13 best gifts for four-year-old kids, from coding to face painting and baking

Four is an age where children’s imaginations are blowing up: they’ve started school, are tasting independence and being confronted with new ideas that haven’t come from parents and their thirst for the new and exciting is almost unquenchable.

Add to this the fact that they absolutely love receiving presents and you can’t lose, right?

Trouble is, there is so much out there to give four-year-olds as gifts. With literally thousands and thousands of toys, games and activities for them to enjoy how do you know which to choose?

In this round-up we have done the searching and sorting for you. We feature both original items and enduringly popular toys.

In all cases the products were made with care and offered good quality. We kept prices reasonable – only one item costs more than £50 and one is less than £10.

We tried to limit the number of items which were either single use only or had a naturally short life span, favouring objects that would last years or could be handed down.

But what we really wanted to see were things that would bring joy to almost any four-year-old; inventive toys, engaging games, beautiful accessories or creative crafts.

We think there is, as the saying goes, something here for everyone.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Read more

11 best gifts for newborns to 1-year-olds no one else will have given

best gifts for two year olds to build their confidence and imagination

10 best gifts for 3-year-olds that will keep them busy for hours

18 best gifts for new parents to celebrate the little one's arrival