Best Gifts for 3-Year-Olds - Baby Chick

Best Gifts for 3-Year-Olds

gift guidesUpdated January 16, 2023

by Catherine Lessman

Early Child Development Specialist

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A child’s mind changes so much once they are 3, and the things that once encouraged play can shift. They are moving a mile a minute and learning new skills every day. All of these changes can be encouraged in their play. Having games and toys for 3-year-olds to play with will help foster this growth and allow them to grow even more and entertain them! We’ve compiled our list of the best gifts for 3-year-olds to help promote growth, learning, and play simultaneously!

Best Gifts for 3-Year-Olds

1

Outdoor Play

Free Standing Slide

Radio Flyer First Bike

Modern Playhouse

Dump Truck

Tent with Tunnel

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Free Standing Slide: What a cute way to get some energy out inside. This slide offers just that and more to free-stand in your play area at home.

Radio Flyer First Bike: This traditional bike is a great way to start independent play outside. Giving your child their first mode of transportation seems like you gave them the world! Before you know it, they will be riding off into the sunset.

Modern Playhouse: Children often need a space to escape at this age. This adorable modern playhouse will allow them to retreat away and calm down at times. It is a chic addition to your backyard and so inviting for tea parties, house play, and more!

Green Toys Dump Truck: This adorable truck is exceptionally durable and made of recycled plastic milk containers. Sturdy, strong, and colorful dump trucks are engaging classic toys that help kids do everything from transporting toys and dirt to serving as a great prop in construction pretend play.

Play Tent with Tunnel: If you’re looking for an easy-to-assemble outdoor-friendly activity set, this play tent with a tunnel will give little ones hours of active fun. The tent can be used as a reading nook or even a ball pit (balls not included). Made of durable material, it’s waterproof and can stand up to any spill.

2

Quiet Time Toys

The Anywhere Chair

Magic Drawing Board

Lace and Trace

Super Sorting Pie

Busy Board

Fantasy Blocks

Mr. Potato Head

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The Anywhere Chair: Allowing our toddlers to feel like they own something is important at this age, so give them their own seat—the name explains itself. The Everywhere Chairs allow your child to have their own personalized seat for media time, storytime, and relaxation when they wish.

Magic Drawing Board: This beautifully-made hand-crafted wooden drawing board allows unlimited drawing and creativity on the 4 colored magical background. The perfect quiet-time toy!

Lace and Trace: This simple game is a perfect activity to start around this age. It is helping grow fine motor and problem-solving skills. It is also a great activity to promote independent play.

Super Sorting Pie: This incredibly multifaceted toy looks pretty educational, which it is. Trust us, though; every toddler loves it so much. They will keep asking to play.

Busy Board: Busy 3-year-old kids have extremely busy hands. And they sure like to use them. A lot. This adorable busy board comes in vibrant primary colors and provides plenty of snapping, buckling, threading, and zipping opportunities. Your preschooler will get a head start in some valuable skills to help them with specific skills like getting dressed and abstract skills like problem-solving.

HABA Fantasy Blocks: These blocks are fun, colorful, and enchanting. Kids can create countless fantastical buildings with squares, steps, cylinders, and many other shapes designed to encourage creativity and imagination. This pack even comes with swinging bells, glitter, and mirror foil. They’re made of quality solid beech wood.

Mr. Potato Head: A classic toy never goes out of style! Kids will love playing with the parts and pieces of this Mr. Potato Head Silly Suitcase toy.

3

Puzzles & Games

Zoo Crew Memory Game

Duplo Train

Jumbo Floor Puzzle

Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game

The Ladybug Game

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Zoo Crew Memory Game: Introducing the concept of a game at this age can be challenging, but this fun and the memory-enhancing game will get your toddler jumping for more.

Duplo Train: This new-age train is perfect for perfecting their fine motor and building skills simultaneously. I love how fun it is to add to this set and create all things Duplo from now on!

