3 year olds are at an important stage of learning, socialising and exploring. They are developing their own personality and new toys are a wonderful way to encourage skill development.
Choosing a toy from all of the available options can be overwhelming and it’s so disappointing when a gift doesn’t get the reaction you anticipate.
To narrow down the choice and prevent disappointment, we’ve reviewed 11 of the best toys available for 3 year olds.
1. Mini Micro Deluxe Scooter
The Mini Micro Deluxe Scooter is a perfect option for 2-5 year olds. The adjustable handlebars allow the scooter to grow with your toddler.
This is a Swiss-designed model that has been built with high quality materials. The lean and steer style makes the Mini Micro Deluxe intuitive for young children to use. The deck has embossed raised grip to ensure it is not slippery.
It is a lightweight model and has a brake over the back wheel that brings the scooter gently to a halt. The three wheels give stability so your toddler can grow in confidence as they learn balance and coordination.
2. Mocka Urban Balance Bike
The Mocka Urban is a wooden balance bike that is sturdy, fun and practical. This bike looks great with its wooden frame, big tyres and patterned wheel discs.
The seat has 3 setting adjustments from 34-39cm and is recommended for children 2 years of age upwards.
The tyres of this balance bike have large tread and solid tubes making them resistant to punctures. The padded seat ensures your child is comfortable.
3. Springfree Round Trampoline
Springfree trampolines are very popular and a very safe option for young children.
The flexible composite fibreglass rods sit under the rim of the trampoline instead of hooked at the sides like springs, so there is nothing for kids to injure themselves or get snagged on.
The frame is very sturdy and the netting rods are placed far enough away from the enclosure that jumping kids will never come into contact with them.
The amount of bounce is very good, although it may not equal a traditional spring trampoline in the same price range. It’s a tradeoff of a little bounce in exchange for a lot more safety.
4. Retevis RT36 Kids Walkie Talkies
If you want a super fun and creative walkie talkie set that’s perfect for boys or girls, these are fantastic. They look like little robots and are quite easy and fun for kids to use and play with.
They even have a useful built-in flashlight that shines through the foot of each walkie talkie robot in the set.
Since they have a high-quality long-range design with clear audio, they are a great overall value.
They’re the kind of nostalgic children’s walkie talkies that kids are likely to reminisce about as adults.
5. Safari Wood Puzzle & Play Set
If you’re looking for a game that can help kids learn while having fun take a look at this Safari play set.
The chunky wooden pieces are each cute, fun animals and they all fit perfectly together. This puzzle makes a great game for kids aged 3 and up and is ideal for animal lovers.
The charming pieces are made from FSC-certified natural beech wood so they are high-quality.
They appeal to youngsters and are ideal for learning and creating imaginative games.
Fitting these pieces together is challenging and encourages problem-solving. The Safari Wood Puzzle is a quality game that will last a long time.
6. Stuck On You Educational Wall Poster
If you want to add some colour to a 3-year-olds playroom or bedroom, check out these educational wall posters. This is a cute, fun and colourful way to help kids learn.
They can encourage reading, identifying shapes and colours and so much more. These posters look great and the paper type is designed to prevent glare and be durable against tearing too.
There are lots of poster designs to choose from including the alphabet, letters & sounds, colours, numbers, emotions and fruit & vegetables so you can pick the one that is best suited.
You can choose between A2 and A3 size and can also personalise the poster with the child’s name.
7. Tomy Megasketcher Educational Toy
This is a toy any kid would love. The Tomy Megasketcher is a magnetic drawing board that inspires creativity.
Kids can draw on the board again and again, each design can simply be wiped away with the eraser to start again.
The board comes with a pointed tip pen, an eraser tool and 4 fun stamp shapes. The special pen is attached to the sketcher so there’s no risk of losing it and the carry handle makes it easy to move around.
This is a mess-free way of creating art without needing stacks of paper and pens. The board can be erased and drawn over limitlessly so this is a toy that will last.
8. Step Powered Stomp Rocket
Looking for the ultimate boy toys for 3 year olds? Take a look at Stomp Rockets!
This set of stomp rockets is easy to play with and provides entertainment for the whole family.
It can be a game for indoors or outdoors and no batteries are required.
The adjustable launcher allows you to change the angle of the rocket and the stomp pad encourages participation by everyone.
This is a great game for developing gross motor skills. There are four types of stunt planes and each one moves differently through the air.
The aircrafts loop, soar and turn making them fun to watch and keep kids engaged.
Stomp Rockets can promote socialising and playing together and are recommended for ages 3+.
9. Melissa & Doug Dinosaurs 4-in-1 Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles
This Melissa & Doug wooden puzzle is perfect for kids who love dinosaurs.
The set contains 4 beautiful puzzles; a Triceratops, Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus and a T-rex. Each puzzle has 12 pieces so it’s great for youngsters.
