Arts and Crafts

• Getting messy is half the fun of art and craft projects.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Arts and crafts presents are a great way to nurture a 4-year-old's inner artist, while fulfilling the innate need to accomplish a task on her own. At this age many children begin to add more details to their drawings and art projects and can make more definitive looking pictures. Some gifts that are specifically tailored for a 4-year-old's capabilities are make your own puppet kits, stamp and ink sets, large coloring pads with washable crayons or markers, beading kits, paint and paint brush sets, finger paints, easel, sculpting clay and dough, sticker books and make your own puzzle sets.
  
  

Building and Construction Toys

• Building blocks and construction toys help develop fine and gross motor skills while entertaining young children.Liquidlibrary/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
  
  Building and construction sets are great for children in this age range. It helps to fine tune their fine motor skills and lets their imagination take flight. Building toys present a fun and unique challenge that will help expand a 4-year-old's already increasing ability to problem solve. Magnetic building blocks, Legos, road tracks, train tracks, Tinkertoys, gear sets and marble mazes will get a 4-year-old's engineering mind working.
  
  Take-apart trucks, planes and trains are also a great toy in this category to get. It allows little ones to see how a favorite toy is put together, and comes with an easy-to-use screwdriver and large plastic screws that little boys and girls love to play with.
  
  

Dolls and Stuffed Animals

• Stuffed animals and dolls make great companions on the journey of life.Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
  
  Both little girls and boys love soft stuffed animals, dolls and tag-along buddies. It also helps to develop their nurturing side, as well as their imagination. Dolls can also prove to be educational tools when learning how to get dressed and tie shoes. There are dolls designed for both girls and boys that allow them to practice snapping, zipping, buttoning and tying shoelaces. Other fun doll gifts are color and wash stuffed animals, Uglydolls and character stuffed dolls. If the child you are buying for has an affinity towards a certain animal, there are tons of options for buying one that is a stuffed toy.
  
  

Games

• Playing games with young children is a fun way to spend quality time together.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  With their increased level of focus and concentration, 4-year-olds make great candidates for various card and board games. Memory games, "I Spy" games, board games like "Chutes and Ladders" or "Candy Land," dominoes, bingo, "Go Fish" card games, stacking games and puzzles make great birthday presents for 4-year-olds.
  
  

Musical Toys

• Musical toys allow little ones to express their creative natures in a loud and imaginative way.BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images
  
  Young kids love to make noise, making musical instruments or musical toys an expressive outlet for their inherent energy and can help develop an appreciation for music. Children in this age range also are beginning to remember songs easier, and enjoy singing rhymes and making up silly words and songs, making music time that much more fun. Some musical toy ideas that are geared towards the 4-year-old crowd are play microphones, mini drum sets, flutes, maracas, harmonicas, xylophones, child-sized guitars, tambourines, a mini keyboard and play-sized piano. There are also numerous CDs made by a variety of artists if your child enjoys listening to music more than making it.
  
  

Make Believe and Role Playing Toys

• Playing dress-up doesn't just have to be just for Halloween.Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
  
  Four-year-olds have a vivid imagination that is running all the time. They love to mimic the larger world around them and enjoy pretending to be and do the various things they see. Dramatic play, role playing and pretending to be whatever their imagination can conjure up is pure entertainment for a 4-year-old. There are so many toys available that can enhance a young child's imaginative play such as costumes, action figures, play farm sets, grocery and kitchen play sets, trucks, trains, cars, puppets, fairies, doll houses, doctor kits, dinosaurs, cardboard houses, play tents and miniature versions of the daily items we as adults use in the household.
  
  

Science Toys

• Four-year-olds are perpetually curious and will enjoy science gifts.Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Children in this age range are natural scientists, asking how, why, where, when and discovering the world around them in a deeper way. While most chemistry and scientific sets are designed for older children, there are a few that are geared towards the youngest of scientific discoverers. There are also many books available on subjects such as space, bugs, robots, plants, the human body, animals and any other scientific subject you could think of. Play bugs, terrariums, bug catching kits, build-a-robot, and science-based puzzles are also good gifts to give.
  
  

Educational Toys

• Providing books and other educational toys at an early age can develop a lifelong love of learning.George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images
  
  At this age, 4-year-olds are beginning to recognize more letters, words, signs, numbers, shapes and colors. To nurture your child's intellectual growth there are many gifts that incorporate these concepts in a fun and educational way. Flashcards, early reader books, preschool workbooks filled with a variety of learning tools, matching games and number recognition activities are all gifts that will enhance your child's learning.