Jumbo Floor Puzzle: This jumbo floor puzzle will excite your little one. After all, they’re creating a picture as large as they are! Also, it allows for problem-solving and gross motor skills all at the same time.

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game: This is one of the best-selling preschool games, five years running. Who can resist adorable squirrels and colorful acorns? It’s a color-matching game that promotes strategic thinking, matching skills, and taking turns. Kids can help a new fun forest friend to find some snacks!

The Ladybug Game: Fun for the whole family! Ladybug Game introduces your child to basic math concepts as they learn addition and subtraction. They will even learn some cool stuff about bugs!

4

Arts & Crafts

Wash n Go Car Garage

The Dough Project All Natural Dough

Sticker Pad

Color and Cuddle Washable Pony

Pom Pom Pictures

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KidKraft Wash n Go Car Garage: Most 3-year-olds are fascinated by how things work, especially those fancy car washes. Here is one they can make-believe on their own day in and day out. It also will lend itself to more imaginative play for all those cars and trucks you may have lying around.

The Dough Project: Let their imagination run wild with six jars of all-natural, plant-based playdough in rainbow colors!

Reusable Sticker Pad: This is genius and the perfect on-the-go toy as well. Allowing your child to create and recreate over and over again. Coming in multiple themes, it is sure to be a favorite.

Color and Cuddle Washable Pony: Color, wash, repeat! This machine-washable pony is the perfect art activity your child can do again and again!

Pom Pom Pictures: This toddler craft kit is designed with little fingers in mind. Promote sensory development with a preschool activity that is easy to complete and encourages independent, quiet-time play!

5

Books

Best of the Classics

Little Blue Truck

The Grumpy Monkey

All By Myself

Around The Farm

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Best of the Classics: Gifting the classics to your child is priceless. Sometimes the best stories are the ones told over and over again.

Little Blue Truck: This little truck’s adventures and his good friend toad are sure to make you smile. It is a classic with multiple themed editions and is the perfect addition to your library.

The Grumpy Monkey: Learning emotions at this age is hard; expressing them is even harder. Having books on hand that help identify emotions and guide our children to understand them will help in their daily lives of toddlerhood.

All by Myself: If you do not hear your little one saying this repeatedly, they are about to. This classic series is fun to read, so why not help your toddler navigate their independence at the same time?

Around The Farm: Put on your overalls and stroll Around The Farm with this amazing sound book! Your little one can press 30 different sound buttons while they read to bring the amazing art stylings of Eric Carle to life!

For more great books for kids, check out these articles:

6

STEM Toys

Magna Tiles

Smart Games

Zoo-Ominoes

Rocket

Jr. Talking Microscope

Flower Garden Building Toy

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Magna Tiles: These trendy magnetic tiles allow for such creative play. Start with a simple starter kit and then add on with their multiple different themed packs. Children will play with these for hours, creating so many different things.

Skill Building Smart Games: This smart game series allows your child to create and grow in ways that will make their brain work over time.

Zoo-Ominoes: This classic toy was brightened up and includes animals from the Zoo. Your toddler will be concentrating and learning cause and effect in no time.

Bolt and Build Rocket: With everyone taking flight into space, our children may be more interested in rockets than ever before. This fantastic toy will allow your child to build their rocket ship and create an adventure of their own.

Jr. Talking Microscope: Kids are natural scientists. They love to ask questions, explore, and observe. So, give your 3-year-old something fascinating to look at with this starter microscope for kids. Perfect for fine motor skills, little ones can look at specimens on slides with lots of exciting pictures as part of a homeschool program or just for long days at home.

Flower Garden Building Toy: These build-a-bouquet craft kits allow young children to build, match and sort. They can mix and match pieces to create different flowers and creations. Great for both indoor and outdoor play!

7

Sports

Golf and Tee Ball Set

2-in-1 Tennis

Pin Bowling

Golf Set

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Golf and Tee Ball Set: Why play one game when you could play two?! This two-in-one set allows your child to explore both the game of baseball and golf. It’s great for working on hand-eye coordination and perfecting their game, all at age 3!

