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More needs to be said about the complexity of three-year-olds. While two-year-olds get that “terrible” rap, many kids are absolute joys until they reach age three. That’s when they’re a little more verbal about what they want, making their tantrums all the more maddening for both them and their caregivers. But on the other side of that coin, when your threenager is behaving nicely, you want to reward them with all of your cuddles and their favorite toys. And that is where we come in with this guide to the best gifts for 3-year-olds.
Best Gifts for 3-Year-Olds at a Glance
Best for the Little Mermaid Lover: Mattel Disney The Little Mermaid Storytime Stackers Ariel’s Grotto Playset, $21 (originally $29)
Best for Imagination: Melissa & Doug Veterinarian Role Play Costume Dress-Up Set, $45
Best for Emotional Intelligence: Playfoam Shape & Learrn Feelings Card Set, $15
Best for Creativity: Curious Kingdom: Castle Playset, $35
Best for Problem-Solving: Matatalab TaleBot Pro Coding Robot, $100
Best for Empathy: Cry Babies Disney Minnie, $60
Best STEM: Squigz Starter Set, $30
Best for Coordination: Radio Flyer 10″ Classic Tricycle, $45
Best for Fine Motor Skills: LEGO DUPLO Classic Brick Box Building Set, $24
Best for Critical Thinking: VTech Tote and Go Laptop, $22
“Three-year-olds are really starting to put things together,” Dr. Jack Maypole, a pediatrician and educational advisory board member at The Goddard School for early childhood development, told SheKnows. “They’re actually able to articulate some of what’s sort of swirling around their head. … It’s kind of like something coming out of the fog.”
While they’re well on their way to becoming little people, three-year-olds still don’t have very long attention spans. Maypole suggested that parents not necessarily present them with a room full of all the best toys for three-year-olds at once.
“If we over-stimulate or over-indulge them with devices and items and variety, they might tune it out and have a hard time focusing,” he said. “So you have to give them a pre-fixe menu [of toys] and not a diner menu.”
What Toys Are Most Appropriate for 3-Year-Olds?
“When shopping for a three-year-old, parents should seek out toys that create opportunities for imaginative play, whether it’s re-creating scenarios from everyday life or crafting new situations with the help of colorful tools. Toys that encourage creative expression will make perfect additions to a three-year-old’s toy box,” said Toy Insider Editor and toy expert Samantha Connell to SheKnows.
“Toys that offer new or unexpected sensory experiences are also great for preschoolers who are already looking to get their hands on everything, and toys that encourage sensory exploration will hold their interest a bit longer while they explore. It also doesn’t hurt to gift toys with active elements, requiring 3-year-olds to empty their energy tank while playing,” added Connell.
Maypole emphasized the importance of open-ended toys that allow for imaginative play. That includes everything from blocks and LEGO bricks to dolls, stuffed animals, and action figures. There are also lots of toys and games that will help them along in developing their gross and fine motor skills.
What Are Trending Toys for 3-Year-Olds?
Connell said that right now, some trending toys for 3-year-olds feature MESH (mental, emotional, and social health)-themed play, as more parents focus on products that combine fun with purposeful play. “These toys create space for preschoolers to refine their social skills, express their emotions, and more without pressure. It’s easier to ask your toddler to explain why they’re sad when they can showcase it through colorful foam or teach about friendships with the help of pretend royalty!” said Connell.
Looking for specific toy picks? We included a bunch of trending toys in our roundup below, so keep scrolling!
What Are the Best Educational Toys for 3-Year-Olds?
“There are a ton of toys on the market that provide some kind of educational experience, from helping little ones develop their motor skills to teaching them how to share with others,” said Connell. You can add to that list toys that help with spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, listening skills, self-expression, counting —truly the list goes on and on.
(Incidentally, if you’re also shopping for younger kids, here are our expert-advised lists of the best toys for babies’ first year, the best toys for 1-year-olds, and the best toys for 2-year-olds.)
Read on for more about how specific types of toys might be well-suited for your three-year-old.
Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Mattel & Walmart are SheKnows sponsors, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
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Little Mermaid Stackable Dollhouse
A great way to introduce doll houses to your three-year-old is by starting small. We love this Mattel Disney The Little Mermaid Storytime Stackers Ariel’s Grotto Dollhouse, which features her pals Sebastian and Flounder, plus eight more accessories that’ll help your little reannact the “Part of Your World” scene from the movie. If your three-year-old is on a Little Mermaid kick, this toy is a big must (it’ll keep them busy and entertained for hours and hours — and millennial parents, we know you’ll be singing along).
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A Dress-Up Set
Image Credit: Walmart. One of Connell’s top recs is the Melissa & Doug Veterinarian Role Play Costume Dress-Up Set, a 9-piece kit perfect for animal-lovers. “Three-year-olds can invent new scenarios and stretch their imaginations as they picture themselves in a fun role,” she said. It includes items like a plush dog and a stethoscope with sound effects, so kids will learn about caring for animals and develop social skills.
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A Sensory Deck of Cards
Emotional intelligence is just as important as cognitive intelligence. Enter the Playfoam Shape & Learrn Feelings Card Set.
“This pack of colored Playfoam provides endless possibilities for creative expression,” said Connell. “Kids can shape the Playfoam into their favorite animals, doll-like figures, and more. It also includes activity cards that focus on social and emotional skills, so toddlers can express their feelings with friendly directions. Additionally, it provides a little-to-no-mess sensory experience.”
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A Water Wonderland
“Three-year-olds will learn about water flow, gravity, and buoyancy, and have new sensory experiences” with this tabletop water table, said Connell. The playset features several different play patterns and requires creativity. It also encourages sharing.
