Hi guys,

For Christmas I want to buy practical things that can be a learning tool, used for clean non-toxic fun like stickers, or health enhancing lifestyle activities. My daughter is 4 now. I also want her to be creative and use her imagination - no electrical toys. Any ideas????????

We already have a trampoline that she jumps on. I've been thinking of getting her a bike or a stationary indoor bike (for both of us).
She knows about juicing, using a vitamix and dehydrating foods.

I'm stuck for ideas.....

There's an awesome board game for children called, "Wildcraft" which teaches about herbs and how they can help the body. Even adults can learn from it.

Painting and drawing. She is not to young to learn to draw. By the age of 5 I had way advanced beyond the lollipop tree because someone taught me. There are books and you can help her. Crayons are a good start. Then in two years introduce her to pastels. By the time I was in 5th grade I could do portraits... only because someone bothered to teach me the underlaying structures of the face. Art is very expansive and she could end up going in a multitude of directions with it. When something comes out pretty good take the time to frame it and hang it.

For a beginning find a how to draw book, get her a stack of paper and a huge box of crayons and a special box to keep it all in.. the real gift is sitting with her and teaching her.

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Very sweet and true. Simplicity can be very powerful. I'm terrible at drawing though. We do have a box of crayons and a card table set up in the living room for her to color. My hubby brings scrap paper home from the office every couple days to restock her paper. A good drawing book.....ooooh, that's a GREAT IDEA!!! Fun!

I'm not too excited about paints though. I'm sensitive to odors and hate the idea of the ink getting on her skin with possibly being absorbed. Glues and inks are out for now.

But crayons are quite the hit in our home.

I was thinking of getting her some scissors with unique edges so she can cut neat patterns. She'll love it.

We save and use toilet paper rolls for various projects but I won't be wrapping those up for Christmas.

What else is great for kids?

An idea for outdoor art activity - if you have a concrete driveway or sidewalk, a box of
chalks of various colors is good. Afterwards, the rain or a hose will wash it away. All 4 of my kids
loved doing that 40+ years ago.

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May you always have..Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends that Care!

Good Idea Early Bird. I did a lot of that when I was a kid. Its appropriate for all ages right up to the graffiti artists.

I remember when I was a kid they had painting books where when you applied water to the black lines and color would appear. I bet they use all soy based pigments these days.. I loved those when I was very little.


Coloring books in general are great and they cover so many topics to peak the interest of a child. At one point I was given a coloring book for making paper dolls where you cut the dolls and clothes out after coloring them. I eventually went on to design and make my own paper dolls.. she may be a bit young for that though. I would look for books with animals and plant life. Learning to color within the lines and choosing appropriate colors is ideal at this age for it teaches color perception and manual dexterity.. of course there is always room for more creative and experimental choices also.. But when learning to draw it is imperitive to learn to see what is truely there...when that is mastered then one can go out in different directions... consider Picasso. He was a master artist but his most famous works were flamboyant and did not reflect reality, he had long before mastered reality, perspective, dimension, color, shading, and had well proved it in his earlier work. Same for Van Gogh. Its all about learning how to SEE and how to translate that onto paper though dicipline..... Then the genius artist take those skills and create what they see in their minds eye, in their dreams and their internal reflections of life. anyway, she is not to young to start learning how to SEE. Nature is the best teacher and medium to reflect upon at this age... for most ages really.

Rudimentary education would cover the color wheel. She is not to young to know and name the primary colors and what happens to them when mixed in different ways. As simple as learning the ABC's

For many children, it you wait too long they become unable to learn... for life has pulled them in other directions.

That is exactly what I don't want to happen Arrowwind. I know these years are impressionable. The memories of her childhood are being created now and I want those brain synapses to be optimized. (I don't think plastic or electronic toys are the answer for that)

Thanks Earlybird. Chalk would create some wonderful memories.

Two things she LOVES to do daily: dress her stuffed animals in different outfits (they are her baby clothes actually) and color/draw.

She also plays some simple card games in which she WINS 90% of the time. Maybe I'll get UNO.

Thanks you guys!

I like the crayon thing, especially the sidewalk chalk. I got some for my 5 y/o niece last year. Loves it.

