Toys for 3-year-olds are so important to help foster imagination, creativity, and open-ended play.
Christmas time has always been one of my family’s best times of the year! Every time I think of Christmas I get so excited with thoughts of childhood memories coming in.
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I love our Christmas traditions like church on Christmas Eve, cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, the Christmas lights and decorations. And nothing quite beats the eyes of a child that is looking in wonder while driving through the local light display.
Please let me know what some of your Christmas memories are in the comments- I’d love to hear from you!
Now as an adult I know all of the hard work, money, planning, and time that goes into what I now remember as one of the best times of the year!
It’s true that Christmas does take a lot of planning and that’s why I wrote “How to Prepare for Christmas starting in July” a few months ago.
But now we are in October and I’m thinking of the things I’m going to get my kids for Christmas.
My husband and I have a running list on Amazon titled our son’s name. This allows us to go in at anytime to update with ideas we have for him for Christmas.
Here are my top picks for toys 3-year-olds.
Books:
I always get a book (well sometimes several books) for my kids for Christmas. They love them and I want to encourage reading as much as possible in our home.
This year I am planning to get Albie the Lifeguard for my 3 year old because he loves the pool! He is always pretending to be a lifeguard and I think he’ll enjoy the story of another boy like him who also wants to be a lifeguard.
If you are looking for more books for 3 year olds- you can check out my list below.
Blanket:
Turning 3 for my little one meant getting a new big boy bed! He picked out Toy Story bedding and Snoopy sheets.
But I really want to get him an extra blanket for his bed (in case his is in the laundry). I know he’ll love to get a Snoopy blanket to match his sheets.
Sometimes the best gifts are the most practical that you know they’ll get the most use out of.
Baby Doll:
I wanted to get my oldest son a doll around the time we had our youngest. I thought it would be a great idea for him to have his own baby to play with while mommy was tending to his brother.
My husband on the other hand … didn’t want much to do with that idea. No matter where you fall on the spectrum of “boys and dolls”. It is definitely a great open ended toy that provides a lot of real life play, imagination, and helps to teach young children social skills with babies.
Fast forward to my son being 3 and it’s one of the only things he’s asked for this year for Christmas. Thankfully my husband has come around to the idea of him having a boy doll. I think that baby dolls are a great toy option for 3-year-olds
We went with Jordan the Melissa and Doug boy doll.
Marble Run:
Be careful with this one if you have littles around- but I loved our marble run as a child! I loved setting it up and seeing all the different ways it could be configured to make the marbles go along the track.
We got the one listed below for my 3-year-old even though it says ages 4+. He’s turning 4 at the end of March and I like to gift them things I feel like they will get use out for a long time.
Sports Equipment:
We are blessed to live across the street from a very nice playground and basketball court! It has more than sparked my son’s interest in sports.
We are gifting him his own soccer and basketball. We made sure to get him one the perfect size for his little hands and are excited for it to be spring to start playing ball with him.
Games:
Games are a great way to teach 3 year olds so many language skills, how to follow directions, and social skills for game play. Luckily for us parents the hard work has been done for us and there are a lot of awesome games on the market for our kiddos. The key is finding games that are perfect for their development and catch their attention.
Below are my top 8 games for 3 year olds.
Little People:
My boys love their little people sets! Especially the Little People House. I love the open ended play it provides and all of the imagination that comes with it.
We are gifting them both the Little People Construction Site. We found it at Kohl’s a few weeks ago and both of my boys played with it in the packaging.
Train Set:
My little guy loves cars, trucks, trains, and well anything with wheels. Last year this service station was a hit! So I know that a wooden train set will be just as loved.
Train sets are a great open ended toy as the child uses a lot of imagination to create stories and come up with I love that it all fits nicely in this box and we can store it away when it’s not in use. I think both of my kids will get a lot of use of out this train set.
Puzzles:
Puzzles are great for expanding visual and spatial awareness. My kids won’t typically pick to play with a puzzle but if I’m cooking and get one out for them they love to try a hand at them.
I like these wooden ones for 3 year olds. They go a bit beyond the idea of putting them in their own hole but are are still simple enough for them to do with minimal support.
Leapfrog Reader:
This reader by Leapfrog is something we are going to try with my 3 year old. He has always loved books so this should be right up his alley.
As a teacher I know that the best reading they can get is from me talking to them but these kind of toys are great when I (or they) need a break. I’m also a fan of keeping things like this in the car.
Leapfrog Writer:
We picked this up as a clearance deal at Target this summer. I thought it would be a fun new activity tablet for him to play with. He still loves the leapfrog laptop that I mentioned in toys for 1 year olds. But I really want him to continue working with his letters, drawing and writing.
Magna-Doodle:
I loved a Magna-Doodle as a kid so naturally I thought my son would love one too! As a teacher I also use these in my classroom as well as something different for the kids or myself to use while learning.
I think they are a great option for at the kitchen counter, table, in the car, or on the couch. Since they are so versatile and really budget friendly I think it’s a great open ended toy option for any home.
Duplo Lego Blocks:
This is a great basic set of blocks which is an awesome open ended toy! There aren’t too many blocks in this set to create a huge mess when your toddler in-evidently dumps them. But there are definitely enough that they can create and imagine a whole world of possibilities.
There are also a lot of other fun sets to get to go with these over time. Since most Lego’s aren’t recommended until at least age 4-5. This gives younger children a chance to start creating and building in a way that is safe for their age.
What toys for 3-year-olds are you planning to get or do you feel like I left off this list? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Don’t forget to share this with a mom, grandparent, or friend looking for more toy ideas!
Love, Ashley E
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