Little Tikes 2-in-1 Tennis: This 2-in-1 tennis game is perfect for beginners. Teaching hand-eye coordination and helping introduce the love of an iconic sport.

Little Tikes Set Pin Bowling: This is so cute, and the best part is it resets the pin for your little one. Let the strikes begin! I love this as an indoor winter sport idea!

Golf Club Set: Perfect for indoor or outdoor play, this set will introduce your child to a realistic, challenging, and fun sport. This toy will also help promote your child’s physical development, concentration, and patience.

8

Dress Up & Pretend Play

Toy Chest

Superhero Dress Up Kit

Shopping Cart

Mine to Love Doll

Ice Cream Scoop & Serve

Cutting and Cooking Food

Dust Sweep Mop Set

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Melissa and Doug Toy Chest: Now that you have a 3-year-old, where are you storing all of their things? This quiet yet effective toy chest is perfect for your play area or their rooms to store personal toys out of sight!

Super Hero Dress-Up Kit: Who doesn’t want to be a superhero? Creating an area of imagination and dressing up as characters is so much fun for our children. Encourage it with this adorable set.

Shopping Cart: This easy and covenant toy promotes gross motor skills and helps with learning responsibility and modeling the behavior they see us as parents do while at the grocery store. It is a great way to promote cooking in their own kitchen and may even help with picky eating.

Mine to Love Doll: This lovely doll is perfect for encouraging behavior that we hope to teach before or during the new arrival of a sibling. You don’t have a baby on the way? That is okay! It still acts like a great friend for your child and helps with play.

Melissa and Doug Ice Cream Scoop & Serve: Who doesn’t want ice cream? This crowd-pleaser is a sure hit, creating a sense of ownership in our toddlers and teaching manners, colors, flavors, and more. They will serve you a cone daily, which is a fun treat!

Cutting and Cooking Play Food: These look good enough to eat. Fresh veggies, burgers, ice cream, fruits— it’s a cornucopia of color! Made of high-quality wood, kids can engage in culinary pretend play with various healthy foods and fun snacks. They can engage in all sorts of imaginary play by shopping, making up recipes, cooking, and presenting weird meals. These yummy morsels are a great addition to a pretend kitchen.

Dust, Sweep, Mop Set: 3-year-olds love to imitate grown-ups. They love it so much; they’ll even clean up without being asked! Take advantage of this golden spot in their development with cleaning supplies that help with independence and confidence, resulting from a fun job well done. The set is made of wood and comes with a play duster, broom, mop, brush, and a stand.

9

Technology

Play Osmo

LeapFrog Learning Pad

Kids Tablet and Laptop

Scout and Violet 100 Words Book

Peppa Pig Toniesbox

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Play Osmo: This new-age technology system is one of a kind and helps children learn from age 3 and up. It is a toy that will grow with your child and challenge them with new skills daily.

LeapFrog Learning Pad: You may not be ready for technology at this age. This pad lets you introduce the concept to your young toddler and see how they handle it.

Kids Tablet and Laptop: With all of us working from home and having daily Zoom calls, this tablet is the perfect gift to make your little one feel included. Set up a workstation next to yours and have them feel important.

Scout and Violet 100 Words Book: A great early learning toy. Touching the words on the pages plays the words, sound effects, and fun facts!

Peppa Pig Toniebox: This new and innovative audio player for kids ages 3 and up is great for bedtime stories, music, and education. We love the easy-to-use design that helps children operate the Tonibox independently. This screen-free listening experience will inspire your kids’ imagination in ways that over-stimulating flashing screens cannot.

No matter what your 3-year-old is interested in, you’re sure to find something on this list of the best gifts for 3-year-olds that they will love!

This article contains affiliate links. These opinions are our own. However, if you buy something, we may earn a small commission, which helps us keep our content free to our readers. Check out our Chick Picks Shop to see more of our recommended products. It’s our carefully curated shop of products we love and recommend! ❤️

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