Gifts to buy a Four Year Old Girl.

I have a four-year-old. A four-year-old! I’m sure it hasn’t been a year since I gave my suggestions for Gifts to Buy a Three Year Old Girl.

It can be challenging to know what to buy a four-year-old girl, if you don’t have one, so here are some fabulous suggestions for gifts to buy a Four Year Old Girl.

1. Activity Books: sticker books, drawing books, work books. If your child is like mine they stand on the precipice of learning how to read and write, so Educational Workbooks (Dimples calls then Homework) are both useful and enjoyable. We take sticker books, workbooks, and activity books on trips, to restaurants, on holidays. The Girls both love them and they help keep them distracted when they get bored.

2. Books: for the same reason really. The Girls have stories every night and often times I read to Dimples during the day when she isn’t at nursery; it’s a great way for us to spend time together, bond. She has started sounding out letters, so the reading element is critical. But more than that reading fires imagination, it grows vocabulary, it encourages interests. Reading is an essential tool, not just of itself but for so many reasons. Books received this year include: The Singing Mermaid, Socks, and

3. Puzzles: apart from indulging loves and interests- Dora the Explorer and Sofia the First are two examples of jigsaws Dimples was given- puzzles also help with skills such as gross and fine motor skills, reasoning and memory. They alleviate boredom and encourage concentration.

4. Craft kits: we do a LOT of craft. This means that a) we get through a lot of craft supplies so more can only be good; b) we’ve got a name for ourselves as “crafty” so this is an easy gift for people to give my children; and c) the girls enjoy crafting and are always asking to do more. Likewise, pens, pencils, crayons are always useful. You could make your own craft box gift, or give a junk modelling bag.

5. Board Games: the benefits to playing board games are manifold. First up, they encourage family time, screen-free time, together time. They teach turn-taking, encourage concentration, help children embrace the concept of rules- and the following of them-, tactics and predicting what other players will do. These are all of which are useful skills for life. The big game this year was Galt’s Fancy Dress Game as well as Orchard Toys Rocket Game, which encourage many of these things. And have fancy spinners.

6. Practical Gifts: pyjamas, socks, swimwear; all useful items which parents appreciate and which children love. Some of Dimples’ favourite gifts over the years have been practical: from a lovely pink coat that she didn’t want to take off, to the knickers she was given for her second birthday that precipitated potty training. Dimples has been waiting until she turns four to start swimming lessons. Granny bought her a wonderful personalised swimming bag- just like she did for LBG- and Dimples got a new swimsuit to go in it.

7. Gifts that indulge their interests. Dimples is mad about baby dolls and has been since she was old enough to carry one around with her. We have many. All with different names. If I ever ask her what she would like for Christmas/Birthday, she will ask for “baby shoes, baby socks, baby tights”. For Christmas she asked for a “baby pushchair: one in the front and one behind” which is what she got. Uncle Adam bought her a baby highchair. He is King Of The Gifts this year.

8. Imaginary Play gifts: a costume, a tiara, dare I say it, something from the Disney Store. All these things make fabulous gifts, and they don’t even need to be gender-specific. The dressing up item that gets most air time in our home is a Cowboy hat. This year’s key accessory? The play tent: perfect for indoor and outdoor and used for sleepovers, tea parties and for “locking naughty toys up”.

 The biggest hit of the year by far though were the bath bubble set and Dressing Up Bath Sticker set.