If you’re looking for the best unique gifts for 3-year-olds, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of the top toys and gifts for 3-year-olds, based on our own experience and expert recommendations. Some popular choices include toys that encourage imaginative play, like dolls or action figures. Other popular gifts include STEM toys, puzzles, games, and craft kits (1). Whatever you choose, make sure it is age-appropriate and safe for the child to use.
Children are capable of expressing their likes and dislikes by the time they are 3 years old. However, they are not yet able to articulate their wants in great detail. The best educational toys for toddlers are those that encourage learning through play while also providing a sense of joy. This means giving gifting them a variety of toys that can help them develop different skills.
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HappyBabyHub’s Best Unique Gifts For 3-Year-Olds Picks
1. Hape Go-Fish-Go Magnetic Wooden Toddler Maze Puzzle
This classic wooden puzzle will keep your child entertained for hours while helping them learn and develop important skills. Using a magic magnetic wand that is tied to a string, toddlers can move the colorful beads through the friendly fish maze and from one end to the other using the magnetic bead maze. The puzzle also features a carrying handle and a fixed, transparent plastic cover, making it perfect for on-the-go play and easy storage.
2. Zobmondo!! The Ladybug Game
The game features charming graphics, a captivating storyline, and easy-to-follow gameplay, making it perfect for young children. The playing cards are thoughtfully designed to introduce early readers to colors, numbers, and symbols, helping them develop important skills while having fun. With practice, 3-year-olds can play independently and continue to learn and grow.
3. Melissa & Doug Standard Unit Solid-Wood Building Blocks
This building blocks set comes with 60 smooth-sanded, naturally polished hardwood blocks that encourage good old-fashioned screen-free play. Not only do they provide hours of fun, but they’re also great for teaching basic math concepts like parts-to-whole, sorting, and shapes. Plus, they help improve hand-eye coordination and teach patience. Also, they come with a beautiful wooden box for easy storage when playtime is over.
4. Do A Dot Art! Rainbow Markers
These markers come in a pack of 6 and each one has a huge sponge tip that produces perfect dots every time. They never dry out! So your little ones can use them time and time again without worrying about the markers running out of ink.
With their vibrant colors and strong pigments, these markers are perfect for covering a lot of space, layering, blending, and mixing colors. Plus, they’re washable, so you don’t have to worry about any messes. They make a wonderful gift for any 3-year-old who loves to create!
5. Kinetic Sand – Sandcastle Set
This magical sand is unlike any other sand you’ve ever played with before. It’s so versatile that you can pull it, pack it, shape it, and love it all at once. Its kinetic properties make it stick to itself and not to you, allowing you to create intricate designs and works of art with ease.
It feels like a slow-moving liquid as it flows through your fingers, but it doesn’t make them wet or sticky. With the Kinetic Sand Sandcastle Set, your little ones can build their own sandcastles right in the comfort of their own home! The set includes one pound of sand, three molds, a beach tool, and a sandbox.
6. PLUS PLUS Big – Open Play Tube
These unique bricks easily snap together to form all sorts of creations, from simple flat designs to complex 3D structures. The possibilities are endless! With Plus-Plus, kids can engage in screen-free play and explore their creativity while developing important skills like hand-eye coordination and reasoning. Plus-Plus is a safe and durable building block toy that is perfect for 3-year-olds.
7. Hape Fix It Kid’s Wooden Tool Box and Accessory Play Set
The Hape Fix-It Tool Box is perfect for little builders who want to hammer, measure, and tighten screws like real carpenters. This practical toy is an excellent way to enhance hand-eye coordination while teaching the basics of construction.
With 14 pieces, including a vice, wrench, ruler, hammer, and screwdriver, as well as wooden screws and building materials, there are plenty of tools to play with. And best of all, this toy is eco-friendly, made of solid wood from sustainable forests with a safe, long-lasting paint finish.
