Children of age 3 are very curious about everything as this is when they start to process and try to make sense out of everything they see and feel. This is why purchasing the best gifts for 3 year olds is paramount, as they are susceptible to learning from these gifts. This article is the perfect guide for everyone looking to get their hands on the best gifts for three-year-olds. It is carefully curated thorough post research to give a comprehensive review for customers to shop with confidence.
Buying Guide:
Trying to find the best gifts for 3 year olds is a bit tricky, compared to buying a gift for an 8-year-old boy or girl. This is because a child this young picks up everything quickly without distinguishing right from wrong. A great gift will ensure mind growth in the right direction. These points are to help understand what are some of the important factors to consider before shopping for top gifts for 3 year olds:
- Dimension and heaviness: 3 year old children are tiny compared to other age groups as their body takes time and nourishment to grow. That being said, it is essential to understand that the best gifts for 3 year olds are not only light for them to carry around but also small in size.
- Purpose: The next important factor to consider is the purpose of the gift. There are some top educational toys for 3 year olds that help them start learning about the world at a young age. Otherwise, if the intention of the gift is recreation, for example, increasing their stamina and physical activity so that they are healthy, gifts like a tiny sports ball are ideal.
- Budget: This point is in favor of individual purchasing as it barely affects the child. Estimating how much they are willing to spend, some best gifts for 3 year olds available online. These gifts could range from $50-$200, depending on what their affordability is.
- Service-warranty: Good brands make toys that come with a decent warranty period with mostly free or affordable services. The best gifts for 3 year olds come with a minimum warranty period of 1 year, in case the child breaks the toy or damages it because they are naive and are still learning how to use it.
- Style and color: The options are endless due to the increase in demand for top toys for three year olds. There are plenty of colorful toys and learning tools that come in interesting packaging and shapes, which attract the eye of the little one.
Reviews of Top 10 best toys for 3 year olds
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PRODUCT
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PRODUCT LINK
1. PLUS-PLUS Big – Open Play Tube
Editor’s point:
I think this is a great beginner’s game for children to understand the concept of building blocks or arranging things in symmetry. This toy is the first step towards their lego building journey, as these blocks are bigger than Legos and have a lesser risk of choking.
Special Features:
- Very colorful
- Creativity enhancer
- On-the-go toy
- Motor skill development
- Great engagement
Product Specifications:
- Dimensions: 11 x 2 x 2 inches
- Manufacturer Brand: Plus Plus
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
- Color: Standard color mix
- Items included: 15 block pieces
- Type: 3-D building blocks
Detailed Review:
The Plus-Plus Big – Open Play Tubes is an amazing toy that allows the child to explore their creativity by using the blocks to build either a robot or even a tall tower.
This simple yet powerful toy helps import motor skills, creativity, and logical skills at a young age, successively allowing their STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) to start budding.
They certainly make an ideal travel companion for the young ones and can help out the parents, as this helps them stay occupied either on a long car ride or at the airport.
Pros
- STEM development
- Big block – no choking
- Preschool friendly
- Portable
- Improves creativity
Cons
- Can be repetitive
- Few color choices
2. V-Tech Touch and Learn Activity Desk Deluxe
Editor’s Point:
This seems to be one of the best learning toys for 3 year olds as they will cherish it for a longer period, as it is not only a desk to sit at but also an incredibly interesting interactive tool that allows children to learn their alphabets.
Special Features:
- Touch-and-learn feature
- 3-in-1 desk and board
- 100+ vocabulary words
- LED display
- Improves learning
Product Specifications:
- Weight: 8.05 ounces
- Dimension: 23.31 x 26.34 x 21.81 in
- >Manufacturer: V-Tech
- Origin Country: China
- Battery: 4 AA batteries required
- Material: Plastic
Detailed Review:
The V-Tech Touch and Learn 3-in-1 desk set is not a single toy but a combination of over a dozen toys in one. This fantastic desk can be used as a desk for kids to sit at and as an interactive learning tool.
