The world is one giant playground for preschool girls, though it can still prove tricky trying to find a gift that’ll capture (and hold) their attention. So where to start? Channel their energy into the toys, instruments, and books on this curated list, from dinosaur explorer kits to giant crayon sets — plus a few unicorn-themed playthings.
Prices and availability are subject to change.
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$129 from Budsies
Bring your child's creative sketches to life with Budsies, which creates custom stuffed animals based on drawings and other artwork. Each handmade stuffed toy is transformed into a 16-inch, 3D version — though you can upgrade to a 30-inch stuffed animal — for a present that celebrates your kid's one-of-a-kind artistry.
$27 from Amazon
Need to get a 4-year-old girl more psyched about taking a bath? Have her practice on her new pet friends — a dragon, narwhal, yeti, and a unicorn — which can be decorated with markers then “sent for a bath” (aka scrubbed clean so she can color them in all over again).
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$18 from Amazon
“I Never Forget a Face” helps sharpen memory and facial recognition, inviting kids to match 24 faces from across the world with their home countries. This memory game was a winner of the Oppenheim Gold Award for Best Toy.
$27 from Etsy
This excavation box lets children recreate their own “Jurassic Park” experience — without the man-eating T-rexes, of course. Each kit comes with dinosaur figures, an excavation brush, dinosaur eggs, a magnifying glass, and other items that’ll spark her imagination.
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$35 from Little Learners
Before she gets hooked on Instagram and TikTok, let her develop her photography skills with this colorful digital camera. In addition to taking photos and video, the camera also comes with five classic mini games.
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$50 from KiwiCo
This gift is a win-win: She can play around with a wooden baking set ( ingredients, spoons, a stand mixer, and a candle-topped cake) and bolster her math skills. The kit comes with recipe cards to help burgeoning chefs identify ingredients and simple fractions.
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$9 from Amazon
This eight-pack of ultra-squishy playfoam comes in a variety of colors, providing 4-year-old girls with plenty of sensory stimulation to engage their creativity. Plus, the no-stick formula means you won’t be scraping playfoam remnants of your walls anytime soon.
$23 from Etsy
This dreamy pillowcase invites kids to doodle with luminescent ink (glow pen included). The designs fade after five to 10 minutes, so she’ll have plenty of canvas space to draw on before nodding off to sleep.
Related: The Best Gifts for 8-Year-Old Girls
$67 from Odin Parker
For the tea party fan, this beautiful 10-piece wooden set is meant to last for years to come. It includes a teapot, two cups, two plates, two spoons, a sugar bowl, and two sugar cubes. Pinkies up!
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$35 from Wonderbly
Gift this charming book to the adventurous 4-year-old in your life. The personalized story follows a child traveling along a rainbow road, all while helping out various characters she meets along the way. At the end of the book, she’ll discover that each letter of her name corresponds to one of the strengths detailed in the story.
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$9 from Amazon
The Frog and Toad stories are classics, and this collection comes with four of Arnold Lobel’s beloved books (plus stickers!): “Frog and Toad Are Friends,” “Frog and Toad Together,” “Frog and Toad All Year,” and “Days with Frog and Toad.” Your 4-year-old will learn about the value of friendship from a pair of unlikely pals, all while developing her reading comprehension skills.
$22 from Target
Four-year-olds can be quite the chatterboxes. These user-friendly walkie talkies will help them talk it out with a friend up to 500 feet away through a safe and secure digital connection. Pre-set animated messages are also available to send.
Related: The Best Gifts for 6-Year-Old Girls
$30 from Amazon
This colorful mix-and-match set arrives with all the parts necessary to build a bountiful garden, featuring plastic flower parts — stamens, pistils, petals, and leaves — along with flower bed receptacles. The parts can be easily cleaned with water or thrown in the dishwasher.
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$12 from Amazon
Keep her eyes peeled with these kid-friendly kidnoculars, complete with a breakaway neck strap to ensure they won’t get left behind at the playground. The enlarged eye pieces and placement guides make it easy for any 4-year-old to spot birds in the backyard or get a closer look at animals at the zoo.
$43 from Maisonette
Twinsies! This medical play set comes with a child-sized lab coat and a matching doll-sized lab coat for her mini-me, along with matching stethoscopes and syringes. Best suited for 18-inch dolls or plush toys.
$55 from Amazon
It’s never too early to get girls interested in coding. This unicorn-themed coding spellbook leads young’uns through 12 preschool-level coding “spells” that will make Skye the unicorn light up, chase a ball, dance, and more.
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$25 from Made Modern
There are crayons and then there are crayons. This delightful set comes with three oversized crayons, each sporting 64 colors melted together. Her small hands will be able to grip these easily, making arts and crafts time that much more fun.
$19 from Amazon
Give her drawing game a boost with this 26-piece wooden set featuring stamps, pencils, and a stamp pad with washable inks. Each stamp relates to a fairy garden theme, with pictures that depict garden creatures, flora, and, of course, an array of fairies.
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$40 from Fat Brain Toys
This cozy hideout can provide a quiet place for your 4-year-old to read, hangout, and generally let her imagination roam. Hang it up outside or in a playroom; hardware and rope not included.
$40 from Fat Brain Toys
The Teeter Popper can help channel her energy through rocking, tilting, wobbling, and spinning on this fun toy, which features silicone suction cups that emit popping sounds as the toy moves. Another bonus? It helps develop motor skills, core strength, and coordination.
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$23 and up from Etsy
For little girls who can’t get enough of unicorns, this sparkly pillow case will ensure she hangs out with her favorite mythical creature while she’s settling in for the night. The sequined pillowcase covers are customized with a selection of colors, and shoppers can choose whether the pillowcase arrives stuffed or unstuffed.
Related: The Very Best Non-Toy Gift Ideas for Kids of All Ages
$130 from Tiny Land
Who knows if she’ll grow up to be the next Frida Kahlo, but she’s gotta start somewhere, right? Nurture her artistic skills with this adjustable, double-sided easel, which comes with a magnetic dry-erase board, chalkboard, child-safe paper cutter, locking paper-roll holder, wooden trays, three painting cups, and a paper roll.
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$23 from Walmart
If the 4-year-old in your life loves animals, she’ll happily dive into this vet play set. Inside the 24-piece set she’ll find a stuffed dog and cat, stethoscope, thermometer, syringe, ear scope, tweezers, bandages, a cast, and more, all held in a tote bag.
$35 from Target
Legos haven’t lost their luster since they were first introduced in the 1930s; in fact, the sets have become increasingly more complex. Go back to basics with this classic box, with 484 pieces that she can use to build whatever she sets her mind to. The set includes tires, wheel rims, windows, and more.
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$18 from Amazon
Made with 24 large, sturdy puzzle pieces, this mermaid-themed puzzle invites 4-year-olds to develop their critical thinking skills and hand-eye coordination. The box comes with a soft cotton rope handle that makes it easy for little ones to carry around.
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$37 from Amazon
Colorful polka dots adorn this kid-friendly ukulele, which she can strum as she makes up her own melodies and songs. She’ll be learning the chords to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” before you know it.
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