What to get 4yo who isn't that interested in toys?

[Stroan]

My DD will be 4yo at Christmas and I have no idea what to get her. Relatives are also asking for ideas.

She is rarely bothered by toys, but has some select things she loves - dolls house, play kitchen, scooter, doctors set, puzzles and orchard toys games. She isn't really interested in dressing up clothes, dolls, cars etc anymore.

I don't think she really understands that there are more toys out there, so doesn't ever ask for anything other than a pet turtle.

She spends all her time making up role playing games or drawing. We have hundreds of books and lots of art and craft stuff.

We are thinking of getting Lego but have a new baby so I'm slightly nervous. She's getting a bike for her birthday in Nov and the garden is well equipped.

Help! What are your 4 year olds getting?

a chalkboard/whiteboard easel if she likes drawing? mine are getting a little cd player with a few cds (you can borrow from the library once she gets tired of the ones she gets for xmas), some magnetic tiles and a walk along dog so far x

My daughter is 4 and doesn’t really play with toys but she loves her CD player and audiobooks. She has a set of Roald Dahl ones from the Book People, and also lots with childrens songs. She also loves anything arty or crafty and one of the best presents she’s ever had was an Aquabeads set - we’ve since had to buy refills.

Would she like a robo turtle?

I agree that aquabeads are good, my dds like blo pens as well at that age.

I think lego is a good idea. When you have an older child and a baby then being careful with small pieces is just something you have to manage.

Tickets to a show or event she would enjoy? An "experience" Membership to a local farm/theme park/zoo etc?

She can't not have lego for 3 years because of the baby, surely?

Lego is great for the imagination, engineering, construction and fine motor skills. Just have a rule about where it can be played with?

What kind of role playing games does she like? Are there accessories for those that could help? e.g. cash till, spanner set, test tubes?

Marble run?

CBeebies magazine subscription
Lava lamp for her bedroom
Live butterfly garden hatching kit www.brightminds.co.uk/products/butterfly-garden-kit-with-live-voucher
Jigsaw puzzles
Gears Gears Gears flower garden www.brightminds.co.uk/products/learning-resources-build-bloom-flower-garden-gears-gears-gears
Fairy garden www.argos.co.uk/product/8473426

Does she have access to a computer?

There Is a programming language called logo, it has a turtle on screen and you program the turtle by using commands like 'forward 50' the turtle moves forward 50 paces and draws a line behind it.

There are different versions but 'Terry the Turtle' is quite a nice cartoon version.

In the 1970s you actually had a physical plastic turtle and great big pieces of paper, now it is all on screen but you can do some amazing drawings with it.

terry-the-turtle.software.informer.com/

I realise she may not be reading yet but she would only need a few words to draw a pattern.

Maybe for when she is a bit older you can get packs to make animations.

www.kudlian.net/Kudlian_Software/The_Store.html

Ds (4) is getting lego and playmobil just like he did last year. Dd is currently 15 months and hasn't eaten any of it.

Membership of a sealife centre type thing so she can go and visit the turtles? We get membership of the local zoo every year from a relative and the kids love it.

A subscription to the Kids version of National Geographic. Ds got it for his 4th birthday and loves it.

Djeco do lovely jigsaws. Ds loves their observation ones where you have lots of things on the border to find in the puzzle. He's getting the fairystory one for Christmas.

There's some fab ideas here, thank you. I'm definitely going to put a CD player on her list as she would love that. I like the idea of a membership to something but she tends to get very sensible gifts from family (or none, but that's another thread) so I'm really looking for something that makes Christmas feel magical for her on the actual day. There's a very good chance she will get zero toys unless we buy them.

@TeenPlusTwenties no, of course not. But she would scatter it throughout the house so I'd rather wait until she can stick to rules about where it goes (she definitely can't just now as she has had the run of the place for nearly 4 years...). That said, we are going to give it a try with one of those drawstring mat things.

She has plenty of things that could help with role playing games but they seem to get in her way! She just creates wild stories in her head and acts them out all day long. I never get to be Mummy, today I am an Allosaurus.

@Dinosauratemydaffodils fab idea but our nearest aquarium sent their only turtle elsewhere. She loves turtles after seeing that one and is hugely disappointed whenever we go now. The turtle obsession is very strong.

I never get to be Mummy, today I am an Allosaurus.

I've got one of those only today I'm a mummy spinosaurus.

What about adopting a turtle for her though something like WWF? I think you can get a small soft toy so it would give her something to open on Christmas day and then she'd get updates etc throughout the year.

Playmobil do an aquarium which you can fill with water and then you could buy a turtle family to add to it.

www.playmobil.co.uk/turtle-with-babies/6420.html
www.playmobil.co.uk/aquarium/9060.html

if she doesn't know there are other toys out there, could you take her to look round a toy shop? Or expose her to the horrors of advertising or youtube?
Other than that, I love the turtle obsession. Adopting one sounds brilliant.

Also love the playmobil idea. @Dinosauratemydaffodils wish you were buying my Christmas presents!
and I mean presents for me

I have a DD who was never really into toys. We used to buy her lots and lots of art things and this Christmas and birthday (she will be 8) I'll be venturing into buying her Fimo as she is really talented at making models. She also loves Lego, as it appeals to her creativity and writing, so stationery and journaling things are good.

It is tough having a child who doesn't play with 'traditional' toys (I have another DD who LOVES dolls and imaginative play) but it gets easier as they get older. DD1 is now massively into coding so we got her the Harry Potter coding wand last Christmas, which she uses with our laptop. This year DH has suggested we get her her own laptop, which she would love and would be well used for school and play.

Days out, membership to a local farm etc or toucan box subscription?