34 Best Toys for 3 Year Olds – Good Gift Ideas for Boys and Girls

Little ones will learn all about colors and shapes with the Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards set. Made from wood, this brightly colored set includes 5 double-sided pattern boards that allows kids to match their stash of 120 blocks to recreate the picture.

Make building easy for little ones with Magna Tiles. Beautifully colorful, these translucent shapes can all be fitted together thanks to the child-safe magnets, and include 54 big and little squares, and 46 triangles. It’s the ideal building toy for 3 year olds for teaching math, science, and spatial skills.

Car transporters are fascinating to car-mad kids, and this environmentally-friendly version will give them hours of make-believe fun. Made entirely from recycled plastic, this attractive bright blue semi-tractor and trailer comes with three differently colored cars, as well as movable ramps to help them roll on and roll off again.

These Montessori-based subscription play kits are packed with toys and other items that have been specially chosen to suit ages and stages of a child’s life. A wonderful way to be more eco-conscious, every toy is made from sustainable wood or organic cotton, and is even shipped in a carbon neutral way.

These colorful little suckers will attach themselves to pretty much any smooth surface, such as windows or bathtubs. The starter kit has 24 pieces in 8 different shapes, and they all stick onto surfaces as well as each other, making them the craziest way to build weird and wonderful patterns.

The Vtech Touch and Learn Activity Desk offers 4 different play activities – a writing pad, desk, blackboard, and art station – in one handy toy. With an interactive LED display, 4 double-sided touch pages, and play phone for role play, the desk also plays 20 favorite children’s songs, too.

This GUND Flappy the Elephant will delight kids of all ages, and will quickly become their best friend. Soft and plush, this adorable gray elephant comes with two play modes; he can sing songs with a squeeze of a foot, or play peek-a-boo with his giant floppy ears by pressing the other side.

3 year olds have a lot of energy to burn off, so let them do it the fun way with a cute Horse Hopper. Supplied with a hand pump included, this sturdy steed can be inflated and then ridden for lots of bouncy fun – they can even get their pet to move forwards.

Scooters aren’t just for the big kids – with the Micro Kickboard Mini Deluxe, even toddlers can go places in style, while also exercising in the fresh air. Fitted with a wider base and three wheels, this scooter is easier to balance on, and comes in a range of beautiful colors.

The Hape Handyman Go-To-Caddy Wooden Tool Box consists of a wooden box onto which numerous other wooden pieces can be attached. Using the included wrench, screwdriver, and screws, this set offers endless opportunity for building and fine motor skills, while also encouraging problem solving and logical thought.

Help pre-schoolers learn to match colors, as well as develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills with the best-selling Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game. Designed for four players, tots will also learn about taking turns as each player adds a colored acorn to their log, while avoiding the naughty robber!

They’ll learn their alphabet so much quicker with the Kid O A to Z Magnatab. Totally self-contained so the beads don’t fall out, the magnetic stylus will pull the colored beads to the surface as each letter is drawn, and can be ‘erased’ by pushing them back down with their fingers.

Classic toys will never go out of fashion, which is why this Service Station Parking Garage is so much fun. Made from wood by Melissa & Doug, this timeless set includes two wooden cars, a car park with elevator, and an adorable car wash with a working belt and a little cotton roller brush.

Building blocks should be a part of every child’s toy collection, but they can be hard on soft little hands. These One Two Squeeze Blocks are adorably squidgy so small bodies are safe from corners. Each block features a different color, number, and animal, and they stack just as well as wooden counterparts.

Animal-loving little ones will adore playing music on this B. Woofer Guitar. Shaped like a delightful dog, this guitar plays musical notes when the strings are strummed, and different nursery rhymes which can be played in the acoustic, electric, and hound dog modes. There is also a volume control dial.

If Hide and Seek is their favorite game but they need some quiet time, they can play it peacefully with this adorable memory and matching game. A cute twist on the classic game, the little bears are hidden inside the house; when a bear is matched to the spinner, that round is won.

Ideal for the garden, beach, or camping in the wilds, the Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. Kidnoculars will let 3 year olds see things a lot more clearly. Fitted with soft rubber eyepieces to suit little faces, these binoculars offer a 2x magnification, making the natural world much easier to see.

