Your preschooler is a full-grown person now. Four-year-old kids have their favourite characters, toys, and opinions on just about anything. They have memorized shapes and colours, while their letters are numbers recognition are vastly improving. The attention span of your little angels at this stage are growing fast. Give them activities, and they will likely focus on it.

Furthermore, their personalities are taking more shape. They already know what they like and don't like. You will also see their talents beginning to develop, making it easy for you to determine what kind of challenges your children will be able to handle.

When shopping around for gifts for your four-year-old, lookout for toys that are not just exciting and engaging but will help develop his or her skills as well for kindergarten preparation. With that in mind, here are some things you need to take into consideration when purchasing gifts for your preschooler:

• Educational benefits. Your little one will start school in a year or two. It is essential to choose toys that will help aid in his or her educational development. Pick those that will provide learning opportunities.
• Versatility. Look for toys that your child will enjoy even after a couple of years. Toys that are age-independent are recommended because they are very useful and can become a treasure for your little angel over time.
• Broadens skillset. 4-year-olds are always learning new skills so make sure to choose toys that will help them learn more. Pick toys that help their skills such as socialization, communication, reading, creative play, and writing.
• Outdoor toys. Majority of toys are designed to be played outside. Consider toys that your child can play with both indoors and outdoors.
• Entertainment value. As much as you want your kid to learn, you also want her to enjoy and have fun while doing so.

Communication and Socialization

Children of this age become involved in refining the fundamental social skills that will help them build and sustain friendships with other kids. One way for them to work on their communication skills is by doing puzzles, especially floor puzzles.

Look for those with interesting and fun artwork like the Hape Stacking Veggie Game. It's an exciting balancing game where kids build the tower of healthy vegetables and take turns removing then one by one. It's a fun group play while developing social skills. Puzzle games like this promotes teamwork, problem-solving, understanding emotions, communication, and respecting others.

Balancing

As a parent, you might be nervous to transition your baby from training wheels to scooters and balance bikes. However, most 4-year-old kids are coordinated enough to take on a scooter.

The Hape Street Surfer Kick Wooden Scooter is a great way for your child to enjoy the outdoors and get some fresh air while zipping the streets. It comes with safety features such as easy grip handlebars, extra wide wheelbase, and rear wheel brake. It is also adjustable so that your preschooler can grow with it. It's a great scooter to work your child's energy while encouraging his confidence and mobility.

Collaborative Games

Your child is now ready for a sit-down playtime. They have now the patience to wait for their turn, follow the rules, and stay at the table until the end of the game. Choose toys with more appeal and more than just pegs and dice. Kids at this stage are still working on their basic skills such as taking turns, gracefully learning to win and losing, and grasping essential strategies.

Games like Hape Create a Caterpillar can help lessen the competition while engaging kids. It's a game of hide and seek where kids take turns rolling the dice and guessing where the coloured ring you roll on is hidden. It helps improve problem solving, social play and matching skills.

Creating

At this age, kids are now old enough for toys that require a steady hand and nimble fingers. Their increased attention span makes it simpler to do projects that take time. Kids will feel proud, accomplished, and confident when successfully finishing a long-term project.

The KidKraft 2-in-1 Lego Activity Table is perfect for pretend, creative, and interactive play. It comes with 200 Lego compatible blocks and a 30-piece train set. Your child will enjoy building the train set and have fun watching his creation in action afterwards.

Pretend Play

Pretend play that's based on real-life situations is a great way to help your little ones deal with scenarios they are unfamiliar with or new to them. Preschoolers have many fears, giving them toys that can help them get over those fears is recommended.

A doctor's kit like the Hape Doctor On Call - Wooden Doctor Kit for Dolls & Friends is a good example. The set includes a doctor carry case with pretend play thermometer, stethoscope, note-pad, antiseptic cream and more. Not only will your child have endless hours of pretend play, but by playing a doctor with you, your precious baby will be able to understand and express his or her feelings.