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16 gift ideas for three-year-olds

Your preschooler is walking, talking and brimming with imagination – here are 16 gift ideas to help take them to the next level!

Elisse Gabriel Senior Writer & Editor

By three, your little one likely has a mind all of her own.

While there’s no doubt this can be frustrating at times (like when they want to wear gumboots and a beanie in the blazing August heat!), it also means they’re becoming their own little person with their own likes, dislikes, preferences and tastes.

The good news: choosing gifts is simpler for you! Your preschooler might be into dinosaurs and dump trucks, or play-doh and pencils (or all of the above!).

In this article, we’ll go over:

Where three-year-olds are developmentally
Chemicals to avoid in kids products
Sixteen gift ideas & our product for three-year-olds

Scroll down to learn more!

Where Three-Year-Olds Are Developmentally

Developmentally, your three-year-old will make some huge leaps this year – here’s how to tailor gifts to their amazing little minds, even as they grow before your eyes.

How your preschooler is progressing

Emotions

By now, your three-year-old is well aware of their emotions and can distinguish between feeling happy, sad, afraid and angry. While they’re not fully in control of how they feel, they’re aware of how other people react and feel, making imaginative play quite fun. They may like to act out certain scenarios (like being “dad” or “going to work”). Dress-ups are a great option for gifts, as well as toys that can act as props for imaginative play, like toy hammers, doctor’s kits, and play food.

Playing

Your three-year-old is striking up friendships and becoming attached to objects, too. You may find them having a tea party with their stuffed animals, or being a doctor when their friends are over for a playdate. Encourage this creative play with books to stimulate ideas and toys that let their imagination run wild.

Curiosity

As you probably already know, your three-year-old wants to know everything. NOW! If you’re not there already, be prepared for plenty of “what,” “why,” “when,” “where,” “how” and “who” questions. While this may be frustrating to hear over and over, it’s your preschooler’s way of making sense of the world. You could encourage this curiosity with games that spark questions.

Physical development

Physically, your preschooler will be throwing and kicking balls, if not quite yet catching them. They’ll likely be very interested in outdoor play, and even activities like gardening. Encourage this love of the outdoors with a toy gardening kit, a large round ball (preferably one that bounces!) and clothing that can be muddied without too much drama.

Language and numbers

By now, your three-year-old will have mastered simple sentences and usually, most people will understand them when they speak. They’ll have a relatively big vocabulary (up to 1000 words) and will likely be interested in more advanced picture books (she may even have the attention span to listen to short chunks from chapter books). As for numbers, they’ll be counting to ten before you know it, and should recognise some written numerals very soon.

Chemicals To Avoid In Kids Products

At The Tot, we only use and recommend products that have passed The Tot Safety Test. This means we’ve reviewed third-party testing, examined ingredients lists and asked in-depth questions about a product’s composition to ensure they’re free of all the chemicals we avoid.

When you don’t know what your child’s toy, you can run the risk of exposing them to potentially harmful ingredients such as BPA, BPS, Phthalates, PVC, Formaldehyde, Lead and other Heavy Metals. This is particularly worrying for babies and toddlers who inevitably put these items in their mouths. Many of these chemicals have been linked to prostate cancer, breast cancer, female infertility, obesity, endocrine disruption, behavioral problems, and even irreversible brain damage.