16 best Christmas gifts for 4-year-olds to spark creativity and imaginative play

This Hurtle three-wheel scooter has become a firm favourite. It’s stable enough for beginners thanks to the two front wheels, but still fast and fun for little scooter pros. The light-up wheels are a huge hit (especially on evening walks), and the clever removable seat means kids can scoot sitting or standing, which is ideal when little legs get tired halfway home.

Our four-year-old mastered it almost instantly thanks to the easy lean-to-steer design and wide deck for balance. The adjustable handlebars mean it’ll last for years, and there are lots of colourways to choose from.

Ours has already been through a few muddy park trips and survived beautifully. It’s fairly sturdy, which makes it feel safe and solid to ride, but keep that in mind if you’re the one carrying it back from the park.

Created by eight-year-old Veda Wilson and her dad, Matt, during lockdown (when Veda was unimpressed by her dad’s coaching style), Aniballers is a part football coaching app, part storytelling adventure, and part confidence-booster. It’s designed to help kids stay active, while developing resilience and self-belief.

Our four-year-old tester loved the mix of fun challenges and collectable items, while we appreciated the balance between activity and imagination. The welcome pack includes the legendary golden ball, personalised membership card, sticker packs, a wall chart to track progress and access to the Aniballers training programme.

The Amazon Fire HD 8 kids pro is one of the few tablets that feels genuinely made for kids and for parents’ peace of mind. Set-up took minutes, and using the Amazon parent dashboard, I could pause play, approve downloads and set daily limits straight from my phone. The chunky case is built for real-life drops, and Amazon’s two-year worry-free guarantee means if it breaks, it’ll replace it.

It also comes with a year of Amazon Kids+, packed with ad-free content from BBC, Lego, Disney (and plenty of Peppa Pig). Battery life is excellent, and our four-year-old tester picked it up instantly thanks to the simplified pre-reader mode.

For less than £200, it’s a solid, sensible (and sanity-saving) gift for preschoolers. Plus, the new Peppa Pig Limited Edition version comes with a themed case for little fans of the show.

If screen-free entertainment is the goal, Yoto absolutely nails it. We found the full-size Yoto player (£89.99) perfect for the bedroom, while the smaller Yoto mini (£59.99) is ideal for travel.

Both work with collectable content cards (more than 1,200 of them) covering everything from Peppa Pig and Disney to Harry Potter, Roald Dahl and The Spice Girls. Our four-year-old tester loves having “quiet time” with her Yoto, listening to stories and asking questions about what’s happening - and we love the gentle nightlight, clock and durable, no-screen design.

This officially licensed Paint Your Own Paddington kit is a lovely, hands-on activity for children who love to make and create. It comes complete with Paddington’s iconic hat and duffel coat, along with six paints, a brush, and easy-to-follow instructions.

Our tester loved the quiet concentration of painting “their Paddington” - and it’s now sitting proudly on my desk. It’s the kind of activity that feels special in the moment and meaningful afterwards. There’s no extra firing needed, just paint together, let it dry and proudly display.

The Groov-e cuties walkie talkies have been a huge hit in our house - partly for games, partly for snack requests. Available in cheerful unicorn or dinosaur designs, they’re small enough for little hands and simple enough for preschoolers to use independently.

The push-to-talk button makes instant communication easy, while the clear sound and impressive 500m range makes them perfect for indoor adventures or garden play.

They’ve become a regular part of our role-play games, as well as a handy way to “check in” from upstairs while folding laundry. These are great fun for imaginative play, and surprisingly practical too.

We’ve played a lot of memory games, but this one actually stuck. Each player gets a trolley and shopping list, then races to find matching items – peanut butter, flowers, lollipops and more – before anyone else.

The game is simple enough for preschoolers to grasp but still keeps adults entertained. It’s been lovely watching my daughter take charge and remember where each card lives.

It’s a brilliant mix of fun and learning, helping kids practice turn-taking, memory and focus (while parents sneak in a few laughs too). The pieces are sturdy, the pace is quick, and it’s one of those games that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

There’s something magical about toys that don’t tell kids what to do, and this woodland trail treehouse is one of them. Beautifully made from wood, it has three tiers of tactile “foliage”, tiny ladders and a handful of woodland animals (a hedgehog, owl, squirrel and bird) that instantly invite open-ended play.