It has LED displays and toys to help them learn their words and alphabets. Apart from that, the desk also lifts into a chalkboard where kids can use chalk or even paint to explore their artistic side.
There are 5 interchangeable interactive mats, music, alphabets, the human body, and other learning tools.
Pros
- Many toys in one
- Value for money
- Boosts creativity
- Interactive learning
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Choking hazard
3. Bears in Paris – Memory Matching Game
- Memory-based game
- No reading skills are necessary
- Two player game
- At-home learning
- Bright and colorful
Product Specifications:
- Weight: 1.1 pounds
- Dimension: 7.2 x 6 x 6 in
- Manufacturer: Educational insights
- Recommended age: 24months – 4years
- Origin Country: China
- Batteries: Not required
Detailed Review:
This game is a set of miniatures and a house along with a board that allows children 2-3 years of two-player magnetic tiles and figure out where each character goes. This enhances their story-telling ability and creative thinking.
There exist gifts for 8-month-old babies that get them all excited and eager to play with, similarly, Bears in Paris is a toy that gets 3 year olds excited to learn with their colorful new friends.
It also helps improve the child’s cognitive skill sets like matching items and recognizing patterns. It allows them to learn to differentiate between characters.
Pros
- Creative thinking enhancement
- Affordable
- At-home learning
- Complete engagement
- Cognitive skills development
Cons
- Choking hazard
- Misplacement of small parts
4. Magna-Tiles
Editor’s Point:
Toys like the Magna-Tiles, according to me, fall under the group of toys that will remain in the history books forever, as they are timeless. Toys like this remain popular regardless of which era we live in, as its base is a magnetic building set that will intrigue any child.
Special Features:
- Magnetic toys
- Extremely colorful
- Sparks imagination
- Safe and durable
- STEM learning
Product Specification:
- Weight: 2.72 pounds
- Length: 1.2 inches
- Material: ABS plastic
- Color: Original
- Manufacturer Brand: Magna-Tiles
- Number of items: 1
Detailed Review:
The Manga-Tiles are ultrasonic welded, which makes them extremely rigid and resistant to breakage. It is safe to say that they have a long shelf life as compared to other toys due to this.
These colorful and translucent tiles that are magnetic allow children to learn logical thinking and building patterns, which eventually will help them with their mathematics in the future.
This incredibly beautiful toy not only encourages children to improve their math and science but also their creativity, as they can make art on their refrigerators or garage doors with their parents, creating good bonding time.
Pros
- Colorful and attractive
- Affordable
- Great quality
- Safe material used
- Creative and logical thinking
Cons
- Choking hazard
- Pieces can be lost
5. Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks and Board
Editor’s point:
Children between the ages of 1-5 have their brains developing at a pace so fast that everything they see is a form of learning information. This toy is the perfect logical thinking puzzle of sorts that I think allows kids to understand matching shapes and identifying pairs.
Special Features:
- Educational toy
- Colorful pieces
- Improves hand-eye coordination
- Ideal birthday gift
- 120 piece set
Product Specifications:
- Weight: 3.52 ounces
- Material: Wood
- Dimension: 13.1 x 1.7 x 8.5 inches
- Manufacturer: Melissa and Doug
- Origin Country: China
- Language: English
Detailed Review:
The Melissa and Doug pattern blocks set has over 120 wooden blocks that must be assembled by the child to understand what pattern fits in what slot.
This puzzle is very good for children of age 3 to develop their logical thinking ability, which can help establish a good STEM learning capability.
The colorful pieces are made of wood, which is completely harmless for children, unlike some toxic materials used to make other toys. This also ensures there is a spark of creativity and joy while solving the puzzle.
Pros
- Non-toxic material
- Bright and colorful
- Multi-player toy
- STEM learning
- Encourages self-discovery
Cons
- Choking hazard – small pieces
- Not durable
6. The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game
Editor’s Point:
I think this toy is very special in terms of its adventure sparking and creative thinking capabilities. It will certainly bring joy and happiness to the child during playtime as there are exciting visuals of flora and fauna, especially cute squirrels and acorns, mimicking the habitat of a squirrel.