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A DIY Castle
This DIY Castle Set complete with regal characters isn’t just cute; it’s also a STEM toy! “Toddlers can develop their collaboration skills while building the castle with family members, or refine their problem-solving skills by attempting it on their own,” said Connell. “Three-year-olds who need a little push to be creative will benefit from the set as the royalty-themed characters provide a direction for story-based play.”
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Matatalab TaleBot Pro Coding Robot
He or she may not be Wall-E, but this interactive educational robot will be a hit with your three-year-old. It’s designed for screen-free coding amd promotes STEM learning through hands-on play, enhancing cognitive and motor skills. The set includes a robot, coding blocks, and a variety of accessories.
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An Interactive Doll
Disney-loving kids will love this baby Minnie doll. “They can replicate the love and care they witness in the house,” suggests Connell. The doll, which produces realistic baby sounds and tears, is dressed like a character with whom preschoolers are very familiar with, so it has fond associations.
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A Best-Selling STEM Toy
Fat Brain Toys’ number one toy for three-year-olds is Squigz. What’s that, you say? Squigz are fun, flexible, suction-based construction toys that stick to each other and various surfaces, encouraging creativity, fine motor skills, problem-solving, and imagination.
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Tricycles, Balance Bikes & Scooters
Image Credit: Target. A three-year-old can start to be great at propelling themselves, but not quite ready for balancing. That means this is a good time for three-wheeled scooters, bicycles with training wheels, and the beloved classic, the tricycle. This cherry red Radio Flyer tricycle is a classic.
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A Set of Building Blocks
One of the best things about open-ended toys like this set of LEGO bricks is that they suit multiple age groups at once, making them ideal for playing with or next to older siblings, Maypole told us.
“If they’re playing with peers, they can be jealous or fascinated, but then they try to imitate,” he said. “And that’s where they can really learn. If someone else is building a firetruck or an airplane, they’ll think, ‘Wow, how did you do that?’ And then they do what all good artists do, which is steal and borrow and learn from the ingenuity of others.”
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An Educational Gadget
Image Credit: Amazon. A toy can be educational, but if your kid doesn’t think it’s fun, they’re not going to play with it. This toy laptop by VTech plays music, has digital puzzles built in, and promotes critical thinking and logic — and it’ll make them feel like a big kid.
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Jay Franco Bluey & Bingo Plush Pillow Buddy Set
Stuffed animals and characters become more meaningful once children are able to incorporate them into their pretend play. Another advantage for parents here: It doesn’t hurt as much to step on them.
The Jay Franco Bluey & Bingo Plush Pillow Buddy Set features soft, huggable plush toys of Bluey and Bingo from the beloved show and are perfect for snuggling.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CN1RBXX5/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2
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A Truck Featuring Their Favorite Character
By age three, many kids start to show “real specificity” about what they love, be that their fave TV show or trucks or trains, Maypole said. “They want shirts with that symbol on it. They like to pretend play to be that character on TV.”
If their tastes tend toward popular shows like Paw Patrol, your ability to indulge them is much easier. Three-year-olds can ride this Paw Patrol truck that plays music and makes sounds along the way.
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Open-Ended Design Toy
Image Credit: Fat Brain Toys Parents who read anything about child safety have no doubt been keeping their young children far, far away from small magnets, knowing the hazards they present when accidentally swallowed. That said, now that your three-year-old has a little more impulse control, they might love an age-appropriate magnet kit like this. It allows them to do some problem-solving to mimic the pictures given but can also be used in a more creative, free-form way.
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A Cutesy Kickball
Image Credit: Melissa & Doug. Sometimes, you just have to go with the classics, like a big rubber kickball for outdoor fun, coordination, and exercise — from the educational toy geniuses at Melissa & Doug.
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A Moveable Action Figure
Dolls and action figures don’t just help kids in their imaginative games. If they have clothing that can be removed and replaced, like this top-rated Mulan doll does, they’re great for practicing fine motor skills.
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A Role-Playing Toy
While younger kids certainly imitate their parents, by three they do it a little more clearly. That makes it easier for us to discern which toys they might be drawn to.
“You can understand more like, ‘Oh, you’re pretending to be a fireman right now,’ or, ‘Oh, you’re pretending to do yard work like Mommy does,'” Maypole said of watching three-year-olds play. This Garden Wheelbarrow set lets them follow in the footsteps of a green-thumbed mom or dad.
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An Art Easel
If your kid is drawn to art at this age, by all means indulge this passion. At the same time, we love any tool, like this Crayola easel, that helps keep artwork off of the floor and every other surface of the house.
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Toy Trains
Image Credit: LEGO. Since this LEGO train actually moves, it’s is one of those toys that may require a little more adult involvement. But figuring out how it all works might help you with your own STEM learning too.
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A Superhero Costume
Image Credit: Mia Belle Baby. Role-playing is huge at this age. And we could all use some more heroes in our lives, right? This Amazing Spider-Girl Inspired Tutu Costume Dress is a fun way to cosplay as a character even more empowered than your three-year-old herself.
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A Marble Run
Image Credit: COUOMOXA. While you don’t necessarily have to give three-year-olds lessons in physics, they might learn it on their own with toys like marble runs. It’s also another great way they can collaborate with older siblings and grownups.
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Playground Equipment
Image Credit: ECR4Kids. In the great debate over whether playgrounds are safe right now, Maypole suggested taking kids early in the morning, when they’re less crowded. If that’s not an option for you, but you’re still interested in promoting those gross motor skills, a backyard playground like this one is a good alternative.
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