Crayola has several new items.
https://www.etoys.com/family/index.js...goryId=3699833

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- Jim
"A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something." �Wilson Mizner

One idea is making a terrarium with her. You supply the bowl, from a simple fish bowl to a small lighted aquarium, or any other oddly shaped or cute house or glass container that can be found at a thrift shop or bargain store.

You supply the bagged soil, plants (herbs, cacti or other- tiny sized), and a couple of sweet animal figurines like frogs or bunnies. When complete, she can be proud to have it in her room, and look at it daily to see if it needs care, or if the plants are growing too much and need to be trimmed, it's a bonding project for the two of you. You can have some smooth aqua colored stones to create a water stream. It should look like a tiny surreal fantasy scene when complete. Maybe when she's older, she'll desire another one, more detailed with her own ideas.

If some plants don't make it, you have to get involved with her to replace them with different ones, and make it exciting for her.

Here's some sites with ideas also...

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...%3Disch&itbs=1

https://www.marthastewart.com/275439/...as-crafts-kids

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Awwww, how sweet kind2creatures....I like it.

Jfh, it's hard to go wrong with crayons.

Don't forget sand/charcoal/gravel, if you decide to go that route. Another idea, if you have a yard area with some birds, is a small cute treehouse that can be seen through one of your windows. With the proper seeds, it will attract tiny birds like chickadees and she can watch the nature from the home, even in winter. Feeders can be bought that discourage large birds and squirrels. Small user-friendly binoculars will let her experience the wonder of nature close-up, and encourage a future interest.

PS: here's a store with some choices puzzles, nature, activity, etc. It's the 3-5 yr. old page options. https://www.kazootoys.com/ages-3-to-5.html

Lehmans.com has old fashioned wooden toys. Years ago, I think it was mattel use to make sewing kits with cards that help the child learn how to sew, not sure if they still do.... Cake in a cup was a big hit with my grandkids...the recipe should be on the internet, (granted, you cook the cake in a microwave) a bunch of blank cassette tapes and a tape recorder is always fun.... a craft idea, you will need cheap salt, different colored chalks, small glass jars, and newspaper... pour some salt on the newspaper, then rup the chalk all over the salt...the chalk and salt will mix together into what looks like colored chalk...using a funnel, or twisting your newspaper into a funnel, pour some of the colored salt into the jar. you can do different layers of different colors or angle the jar so the layers are angled differently...makes some beautiful artwork in a jar!!! Making a kit out of those items, would be easy! Flower presses are also fun...stamp kits are great (not post office stamps)... there is an electronic toy that attaches to your tv. it has a bicycle attached to it, and the child races thru these games and learns their letters and numbers and educational stuff like that while getting exercise...if you would want to go that route.... A tent for any age is always fun....If you live in the north where it gets snow and ice, ice skating is great exercise and she is probably right at the right age to learn.... roller skating is great too... When my kids were growing up, we made coupon books... with about 10 or 12 coupons in the book, each coupon was worth maybe an extra book to be read at night.... an evening just mom and kid out..or dad and kid out...including a cheap burger (or yogurt or ???) one coupon worth an extra hour of tv...you get the idea, things they normally would want, but not get because of time.... Warning, we learned quick, to write subject to one coupon a week, and some conditions apply...you cant go on an outing with mom, if dad isnt here to watch the baby, or if mom has to work type thing...
As much as my grandson loves the big trampoline, he loves the little trampoline (rebounder) thats in the house even better, because he can do it inside!! You have a daughter, so I would think a dress up box would be an awesome gift.... Go to a resale shop, and find prom dresses or a cheap wedding dress. hats galore, high heels..boas, cheap bling bling~ necklaces and bracelets~ shiny material to make capes.... If I had a granddaughter at that age, close by me, thats what I would give her... my grandkids love to play with my hats!!!! thinkgeek.com also has some electronic/ experiment type gifts too...they are kindof far out there, but they have some cool stuff.... I got the kit that turns regular liquids into carbonated liquid, by using vinegar and baking soda...it works, was kindof neat... you might also want to check into doing some hydrophonics with her...they make kits for families, but I bet you might be able to figure out how to make your own kit

enough rambling...hope something in this mess might help!!!!

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God is and all is well
~John Greenleaf Whittier~

Do you have the National geographic stores where you live? they have some great gift Ideas For all ages.
My grand children loved puzzle's at that age, and you can buy books where you have to search and find things in the pictures.