Special Feature:
- Best-selling preschool game
- Improvement of motor skills
- At-home learning too
- Attention-grabbing
- Practise color-matching
Product Specifications:
- Dimensions: 14.2 x 11 x 2.1 in
- Recommended age: 1+ years
- Weight: 1 pound
- Department: Unisex – child
- Manufacturer: Educational Insights
- Document shipping: Shipped within the US
Detailed Review:
The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game is categorized under one of the best adventure and creative learning games, and due to this, even pre-schools are utilizing this toy to help children learn about ecosystems.
This game is known to improve hand-eye coordination and other motor skills among the 3 year olds, and logical thinking.
It also acts as a superb team-building activity as the game has a spin board that allows kids to take turns during the game. This simple gameplay involves each child picking up their acorns with the matching color stick, resulting in their victory.
Pros
- Strategy building
- Improves logical thinking
- Team-building activity
- No batteries required
- Learning about nature
Cons
- Small part – choking hazard
- Prone to damage
7. Coding Critters Ranger and Zip
Editor’s points:
We might think this is too simple a toy even for a 3 year old child, but I think the opposite speaks for itself as the award is received. It has proven to be ideal for a child to learn to code the puppy as they proceed in the story.
Special Feature:
- Storybook coding
- Pets interaction
- Creative storyline
- Compact and portable
- 22 piece playset
Product Specifications:
- Dimensions: 10 x 5 x 9.25 inches
- Weight: 1.3 pounds
- Department: Unisex – Child
- Origin Country: China
- Recommended Age: 4+ years
- Net Quantity: 22-piece playset
Detailed Review:
The Coding Critters Ranger and Zip toy is a very simple setup that introduces block-based coding step by step to young children. This helps with their STEM learning.
It has many fun interactive games involved such as hide and seek, storytelling and so much more. The entire kit can be handled by a 3 year old for the most part.
This toy is incredibly cute with its dog and puppy pieces that interact with a nose touch, and the children can even take care of these pets by feeding them and taking good care of them, just like a real pet.
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Interactive-learning
- Screen-free entertainment
- Early coding skills
- Trusted by most parents
Cons
- Small parts- choking hazard
- Prone to damage
8. GOCOM Walkie Talkie
Editor’s Point:
This toy, according to me, is old-school and perfect to teach little kids how to have fun without sitting in front of their smart tablet all day long. This interactive and fun gadget can be shared between siblings, and they can communicate from their rooms making it more fun.
Special Features:
- Adorable product design
- Easy to use
- 9 RF channels
- Child monitoring safety
- Clear sound
Product Specifications:
- Dimensions: 1.97 x 1.42 x 5.51 inches
- Manufacturer: GOCOM
- Weight: 3.88 ounces
- Batteries: 3 AAA batteries
- Colors: Pink and Blue
- Radio Frequency Range: 15 miles
Detailed Review:
The GOCOM Walkie Talkie is a superb gift to give 3 year olds either for their birthday or Christmas, guaranteed they will be thrilled to receive it. This walkie-talkie has a great RF (Radio Frequency) range of 15 miles and allows parents to track their children if their safety is at risk, simply by communicating with them on the device.
The risk of hearing loss is avoided as this toy makes little to no noise, on the flip side the audio quality is top-notch, allowing parents and siblings to hear them and have fun playing adventure games.
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Noise reduction
- Assured child safety
- User-friendly
- Great for hiking
Cons
- Damage prone
- Not waterproof
9. SUNCITY Kids Digital Camera
Editor’s Point:
This camera is so unique, improvesoung kids will love it the moment they receive it. It makes for such lovely Christmas presents, as it helps start their journey of capturing memories through a lens. You never know, one day they might grow up to be budding photographers!
