If you always find yourself in December frantically searching for age-appropriate toys online, you are like a lot of people. I am always looking for novel ideas. We always try, and usually fail, to keep the gifts to a minimum. But with 5 of us, 3 under the age of 10, it’s hard to do. Here are some gift ideas for 3-year-olds based on observations of how our kids play and have played over the years.
Hot Wheels! – We have a girl and two boys, all of them love to play with Hot Wheels. We love to play with them and build challenging tracks. The objective is to try to get the cars to stay on the tracks and to make it all the way through. It’s a great way to teach experimentation and have them pick up on some physics concepts through experiential learning.
Toy Rocket Launcher – This was a popular toy for all of our kids as well. Someone gets to launch the rocket, the other two get to try to catch it. Plenty of healthy, outdoor fun!
Tegu Wooden Magnetic Blocks – The magnets make building super fun and almost magical! Our kids love building buildings, cars, spaceships with these. They also like to find metal surfaces around the house where they can attach the woodblocks.
Tegu Magnetic Tram Building Blocks – These are also very cool for building a train.
Micro Kickboard – These scooters are amazing! Our youngest started rolling on these before he was 2. The older kids do tricks with them – like riding one on each foot.
Wooden Pattern Blocks – These are fun to do on a rainy day. Helps kids to develop spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills, and more.