With this clay kit, kids can create all sorts of shapes and figures. I love that it comes in a nice case for storage and includes some fun accessories. Best Arts & Crafts Toys to Encourage Creativity 20. Perler beads Balloons can provide hours of entertainment for very little money. We also bought a cheap pump for it at our local dollar store for when we tire of blowing them up ourselves. We had Lincoln Logs when we were kids and enjoyed playing with them and my kids have experienced the same. So, let us help. At the heart of it, toddlers are active, curious and imaginative so the best toddler toys will naturally help them learn new skills and bring them hours of fun. Perhaps your little one already has a best doll or teddy bear, and you're looking to expand their horizons. Whether it’s hosting a teddy bears’ picnic or creating a town from a LEGO® set, children love to use their imaginations at playtime. Not only is it great fun for them, but it has a host of excellent benefits too.

It depends on the four-year-old in question - some will love nothing better than getting creative with Play-Doh or beads, others will prefer more STEM-orientated toys such as marble runs or LEGO. Outdoor toys are also a great option - particularly for summer birthdays - and four is a prime age for buying their first bike. What is the best thing to buy a 4 year old?As for fine motor skill development, Dr. Schreiber suggests “encouraging coloring and drawing with crayons and colored pencils,” such as the Shuttle Art Washable Gel Crayons. This will not only help strengthen their fine motor skills but also help them as they learn how to draw and write with control. Imaginative Play Play-Doh has been a part of many childhoods. You can create different shapes as far as your mind can imagine. We also have this accessory set my kids have used with ours. Recommendations at Mumsnet are made using a well-thought-out three-step verification process that ensures all products, information, and guidance are up-to-date, balanced and honest. Mumsnetters recommendations Educational toys for 3-year-olds include anything that teaches them some sort of skill. Whether the skill is fine or gross motor, problem-solving, or another skill set, you simply want to ensure your child is gaining an educational experience through play. When in doubt, go for a fun workbook, such as the School Zone Big Preschool Workbook, which gears children up for preschool. Now if you’re at all like me and messes are hard for you, plan the painting at a time you are mentally prepared for it or when your kids can do it outside. Thankfully I’ve found that washable paints truly do wash out.

A good toy will help inspire their imagination and help them learn new skills so to help you find the best toys for imaginative play, we scoured our Mumsnet forums to help us come up with a list of tried-and-tested products that catered for different ages, interests and budgets.I would not recommend these for very small children or without supervision or you may end up with a gigantic mess on your hands!