Special Features:
- 5 Mega-pixel lens
- 3 hours battery life
- 15 frames and 6 filters
- User-friendly
- Non-toxic material
Product Specifications:
- Weight: 5 ounces
- Dimension: 3.3 x 2.4 x 2 inches
- Colors: Dark blue, light blue, pink
- Manufacturer Brand: SUNCITY
- Recommended age: 2 months – 8 years
- Battery: 1 Li-ion battery required
Detailed Review:
A camera at a young age can spark a creative part of a child, where they start to realize photography could be their calling in the future. This camera toy has 6 filters and 15 frames to experiment with.
The design of the toy is such that there are multiple functions like video playback, burst shooting, photograph, video recording, and puzzle games.
The outer casing of the camera is shock-proof and hence can take some damage. This makes it ideal for kids to run around with the camera as they play without the fear of damage.
Pros
- Damage resistant
- Available in 3 colors
- Portable
- Budget-friendly
- Good battery life
Cons
- Choking Hazard
- Not waterproof
10. Fat Brain Toys Squigz starter set
Editor’s Point:
I think this toy is very interesting as there are limited toys in the market that are as innovative and fun as this one. The squishy texture of the pieces makes it fun to play with, at the same time it improves the child’s creativitybudget-friendly andmany simultaneously.
Special Features:
- Eight unique shapes
- Sticks to any surface
- BPA free silicone
- Playable anywhere
- Safe to dishwasher
Product Specifications:
- Dimensions: 3.15×2.76×5.91 inches
- Weight: 4.2 ounces
- Manufacturer: Fat Brain toy Co.
- Recommended age: 36 months<
- Net quantity: 24 pieces
- Colors: Original
Detailed Review:
These silicone rubber toys are super fun to play with as well as non-toxic as the silicone is BPA-free. These squishy toys are fun to construct and deconstruct repeatedly until a satisfactory shape is made.
The suction cups on each piece create a vacuum between them and the surface of attachment, hence they can stick to not only each other but also other surfaces such as the kitchen island, bedroom door, or even refrigerators and bathtubs.
Boys and girls can both sit together and come up with unique shapes and make items such as a necklace, a wonky robot, or even an adventure dome!
Pros
- Non-toxic
- User-friendly
- Washable
- Colorful and fun
- Keeps kids occupied
Cons
- Choking Hazard
- Parts easily misplaced
How have I ranked the products in this list of best gifts for 3 year olds:
I have taken into account a lot of factors such as consumer reviews, safety, the purpose of gifting, and price range to ensure the list curated above is not only budget-friendly but also the best toys in the market. The list is also made in a way that it gives room for the buyers to decide for themselves what gift is best suited for the 3 year old in their life.
Care and Maintenance:
- Wipe the toys made of plastic or silicone using warm water and a cloth periodically to remove any dirt, every day.
- Sanitize the toys regularly, at least once a week to kill the bacteria that might spread to the child.
- Do not use water on toys that have batteries or any electrical connection, as it could be a safety hazard.
- Always stay near the child during playtime to avoid choking due to the small parts of certain toys.
FAQ
1. How loud are the toys that are musical or sound-based?
The toys such as the Walkie Talkie and interactive table emit audio cues that are not too loud. They are designed to protect the child’s hearing.
2. After what duration should batteries be replaced?
The toys that require batteries, mostly last for a few months. Replace the batteries once every 6 months to prevent leaking and damage to the toy.
3. Are the toys waterproof?This depends on the kind of toy, for example, battery-based toys are not completely waterproof but can withstand some water damage as they are designed for children. Plastic and silicone toys are waterproof.
4. Can both boys and girls play with these toys?Yes, these toys listed are in favor of both little boys and girls, as the main purpose of these toys is to educate and entertain, irrespective of gender.
5. How is the warranty on the toys?
The warranty on the toys is entirely dependent on the manufacturer as the terms and conditions of each warranty vary as per the respective brand guidelines.
