*Paid link
Arts and craftsAges 4+
Sticker activity books with puffy stickers to press onto the pages, building pictures and making up stories along the way.
Why we like it
Tuck one of these three Melissa & Doug sticker books into your bag before a doctor's visit.
The wait goes by with a page to fill on her lap and a running story to tell the person in the next chair.
Outdoor and sportsAges 3+
A pogo stick to hold onto and hop with, bouncing up and down across open floor space or a backyard lawn.
Why we like it
Flybar's pogo stick gives a four-year-old girl who bounces on every couch cushion a hopper of her own.
Flybar rates it from age 3, so she can start hopping right away. On the backyard lawn, she can count her hops and see how long a streak lasts.
Music
A toy drum kit from the VTech KidiBeats line, made for tapping out rhythms and keeping a beat during music play at home.
Why we like it
A girl who thumps the kitchen table along with every song can have a VTech KidiBeats set of her own.
She joins in with music through rhythm at this age, so drums give that habit its own spot. When her dad walks in from work, she can greet him with a homecoming song and a loud finale.
Dolls and figures
A Barbie medical playset for acting out doctor visits and checkups with dolls, settling each patient in at a pretend clinic.
Why we like it
This Barbie Care Clinic gives a preschooler who loves playing nurse a ward where her dolls line up for checkups.
Copying what grown-ups do at her own appointments is how she plays now, so her patients need a proper place to wait.
A pretend tool set for make-believe repair jobs, letting someone fix toy furniture and other household items during role play.
Why we like it
Whenever a doll's chair wobbles or a bedroom shelf looks loose, the New Sprouts tool set by Learning Resources sends her over to take a look.
If she trails whichever grown-up is mending something, a six-piece kit sized for small hands turns watching into fixing.
Building setsAges 4+
A brick building set that creates a Bluey school, where Bluey and Rusty can act out pretend lessons once it is built.
106 pieces · set 11221
Why we like it
Her teddies get called to class all the time, and this LEGO set lets her teach Rusty too.
Taking the grown-up role is how a four-year-old plays now, and a classroom she clicks together herself puts her at the front.
Games and puzzles
A turn-taking tabletop game with a mammoth theme, where players gather around and try not to be the one who breaks the ice.
Why we like it
After dinner, with the plates cleared, a preschooler who begs for a round of something sets out this frosty challenge herself.
Whose go sends the mammoth tumbling is anyone's guess, so she plays on equal terms with the adults.
Science and discovery
A set of hands-on trays for exploring numbers, used at a table to practice recognizing numerals and counting through touch and play.
Why we like it
hand2mind Sensory Number Trays put numerals within reach of a four-year-old girl who calls out digits everywhere.
House numbers and clock faces catch her eye, so numbers she can handle fit that interest. She sets the trays on the kitchen table and calls a grown-up over to check her work.
*Paid link
A craft set from Skillmatics for decorating animal pictures with foil, suited to children who like a calm creative project at home.
Why we like it
This Skillmatics Foil Fun kit gives a little girl animal pictures to decorate with foil at the kitchen table.
She works through it at her own pace, and an afternoon at home ends with a finished picture to put up.
A coloring craft set of toy pets to decorate and then look after in pretend play, joining drawing time with make-believe animal care.
Why we like it
Coloring a pet beats coloring the back of her hand, and this Crayola Scribble Scrubbies set comes with four glam little animals to work on.
Once one is decorated, she gets to look after it, and a wash clears the design away so the same animal can wear spots one week and stripes the next.
A set of Crayola Twistables colored pencils for drawing, shading and filling in coloring pages, sketchbook doodles and handmade cards.
Why we like it
No sharpener stands between her and the next drawing with these 50 Crayola Twistables, since each pencil twists up a fresh tip.
That many colors also cover a lot of portraits, which matters for a girl who hands out her drawings to whoever happens to be standing closest.
A multicolor pack of Play-Doh modeling compound in cans, for rolling, squishing and molding soft dough into pretend food, animals and other shapes.
Why we like it
A Play-Doh color pack gives fresh dough to a four-year-old girl whose old batch has blended into brown.
She rolls snakes and pats pancakes by hand, so separate colors matter more to her than molds. Each color waits in a separate can on the kitchen table until she decides to mix them.
Modeling dough playset with a Peppa Pig ice cream theme for shaping make-believe treats and acting out shop stories with the characters.
Why we like it
Pretend ice cream parlors get a Peppa Pig theme with this Play-Doh set for a four-year-old girl.