8. HABA Peter and Pauline’s Farm Magnetic Game
With over 100 magnetic parts, your child can create countless combinations of animals and helpers and even set up their own backdrop scenes on the fridge or any magnetic surface. This game not only boosts creativity but also helps your 3-year-old improve their problem-solving skills. Plus, it’s a great gift idea for any occasion!
9. Learning Resources 1-2-3 Build It!
This set of interchangeable pieces allows 3-year-olds to create three different cars, each with its own unique features. Children can let their imaginations soar as they build and repair their vehicles before setting out on their make-believe journeys to far-off lands.
They can blast off into space in a rocket, fly over a pretend city in a helicopter, or chug along the tracks to the train station. Not only does each sturdy vehicle provide a fun language lesson, but it also introduces kids to different components like wheels and propellers.
10. Step2 Best Chefs Kitchen Set
This play kitchen is perfect for little chefs of all ages, and it comes with 25 toy kitchen items, making it ideal for hours of creative play. With a beautiful, open-concept design that looks great in any playroom, it includes realistic kitchen features like a built-in sink and faucet, a spacious countertop, a refrigerator, and an oven with operable doors that encourage pretend play for both boys and girls. Plus, when playtime is over, the playset has plenty of accessory hooks, shelves, and even a recycle bin to keep all the accessories organized and tidy, making cleaning up a breeze.
11. Learning Resources Smart Snacks Shape Sorting Cupcakes
Designed to promote shape and color recognition and enhance fine motor skills, each cupcake consists of two pieces that can be easily pulled apart to reveal a unique shape. To put the cupcakes back together, children will need to match up the shapes, including a circle, square, triangle, rectangle, diamond, hexagon, star, and heart.
With these interactive cupcakes, 3-year-olds can explore fundamental concepts that prepare them for school while having fun and identifying different colors.
12. 3 Bees & Me Dinosaur Toys
Your little paleontologist will be thrilled to play and learn with 12 realistic-looking dinosaur figures, each with their name included for an added educational benefit. Not only will your child have a blast acting out exciting Jurassic-era scenarios, but they’ll also be inspired to explore the fascinating world of science and education.
This set offers exceptional value as it goes beyond just being a simple toy by including intriguing facts about each dinosaur, making it the perfect gift for any dinosaur enthusiast.
13. Educational Insights Design & Drill Bolt Buddies
Your little ones will be entertained for hours with this incredible building set. First, they get to build their very own fire truck using a kid-safe, functional drill. Then, they can hop on board with the Bolt Buddy fireman, fire chief, and canine friend and let their imaginations run wild with rescue-themed pretend play!
This snap-together set is perfect for encouraging both creativity and construction skills. With a child-safe power drill toy that comes with two drill bits, a fire truck body complete with a retractable drill board, a liftable ladder, 13 drilling spots, 24 bright bolts, eight snap-on fire and water toppers, three Bolt Buddy figures, even a fire hydrant, your child will have everything they need for endless hours of play.
14. VTech Touch and Learn Activity Desk Deluxe
This versatile desk offers an interactive desktop, blackboard, and easel, providing endless possibilities for learning and play. With its unique design, the tabletop can be flipped up to reveal handy storage drawers to keep art supplies and projects organized.
The desk also comes with five activity sheets, boasting over 200 touch-and-learn areas to teach your child the alphabet, numbers, colors, and music. The included stool is the perfect size for little ones to sit comfortably while exploring and learning.
With over 20 games, 20 songs, and 100 vocabulary terms, your 3-year-old will be engaged for hours on end. This toddler table also converts into an easel and blackboard, perfect for unleashing your child’s inner artist.
15. Hape Happy Harp Kid’s Wooden Musical Instrument
With a tuning device, tuning wrench, five-song sheets, and one blank sheet included, your 3-year-old will have everything they need to develop their musical composition skills.
Whether performing a solo or conducting an exquisite string ensemble, this wooden toy provides a fun and engaging way for kids to master rhythmic and melodic skills, while also discovering the vast world of music available to them.
