What to Get a Preschooler for a Birthday Present

Buying gifts for kids can either be the easiest job in the world or the hardest one depending on their age. Preschoolers are somewhere in the middle of this range, as they’re at a critical developmental age. 

That being said, we’ve put together a few pointers that could help you with the perfect gift for your preschooler. Some of these tips are well known, but some might be news for most. Let’s get right to it! 

Understanding a Preschooler 

Preschool kids are usually classified as kids within the 3-5 years of age bracket. That’s a very peculiar age in terms of developmental milestones. Kids of this age are still in the exploratory phase of their development but are slowly opening up to outside influences.

For preschoolers, playtime has a major role in exploring various aspects of cognitive abilities as well as fine motor skills. That being said, preschool-age kids also discover playing with friends and playing in groups. All of this means that buying a gift for a preschooler leaves you with many options. 

Birthday Presents that Stimulate the Brain 

Toys can be used for much more than just entertainment. For example, getting your preschooler a train set is a great way to stimulate the development of their spatial skills. Bonus points if the train set is on the complex side of the spectrum, requiring your child to figure out how the pieces fit together. 

Speaking of developing spatial skills, there’s no better toy than LEGOs. LEGO sets were and still are one of the most useful toys ever made. Preschool kids have reached the age where they’re not at risk of eating LEGO bricks. At the same time, their brains will absolutely love the creative freedom an average LEGO set brings to the table. 

Eco-Friendly Gifts 

Preschoolers are smart enough to understand some of the basic concepts about the society we live in. 

By getting them an eco-friendly birthday present, you can start developing a culture of environmental responsibility within your kid. Experts from TRVST.world argue that eco-friendly gifts are generally well-received and offer plenty of variety even for the pickiest of kids. Introducing the idea of ecology is a great way of raising a responsible, environmentally aware adult in the future. 

Gifts that Encourage Storytelling 

Playhouses or similar toys that represent some sort of scenery are a great way to set your preschooler off on a creative adventure. Such toys give them a microcosm of their own where they can play out all kinds of stories. Mind you, such toys don’t have to be super complex. 

On the contrary! Kids will do just fine with even the most basic toy sets and playhouses. The key is to get them something that will stimulate their creativity and force their brain to fill in the holes in a story that they write themselves. 

Arts and Crafts 

Speaking of creativity, arts, and crafts sets are still one of the best gift ideas for any kid, especially one of preschool age. Giving your preschooler a blank canvas and all the tools they need to create something new will get them to start expressing themselves. Not only that, but you can also teach kids how to be responsible for their belongings through the use of arts and crafts kits. 

These kits often come with a whole array of coloring pens, markers, crayons, and other items. The more pieces there are in a kit, the harder it will be to keep everything nice and tidy. Teaching a kid to be responsible with their personal belongings is a great way to imprint a rather important personal trait that will serve them well in the future. 

Don’t Underestimate Your Kid’s Abilities 

Raising kids is all about keeping them safe while also letting them explore the world on their own. It’s too easy being overprotective. Preschool age kids are reaching the age where you’ll have to give them more room, both in terms of their habits and items they interact with. 

Don’t underestimate your kid’s abilities by preventing them from playing with toys that might feel unsafe. Of course, we’re not talking about letting them run with scissors, but don’t keep LEGOs out of reach because they represent a choking hazard. Instead, work with your kid to educate them on how to use these toys and what not to do.

Building confidence in kids as early as preschool age is a good way to form a capable adult who believes in their own abilities and skills later in life. Being overprotective and keeping your kids under a glass dome has never benefited anyone.