Develop their natural empathy and compassion with the Pet Vet Playset from Melissa & Doug. Complete with a plush cat and dog, this set also includes essential medical instruments, such as a stethoscope, thermometer, and bandages (plus loads more) as well as a reusable checklist for those important appointments.

The VTech KidiBeats Kids Drum Set is so much more than a drum set – it’s a world of learning in one awesome package. Teaching letters, numbers, and music, this drum set comes with four modes of play, and features 9 melodies (including rock and pop) that kids can play along to.

Totally free of lead and plastic, and finished with a water-based lacquer, this Tegu Robo Magnetic Wooden Block Set will spark their imaginations into creating all kinds of things. Made from sustainably-sourced hardwoods, these magnetic blocks are perfect for open-ended play and come in sets of 8, 9, or 12 pieces.

Made from recycled plastic so it’s kinder to the planet, this Ferry Boat from Green Toys makes a perfect bath toy for 3 year olds. Supplied with two cars, this boat features a ramp so the cars can roll on and off easily, and the boat comes apart for drying.

Kids love to copy Mom and Dad, so give them the tools to do it with this sweet set from Melissa & Doug. They can wash the floor with their own mop, sweep up the crumbs, pick rubbish up with the dustpan and brush, and wipe away cobwebs with the mini duster.

Even the most inexperienced rider will be able to master the Original PlasmaCar, because there are no complicated pedals or gears to get in the way. Using gravity and their own movements, this little car is close to the ground (so no nasty falls), and can reach speeds of up to 6MPH.

Put the laugh into bathtime with a Boon Marco Light-Up Bath Toy. Wearing a deep sea diver’s suit, Marco has a color changing light in his helmet that is activated by water, meaning he can explore the depths of the bathtub as well as bob up and down on the surface.

Get them started on their musical journey with the Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube. Demonstrating how different sounds combine to create one magical masterpiece, this cube features 5 different instruments which play on their own, combine with others, and play all together for the finished piece, while also helping to teach about colors, too.

Plastic toys can be environmentally friendly too, as this fabulous Fire Station Playset from Green Toys shows. Made entirely from 100% recycled plastic, this fire station has opening doors, and comes with two beds, a fire engine, and two fire-fighting cats, as well as a command center and rotating water cannon.

Fishing is always fun, especially when they’re learning new skills. This adorable wooden fishing set will not only keep them amused for hours, but it will also teach them color matching skills, letter recognition, and fine motor skills as they attempt to catch the sweet little fishes.

Teach them all about the world we live in with the Learning Resources Puzzle Globe. Large and bright, this globe features six removable continents and six name plates, along with ocean names and famous landmarks to help them on their geography journey. A multilingual activity guide is also included.

They can ‘work’ from home just like Mom or Dad with their own Little Apps Tablet from VTech. With ‘apps’ to teach them numbers, letters, words, and math with different levels of difficulty, this little tablet also features a pretend camera, calendar, color-changing screen, and a keyboard for making music.

Kids love cameras, but they need to be a little more robust to withstand the rough and tumble of toddler life. The VTech Kidizoom Camera Pix is well-protected with a sturdy body, and comes with an automatic selfie mode, collage templates, video and voice recorder, and awesome animated photo effects.

This kinderboard has so many uses; in fact, the only limit is their imagination. Great for practicing their balance, the board can also be used as a step, a chair, a cave, a bridge…the possibilities are endless. And because the German Beechwood is lacquered, it’s suitable for outdoor use, too.

Sometimes you need an educational toy, and sometimes toys should just be plain fun. This Chuckleball will bring miles of smiles as it bounces around on the soft animal panels, moving crazily across the floor or table while giggling and making loads of hilarious sounds.

Even the youngest of kids can use technology, and the Osmo Starter Kit is the ideal way to begin. Supplied with two games, Osmo needs to be tailored to their particular device via the website, but once it’s all done they can spend hours playing Word or Tangram, or other additional games.

They’ll feel just like Mom or Dad doing a spot of DIY with the Design and Drill playset from Educational Insights. The brightly colored screws, can be ‘drilled’ into the base – either freehand or following some of the examples supplied – and then illuminated via the sound-activated lights included.