16. Crayola Color Wonder Mess Free Coloring Kit
Your little ones can choose from 25 of the most diverse Color Wonder Markers out there! They’ll have a blast creating their next masterpiece with these innovative markers that only reveal their color on special Color Wonder paper. That’s right, no mess markers mean no stress for parents!
But that’s not all, this set also comes with 12 coloring pages in poster format, 12 blank poster pages, 4 sticker sheets, and a ton of inspiration for the kiddos to create whatever their imagination desires. Perfect for creative 3-year-olds who love to color and want to explore their artistic side.
17. Fisher-Price Medical Kit
With a lightweight carrying case and a complete set of doctor’s tools and gadgets, this kit is perfect for pretend play and may help alleviate any anxiety your little one might feel about going to the doctor.
The kit includes a stethoscope, fake digital thermometer and syringe, stretchy bandage, and other realistic-looking doctor’s office gear. Your 3-year-olds can use these tools to take care of dolls, toys, and even family members.
18. Candylab Toys – CANDYCAR® World Collection
This handmade toy car is made with real rubber tires, metal axles, and ABS plastic rims that allow it to zoom around in style. It is painted with kid-friendly, water-based inks that are also lead-free. The simple and engaging design makes it easy for 3-year-olds to play with and race on their own.
Watch as your child’s imagination takes off with this unique ambulance toy car. With its distinctive shape and design, it can become anything they want it to be. Whether they are rescuing stuffed animals or racing through imaginary streets, this toy car will provide hours of fun and imaginative play in their own little world.
19. Prextex Remote Control Car
The kiddos will be thrilled with these awesome cartoon remote-control cars that are perfect as their first RC toy car! With just two buttons on the steering wheel-shaped controller, a 3-year-old will have no problem operating these fun cars.
Included in the package are two different cartoon cars with detachable action figures and two remote controllers that allow for left and right turns, music, and sound effects. The police cars even have accurate sirens, horns, and headlights that will make playtime feel like the real deal!
20. Play-Doh Kitchen Creations
Perfect for little ones aged three and up, this play food kit comes equipped with everything a 3-year-old needs to create their very own Play-Doh popcorn masterpieces. Simply pop the pretend popcorn into the three different-sized buckets using the toy machine, and then let the creativity run wild!
Take things to the next level by using sweet-themed stamps and molds to add toppings like wacky sweets and fake pretzels. And don’t forget to use the syrup tool to add some extra buttery or syrupy goodness! This popcorn maker toy includes six different pots of Play-Doh compound, with both mini and standard sizes available.
How To Choose The Right Gift For A 3-Year-Old?
- Developmental Level: A 3-year-old is still in the early stages of development, so you’ll want to choose gifts that are appropriate for their age. The value of a toy is not measured by its price or trendiness. Rather, the most valuable toys are the ones that encourage warm, verbal interactions and quality time between parents or caregivers and children (2).
- Pretend-Play: A list of imaginative play options for 3-year-old boys and girls should also be included (3). Children at this age are starting to comprehend emotions, and this year, pretend play is at its full.
- Value: Toys that teach basic skills, such as counting or matching, are always a good choice. Craft items are among the best gifts for 3-year-olds since they include kid-safe paint, crayons, paper, and sidewalk chalk that will keep them entertained for hours at a reasonable price.
- Age-Appropriate: Make sure the gift is appropriate for a three-year-old and not too babyish or too grown-up. You can do this by checking the recommended age guidelines before purchasing.
What Gift Should I Give To A 3-Year-Old?
The best gift for a 3-year-old would be something that is both fun and educational. A toy that helps them learn new skills or promotes creativity would be ideal. Popular choices include building blocks, puzzles, and learning games. If you are looking for a more unique gift, consider something that is specific to the child’s interests.
Which Type Of Play Is Most Common For 3-Year-Olds?
Children at this age are still developing their sense of self, so they are more likely to engage in what is known as “parallel play.” This means that they will play side-by-side with other children, but not necessarily interact with them (4).
