things are just the freaking best! My kids have been playing with their Magna Tile set forever and it is STILL in solid toy rotation. They love inventing stories that go along with the structures and "castle" that they build. Lulu likes to build little houses for her mini stuffed animals and Carter has always had a go to 3-D rocketship for his playmobil made out of the triangle shaped magna tiles. These things hold up for a LONG time and are a must have toy in my humble opinion!
Gift Ideas for 4 Year Olds - Walkie Talkies
One of my kiddos got a set of walkie talkies from his aunt for Christmas and it has been a hit ever since. Since we have two little ones, the set of walkie talkies is perfect because they can each have their own and the endless make-believe play stories that they come up with makes having these around the house totally worth it! I remember having walkie talkies as a kid - what a classic toy!
We don't have this exact set of walkie talkies at our house but these would be the ones I'd pick up if I was buying a new set. These would also make a fantastic gift for a friend or family member.
Link to Walkie Talkies: LINK
Wooden Kitchen Set
This cooking set is SO cute and I love that all of the pieces are wood and look like they would hold up for a lot of play - which is important when it comes to play kitchens! My kids love to have play kitchen sets and other "house" items that they can use to act out their stories. Right now one of our kiddos is really into making little breakfasts and serving up food to her dolls and the little wooden play kitchen set comes into rotation quite often for our 4 year old!
I love all of the Melissa and Doug play kitchen sets, and I thought that this one in particular was really cute. I don't exclusively buy wooden toys but I always am so impressed by the quality, durability, and over all aesthetic that nice wood toys add to the kids playroom.
Link to Wooden Cooking Set: Wooden Cooking Set
Simple Digital Camera
Kids love to take pictures and this kids camera is at a reasonable price point that it could be a very exciting present for a pre-schooler. Our kids love to have their own camera that they can bring along for adventures when we are out and about or have with them at the house to take pictures of family, friends, and themselves. I recently looked through the roll of pictures on my kid's camera and there were so many gems that I want to print out. It is really fun to literally see the world through the eyes of your child for a moment by looking at the pictures they like to capture.
One of our son's favorite things to do is to create elaborate lego sets and then use his camera to take pictures of the final product. I love seeing the ideas that the kids have for photoshoots and the things that they like to take pictures of. It's also a great tool to get the kids out of the house to head to the park or a new place they haven't been before if they know that they are going to get to bring their camera with them.
Link to Kids Camera: LINK HERE
Magic Make Believe Wands for Kids
Our kids first received these little magic wands as part of a birthday favor bag but they instantly brought me back to my childhood because I remembered that I also had one of these growing up as well. Instead of a regular plastic magic wand, these have little beads that can be seen floating around so it can also kind of act like a sensory/calming tool.
My kids also love to pretend that these are their "magic wands" and they tromp through the house casting spells and playing make believe. I love that the wands are still small enough to be tucked away for safe keeping and these also make great party favors for friends or excellent stocking stuffers.
Kids Gift Ideas - Play Tent
Gift Idea - Kids Play Tent
Play tents that are easy to set up and take down are SO fun for kids and they keep ours busy in a number of ways and are used almost daily for their make-believe games! Right now we have a doll hospital set up in one of the tents and the other one is being used as a reading/quiet space for our other kid!
I love that these are super light weight and can be stored in the closet easily and they are easy enough to set up that the kids can take them out and move them around and set them up etc. The tents also make awesome "ball pits" and you can order the plastic ball pit balls separately to fill up the tents as another fun way to use these tents.
