41 Best Gifts for 3-Year-Olds

Amanda Banta:  Playing with pretend food allows a child to mirror a huge part of their day - eating! Not only can children learn words for food, you also can sneak in lessons on colors, counting, shapes, and dinner table behaviors. This set includes a knife that slices through the fruit, and the pieces can be stuck back together, giving your toddler an action and reaction to perform. My son is a do-er more than a pretender; cutting and serving fruit to his therapist and me grabbed his attention more than the simple play food we had at home ever did.

Amy S.:  Are my kids the only ones who hate using regular crayons? At least in the hands of my 3- and 5-year-old boys, basic crayons seem difficult and unsatisfying to use. They’re always breaking and it’s tricky for younger kids to lay down vivid color. These gel crayons, however, are super fun to draw with. The colors are rich and vivid, and with a just a light touch they go down smooth and thick. The neon colors have a beautiful translucent quality. The chunkier body of these crayons makes them fairly easy for little hands to manipulate. Yes, they’re more expensive than a 24-pack of Crayolas, but they’re also way more exciting to use.

Tim Ponisciak:  These magnet tiles are endless fun for kids. Kids can try to make what they see pictured on the box, or they can let their imaginations run wild and build anything they can dream! This set comes with a lot of pieces so it is a good toy that can be shared by multiple kids.

Erin P.:  This is a great pretend play toy with lots of fun pieces that may be familiar to your little one from visits to his or her doctor's office! It is so fun to see what they remember and imitate when you return home. This toy has the added benefit of possibly relieving some of the stress and fear that may surround visits to the doctor!

Lisa R:  The last time I was at the airport, carrying my stubborn toddler in one arm, pulling a suitcase with the other and wearing a backpack, another family strolled by with several kids in tow on these ride-on style suitcases. Suddenly my stubborn toddler was also a jealous toddler. Don't be me. Be that family.

Erin P.:  You may have had these growing up, but they withstand the test of time. Lincoln Logs are the perfect building toys for 3 year olds, and older siblings will enjoy playing too! With technology nowadays you can go online and find more designs to challenge your child to build.

Does your kid wake up at 5am and come into your room, eager to peel your eyelids open? Put a stop to that in a way they'll enjoy with this alarm clock, which tells them when it's an appropriate time to get out of bed and start the day, and when they should probably hit their internal snooze button.

Kelly R:  This ball is high quality, adorable, and the perfect size for little hands and feet to practice throwing and kicking.

Vanessa M.:  Stackable cups, an automated spout, and spinning suction cup gears allow kids to create different water effects for endless bathtime fun.

Erynn:  These sticky blocks make for hours of open-ended play in our house, and first attracted the attention of our then-three-year-old who is now seven and still takes these out from time to time. For our current three-year-old, these blocks have created everything from a car to a castle to a robot, making them a seriously fun toy that never loses its appeal.

Vanessa M.:  When we go to our local library, my almost 3-year-old makes a beeline for the table that has this playset. LEGO Duplo is the perfect building toy for young preschoolers! The large blocks are easy for tiny hands to put together, and the little people are great for sparking imaginary play. I know what will be under the Christmas tree for my little guy this year....

Brigitte Nohra Miller:  Fisher-Price Teach 'n Tag Movi is an ideal companion to get your kids moving and learning. With three different modes of play and six different stimulating games, this cool little robot introduces your kids to high-tech toys they will love and learn from.

Jennie Utsinger:  We love everything made by Green Toys, but the helicopter is one of my son's favorites! Made from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs, it withstands crashes and is a great size for flying around. It's also dishwasher safe, so easy to clean.

Kelly R:  My kids both loved having a little tool set at age 3, and still played with it years later. Whenever my husband or I would fix something around the house, my son would grab the toolbox and come running to help.

Erin P.:  We have gotten so much use out of our magnetic drawing board. The kids can write or draw on it and then use the knob to wipe the screen clean. It is a great car toy, and has also been a perfect toy for our son to use while waiting during our daughter's gymnastics class. Since it's quiet and travels well, we generally keep ours in the car nowadays for times such as these. (Personal confession: I used it quite often to doodle possible names when we were expecting our third baby!)