Having 4 puzzles in the set helps to keep this toy interesting and challenging.
This set has a wooden box which makes storing the puzzle pieces easy and also doubles up as a useful puzzle board.
This is ideal for travel and can help keep 3 year olds entertained on the go.
This Melissa & Doug of puzzle promotes fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination too.
10. Jungle Sounds Board Book
This Jungle Sounds Board Book can provide little ones with hours of entertainment.
It’s an exciting way to learn about the animals and the sounds of the jungle. This is a great gift as it is a book with a difference.
This book is a wonderful way of transporting children to the jungle. With kids imagination combined with the jungle noises and fun illustrations, this book is a guaranteed winner.
Each page has a button embedded so the children can enjoy an interactive experience and press each page to hear the sounds.
A book is a perfect gift for 3+ and this one offers something a little different to keep kids engaged.
11. Educational Insights Playfoam Combo 8-Pack
Playfoam is perfect for crafting and creating. This set comes with 8 colours and kids can squish the Playfoam together, shape it and then squash it back down and start again.
It’s perfect for moulding shapes and the good news for parents is that it doesn’t get stuck to carpets or clothes. The foam also doesn’t dry out so it’s good to play with for a long time.
This is a great toy for encouraging creativity and developing fine motor skills. This is a lot of fun for little ones and as the Playfoam does not stick and does not dry out you can take it anywhere and play at any time.
There are lots of ways to play with Playfoam, it’s a tactile and expressive toy that is great for boys and girls ages 3 years +.
Tips for Choosing Gifts for 3 Year Olds
Three is a developmental milestone, toddlers are extremely active and their personalities are beginning to bloom.
They can play with others, develop their motor skills and begin problem-solving at this age.
All of this can be encouraged and supported by the right toys. These tips will help you buy gifts that challenge them, spark their imagination and nurture their development.
Types of Gifts To Look Out For
When it comes to buying gifts, there is a huge array of choice, some options are excellent while others are not so good.
These are the main categories of gifts that are great for kids of this age:
Educational
There are plenty of educational toys that are also fun, attractive and durable. The best educational toys for a 3 year old include books, posters and puzzles.
You can make the gift even more special by personalising the book or choosing one that includes a soundtrack, audio story or sound effects. As 3 is a big year for learning it is an ideal time to invest in educational material.
Versatile & Diverse
Items such as blocks are perfect for playing lots of different games. They may be simple but they can be put together and built up or pulled apart and recreated.
A toddler can use building blocks in whatever way suits the story they are imagining and items such as interlinking blocks help to encourage problem-solving and logical thinking too.
These versatile items are more likely to be played with for longer as they ultimately leave the game up to the kids imagination.
Useful Toys
3 year old boy toy collections are usually full of much of the same – plastic figurines.
Rather than adding to this, try to think outside the box and look for useful items such as chalk boards, dress up clothing and pretend play sets.
Encourage Skill Development
A new puzzle, a shape sorting activity or an art set can help the little one practice new skills, build logical thinking and work on problem-solving.
At age 3 plus you can look at early board games too which are great for brain development and improving memory.
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Engaging Toys
The best toys for 3 year olds can be enjoyed over a longer period. These include toy animals, action figures, toy train, truck or cars and dolls houses.
As young minds master new things quickly choosing items that will spark interest and curiosity help to hold their attention span. These types of toys are engaging and can be enjoyed at different developmental stages.
Imaginative Play
Some of the best gifts for 3 year olds are designed to encourage their creativity and imagination.
Action figures, building blocks, dress up sets, “real life” pretend play sets and dollhouses are all ideal for a 3 year old to develop and act out their own stories.
Being imaginative comes easy to kids so even a collection of boxes can be transformed into the most exciting rocket launch of the year!
Physical Activity
Consider things that will encourage active playing such as balls, pull-toys, gardening play tools, bikes, jump ropes, child-sized basketball and hoop etc.
There are loads of toys that encourage physical activity and are loved by 3 year old boys and girls. Even parents or friends can join in with these games too.
Getting outside or active will help kids burn off some of that infamous energy while also developing their social skills, strengthening their muscles and developing balance and coordination.
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Understanding A 3 Year Old
At 3 a child is going through massive physical, social, emotional and cognitive development.
They are hitting big milestones this year and it’s a time of running around, fine-tuning their motor skills and developing friendships. It’s also a year for a lot of questions, countless temper tantrums and learning to share.
Play is a great way to encourage development and it’s an ideal time for kids to start participating in play with other children.
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Every kid is different, you can encourage ideas and imagination through play. Playtime is exciting and can be anything from pretend play to active, creative, musical or messy play (sand or mud is often a favourite for 3 year olds).
Try to play games that encourage sharing and taking turns, sharing is hard for kids but lots of praise and practice will help while they learn.