Our four-year-old loves setting it up differently each time, and it’s just as fun to join in with her as it is to watch her play independently. Assembly took minutes, and the craftsmanship feels solid and timeless - it’s the sort of piece you’d happily keep on display.

Just watch out for the tiny pieces – they’re easy to misplace, so store carefully when playtime’s over.

This beautifully illustrated hardback has become our go-to bedtime book, especially on those nights when everyone’s tired and attention spans are short. Each of the seven stories takes around three to five minutes to read, with gentle messages woven through tales about friendship, emotions and magical adventures.

I love that each story has a point without ever feeling preachy, and that you can read just one if you’re at the end of your tether (or rattle through a few when bedtime’s going surprisingly well).

The stories are colourful, funny and full of conversation starters. It’s a lovely, affordable gift for any four-year-old - boy or girl - and one that feels genuinely special to share.

Magnetic tiles are already a hit in our house, but this light star pack takes things up a notch. With pentagons, triangles and squares in eight bright colours (plus a rechargeable light-up tile), it turns ordinary builds into glowing creations.

We’ve made everything from star lanterns to colourful towers that double as nightlights. It’s one of those rare toys that grows with your child, encourages fine motor skills and creativity, and looks beautiful in action. Our four-year-old plays with it independently, but it’s just as fun to join in.

If your child loves anything with fur, this dog grooming playset will be an instant hit. Our tester loves pretending to be a vet (or a very serious dog stylist), carefully “washing” and brushing her toy before tucking it into bed.

It’s also lovely to look at – the neutral tones mean it doesn’t scream kids’ toy, and it’s one you’ll happily keep on display. It’s a brilliant set for imaginative play and early caretaking skills, especially for little ones who already love cuddly toys.

If you’ve got a dinosaur-obsessed four-year-old, this excavate a T-Rex kit will keep them happily occupied (and covered in dust). Inside the block is a full T-Rex skeleton waiting to be discovered with the included wooden hammer and chisel. Once all the bones are out, kids can assemble their very own mini fossil for imaginative play.

It’s surprisingly satisfying to do together (even for adults), though fair warning: it gets messy, so a tray or newspaper is your friend. Our tester loved the “real archaeologist” element and took huge pride in building the finished dinosaur. It’s great pick for rainy days or kids who like hands-on projects.

We’re big fans of Wonderbly in this house, and this personalised dinosaur adventure has quickly become a bedtime favourite. You can customise everything - your child’s name, skin tone, hair colour, even the front cover and dedication - so it genuinely feels like their story.

Watching our four-year-old’s face light up when she spotted her name (and “her hair!”) on the page was pure magic. The story’s fun, the illustrations are gorgeous, and it’s one of those rare keepsake books that also gets read on repeat.

If you’re hearing a lot of “What does four and four make?” lately, this set is a dream. The Numberblocks mathlink cubes bring early maths to life in a way that’s visual, hands-on and genuinely fun. Kids can build their own number blocks from one to ten, helping them grasp addition, subtraction and counting.

Our four-year-old loved matching up the cubes with the TV characters and “building” the numbers herself - it’s brilliant for visual learners and great for building confidence with early maths, whether or not they’re at school yet.

Everything about this bike is designed with young riders in mind, whether they are confident on a bike already or miles off it. This includes the lightweight frame, easy-to-reach brakes and intuitive steering that helps kids find their balance quickly and safely. Our four-year-old tester took to it instantly, gaining confidence each time. Watching her take off on her own for the first time was one of those proper “parent pride” moments.

It’s beautifully built, comes in five colours and is ideal for children aged 4–6 with a minimum inside leg of 46cm. It’s an investment, but if you’re looking for a bike that builds real skill (and joy), this is it.

This ice cream counter is one of those toys that earns its keep. It’s beautifully made, endlessly replayable and has kept our four-year-old busy for entire afternoons - sometimes running her own ice cream shop, sometimes feeding her toy animals with great seriousness.

The 28-piece wooden set includes eight scoops of ice cream, cones, toppings, a cup, a spoon and a scooper that clicks into each scoop to lift and release. There’s even a little menu card for taking orders. It’s sturdy enough to pass down, easy to wipe clean, and looks lovely enough to live out on a play table. A total classic and worth every penny.