She takes orders from the family and shapes every cone out of dough herself. Her favorite cartoon sets the scene, so her shop games star characters she knows well.
*Paid link
A baby doll from the Berenguer Boutique line to cuddle, rock, carry around and tuck in for naps during pretend caregiving routines.
Why we like it
On Christmas morning, this 15-inch JC Toys baby comes out of the box with a bottle, a rattle and a pacifier, so the caregiving starts before the wrapping paper is cleared away.
A soft body makes her easy to cradle, and eyes that open and close make rocking her to sleep look like the real thing.
Action figures of Chilli and Bandit from Bluey for acting out family scenes, inventing new stories and lining up beside other Bluey toys.
Why we like it
Bandit in a retro hat and Chilli dressed as a superhero make a pair of Bluey grown-ups who play by her rules.
The posable figures are small enough for a coat pocket, so whatever story she starts at home can travel with her.
A doll stroller playset that works as several toys, for wheeling a doll around the house and acting out everyday caretaking routines.
Why we like it
A preschool girl who keeps her baby on a strict schedule of naps, meals and walks can run her nursery day herself.
Each step is serious work to her, and several toys in one stroller set give every task its own spot. The nursery corner she arranges stays set up beside her bed, ready for the next nap.
A set of collectible pony figures for pretend play, used to act out stories, stage adventures and line the friends up on a shelf.
Why we like it
If the preschooler on your list gives every toy a voice, Twilight Sparkle and her friends hand her a whole cast.
Her make-believe runs on squabbles and making up, so each pony's personality gives her a different character to speak for.
*Paid link
A unicorn-themed play tea set for hosting make-believe tea parties, pouring and serving imaginary drinks to dolls, stuffed animals and family members.
Why we like it
This unicorn tea service turns a playroom rug into a café where a preschooler who adores magical creatures takes every order.
Serving guests drives most of her pretend games now, and the creature she adores sets the theme for each round. Its teapot keeps coming back out whenever another guest pulls up a chair.
Outdoor and sports
A John Deere toy lawn mower that releases bubbles as it rolls along, made for pretend yard work across the grass or patio.
Why we like it
This John Deere bubble mower gives a four-year-old girl a yard machine to push around outside.
Mowing is a grown-up job she can take on herself, and bubbles drift up behind each pass. On the patio after lunch, she can trace loops and lines until the whole space is covered.
Building setsAges 4+
A LEGO Disney Moana building set that comes together as a village house and a boat for acting out stories from the film.
85 pieces · set 43282
Why we like it
The house and boat in this LEGO Disney set give a four-year-old Moana fan her own island to sail from.
Ocean voyages she knows from the movie now push off from a shore she put together herself.
Games and puzzles
Scavenger hunt cards that send players searching the house for everyday things, turning ordinary rooms into a game of seek and find.
Why we like it
Scavenger hunt cards send a four-year-old darting through the kitchen and hallway after whatever each prompt asks for, a grown-up close behind.
She loves spotting something familiar and calling out its name, and every answer hides somewhere in her own home. Each find gets carried back and lined up on the sofa for a grown-up to check off.
*Paid link
A picture book by Drew Daywalt, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
Crayon-loving preschoolers can unwrap The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt this Christmas.
She reads it with a parent, then grabs her new crayons from the stocking. The morning ends with a drawing taped to the fridge.
A picture book by Jane O'Connor, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
Dress-up lovers can twirl into Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor on Christmas morning.
She reads it with a grandparent, pointing at each sparkly outfit. Then she raids her dress-up box for a fancy look of her own.
A picture book by Jan Brett, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
Baking-season fun comes with Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett for a little girl at Christmas.
She peeks under the flaps on each page while a parent reads. Then they bake their own gingerbread cookies together.
A picture book by Matt Tavares, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
Bird-loving girls can follow a cardinal pair through the city in Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares.
She reads it by the tree as the lights twinkle. Afterward, she watches for red birds outside the window.
A girl who wants a new doll to play pretend with gets the Berenguer Boutique doll; a girl who already has baby dolls and wants a place to tend them gets the pretend nursery playset.
The Scribble Scrubbies pet playset suits a girl who colors her pets, scrubs them and colors them again, and the Twistables coloring pencils go to the girl who fills page after page with drawings.
and 13 more
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Chosen by our team from store data and what readers pick, not hands-on tests. Nothing is paid to be on this list. Recall notices checked . How we pick
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
