35 Best Toys and Gifts for 4-Year-Old Girls Who Love to Create and Explore

Gabby’s Dollhouse fans—and probably some kids who aren’t even familiar with the show—will love building this tiny roller coaster track, sending Gabby around in the coaster car. There are other rides too, like the seesaw and teacups, and the set comes with figures of Gabby, Pandy Paws, and Kittycorn. Ages 4+

Our choice for the best camera for little kids offers instant-gratification prints, the ability to pick PAW Patrol-themed frames, and markers and stickers for further decorating the black and white prints. The print quality isn't great, but that's not really the point—this is sturdy and fun for kids to use by themselves, and it comes with four paper scrolls for a total of 280 pictures out of the box. It charges via USB cord, included. Ages 4+

Peppa Pig learning to ride a bike is a role model for determination and fortitude. With this toy, kids can push Peppa and she’ll really pedal, and she has more than 75 different sounds, reactions, and songs to go with it, which vary depending on whether or not she’s on the bike. “My daughter was absolutely obsessed with this toy!” one parent told the Good Housekeeping Institute. “It's actually very well constructed and so adorable! She likes that she can take Peppa on a stroll with the attached bar, and the music/audio is very sweet.” Ages 3+; batteries included

At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we've long been fans of Crayola's Scribble Scrubbie pets and we're big admirers of Bluey. The two together is a perfect pairing. Kids can color and decorate all four members of the Heeler family, then wash them clean in the pool and color them again. “My daughter is in a coloring phase and a cleaning phase, so this was a good blend of both worlds,” a parent tester said. Ages 3+

This 48-piece magnetic construction set wowed our testers, and parents reported that their kids played with it for more than a half hour at a time. "My daughter loved the sparkly tiles and has built her own castle multiple times since we opened the box," a tester told us. "The dragon and princess figures were also a big hit." Ages 3+

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Good Housekeeping Institute kid testers and their caregivers both loved the retro look of this play refrigerator. It’s kid-height, comes in a cool seafam green color, and comes with more than 20 roleplay items and accessories. “Ever since this toy refrigerator arrived, it’s all my 3-year-old daughter wants to play with!” one parent told the Good Housekeeping Institute. “The quality of the material is really good and feels durable. What she loves most is how realistic it looks—it truly gives her the whole experience of having her own little fridge.” Ages 3+

This cute picture book is told from a whale’s POV—or is it? Flip it upside-down and read it backwards, and the same story is told from the otter’s point of view. “My girls got a real kick out of reading the book forward and backward,” one parent tester told the Good Housekeeping Institute. “They asked me to read it several times back and forth and then read it on their own.” Ages 4 to 8

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Our testers had fun pouring in water and getting the reveal started with these Hatchimals eggs. "My 4-year-old was excited that there was a rainbow slide," a parent tester told us. "She enjoyed the visual experience of watching the animals hatch and rise up and come to life in such a real way. She was excited to take care of them from the start and used the little towel it comes with to first to dry them." It includes six mini figures in color reveal eggs and ten accessories. Ages 3+

Sure, Lilypad may have been an accidental villain in Toy Story 5, but she’s seen the error of her ways—this version of Lilypad only comes with appropriate games (and no internet connectivity). Games include their favorite characters like Jessie, Woody, and Buzz, and they also help kids practice letters, numbers, and counting to 100. Ages 3+; two AA batteries required

Kids can use Play-Doh to form cakes, "bake" them, and add decorations with this play set. The pretend oven even makes a "ding!" sound to signal that the food is ready to be decorated. It comes with 11 canisters of Play-Doh to get them started, and there's even a cake stand for them to display their creations. Ages 3+

We honestly had so much fun with this in toy testing, spinning the special Fisher-Price records and showing kids how to flip the records over to listen to a different side. It's a musical toy that requires some patience and fine motor skills—and then kids can work their gross motor skills by dancing along! Ages 3+; four AA batteries included

This combines the thrill of a marble run with the imaginative possibilities of a play set. The tiles are easy to snap together to configure the marble runs, and then the landscape can be filled out with various decorations and figures. This set is jungle-themed, but there are also starter sets with dinosaur, ocean, ice, and desert themes, in addition to expansion sets and pieces that add tricks into the run. “My daughter is old enough for the regular GraviTrax sets, but she liked playing with the Junior set better because it was easier to assemble and she liked the figures,” one parent tester said. Ages 3+

Lab experts were really impressed with the way this offers so many invitations to imaginative play, especially with the addition of Play-Doh, which can be used to make food for the grill. In addition, the Camper comes with seven different play areas and 60 accessories. (Love that hanging chair!) "The camper is colorful and has a lot of accessories included that can be used to inspire imagination and creativity," one tester told us. Ages 3+

Kids can dress up as four of their favorite classic Disney princesses with this set, which comes with ensembles patterned after Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. (There's also a second trunk with costumes for Ariel, Jasmine, Tiana, and Rapunzel, and smaller trunks for Frozen and Moana.) It also comes with a bevy of accessories like bracelets, rings, headbands and a soft tiara. It's fun for a playdate, and the clothes fit sizes 4 to 6x. Ages 3+

Good Housekeeping Institute testers loved the way this set has one stepping stone that lights up and makes sounds. The wavy balance beams also provided a little more of a challenge. The set comes with eight beam pieces and six stepping stones that they can arrange however they like. Ages 3+; four AA batteries required

This talking microscope, featuring the voice of Bindi Irwin, comes with 20 prepared slides and 5x images to help introduce preschoolers to the wonders of the world around them. The microscope comes with two eyepieces, so there's no squirming one eye to learn. There's also a GeoSafari Jr. Talking Telescope for kids who want to take their science knowledge even further. Ages 4+; three AAA batteries required

Think of it as a kid-sized version of Wordle. Beginning readers can spin the letters and experiment with sounding out different consonant-vowel-consonant words. It comes with 60 cards with pictures of words they can try to make. Ages 3+

Kids can practice their nurturing and empathy skills while caring for these pets. It comes as a big fluff overgrown scruff, and kids can wash its hair, style the fur, and add accessories. It's only once they wash the scruff that they'll be able to tell which pet they got: a puppy, a kitten, or a bunny. It also comes in blue. Ages 2+