The 40 Best Toys and Gifts for 3-Year-Olds, According to Experts
Everything they need for pretend play, playtime with others and outdoor activity.
Reviewed by Rachel Rothman
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Three-year-olds have reached their preschool stage. Gone are the toddler years and the toddler toys that go with it. At this point, they might be gravitating toward more sophisticated playthings that match their developing skills. That's why experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute tested the best toys and gifts for 3-year-olds to ensure their safety and durability, considering input from real 3-year-olds and Good Housekeeping Institute Best Toy Award winners.
"Around age 3, children start showing more interest in playing with others, instead of just playing next to each other," says Jacque Bogdanov, PsyD, child psychologist and founder of ChildBehaviorClinic.com. "It’s a great time to introduce easy games that encourage cooperation and turn taking, like simple board games or matching and memory games. Their imagination is also growing, so they tend to enjoy toys that encourage pretend and dramatic play like play food and kitchens, dolls, and so on."
Don't forget those preschool energy levels, either! "Three-year-olds have a high need for physical activity and movement too," Dr. Bogdanov says. "Give them something to pedal or jump on that encourages gross motor development like bikes, trikes and scooters." With all things considered, these were the faves.
This plush is on a roll! Fans will thrill to have Skye, the star of PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, complete in her super hero outfit. The other pups are available as well. Ages 1+
Good Housekeeping testers were amazed at the way these semi-solid paints didn't drip, slosh or spill (though they did notice that if kids got the paint on their hands, they could make smudges that way). This set makes tapping into their creative sides even easier with eight paint colors, three brushes and activity sheets to paint on. Ages 3+
This book won over Good Housekeeping Institute testers with a clever gimmick: Each page has a poem about a different animal, then kids have to use a "slide and see" feature to reveal which creature it is. Testers also loved the unusual animal selections: "This book introduced us to sea dragons and owl butterflies,” one reviewer said.
Fat Brain Toys Teeter Popper
Get them to work on their balance and coordination with this curved board, which kids can sit on or stand on and rock back and forth. The fun part is that the bottom is covered in suction cups, so it makes a popping sound. It comes in pink, green and blue. Ages 3+
This scooter was designed with preschoolers in mind: It has three wheels to help keep them balanced, and the handlebars are height adjustable to keep up with them as they grow to age 5. Plus, it comes in half a dozen colors, so you can choose their favorites. Ages 2+
This audio player is designed for preschoolers to be able to use by themselves; they just have to put a card in to start a story, song or podcast, and take it out when they want it to stop. Good Housekeeping testers appreciated its long battery life and ease of use. This comes with a make-your-own audio card, but then you can explore cards with Disney themes, bedtime music, and more. Ages 3+
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If you have a Bluey or a Bingo at home who wants a nightly bedtime story, these are the perfect length for the "just one more story" time. Each one centers on the family of Heelers that kids know and love. Ages 2+
LeapFrog Rainbow Learning Lights Mixer
Kids really got into the pretend play with this one. “My son loved pulling apart the pretend butter and eggs and adding stuff to the bowl,” one parent tester said. But in addition to pretend baking, kids can use this to follow a recipe card, listen to instructions, press the buttons to make the paddle spin, practice counting (pressing the buttons from one to five) or practice colors (the mixer lights up in different ones). Ages 2+
What set this water table apart from all the others was its space-saving design: Most of the features are aligned vertically to keep it to a smaller footprint. Kids can scoop and pour water and watch it cascade through the different features. It's also two-sided, so siblings can use it at the same time. Ages 18 months+
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VTech Storytime with Sunny
Testers were taken in by the expression on this light's face, which moves when it talks and tells stories. It comes with four disks that are packed with stories, songs, games, jokes, tongue twisters and more. It also works as a nightlight and an alarm clock, so testers appreciated that they could use it for bedtime and wake-up routines. It comes in pink and blue. Ages 3+
S’Mores Break! Sensory Fidget Activity Set
These fidget toys are perfect for the little camper in your life. Each one is different: The s'more can be squished, the marshmallow in the cocoa spins and the cinnamon roll telescopes in and out. In addition, there are guided, social-emotional activity cards included in the set that aim to help kids calm themselves down or name their feelings. Ages 3+
Melissa & Doug Top & Bake Wooden Pizza Counter Play Set
Order up! This set gets their imaginations firing as they add their favorite topping and pretend to cook the pizza in the oven. But they'll also practice sorting and counting — it comes with fake money — as they run their own pizza shop. Ages 3+
Tactile Turtles Math Activity Set
This set is filled with 36 turtles of different sizes, colors, belly shapes and textures, and the included activity cards show kids how to use them to practice early math skills likes sorting, counting, and grouping. "My daughter loved the tactile feeling of the turtle shells and the bright colors," one parent tester said. Our experts also liked that hand2mind says these turtles are made with post-consumer recycled plastic. Ages 3+
There are so many different ways to use this easel: There's a chalkboard on one side, a whiteboard on the other and the top even has clips to hold up paper for drawing with crayons or markers. But what kid testers really love the most was the interactive elements, which offer guided drawing activities that kids can follow along with. There's also traceable magnets that help them practice letters and shapes. Ages 3+
Get Mickey, Minnie and Donald to their destinations on time with this Disney-themed train set. This set features Brio-quality tracks and pieces, but also includes the characters kids know and love. It comes with three figures and eight pieces of track and an engine and wagon along with accessories like a fence crossing, bench, tree and sign. Ages 3+
Test their matching, retention and strategy skills with this classic memory game. The illustrations in the deck have a camping motif, so they're great to keep in a backpack and use in the park or on the go. Ages 3+
Replica Dyson Ball Vacuum Toy
While colorful and cartoony cleaning toys are great, this one is hilarious because it looks so much like a real Dyson vacuum. Colorful balls swirl around, but that's not all: It even has enough real suction to pick up small pieces of paper, which you can empty through a removable dustbin in the back. Ages 3+
With social-emotional learning a huge focus for children today, this toy can help kids regular their feelings. There are three modes of guided meditation: one for daytime relaxation, one for nighttime soothing and one three-step calm-down exercise. Ages 2+
The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game
At age 3, kids might start to have the attention and comprehension needed to play a family game. This one challenges players to get one of each acorn — and they have to use a squirrel-shaped tweezer to pick them up, too. Ages 3+
Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit
Our youngest thinkers are growing up with technology, so we might as well use our latest gadgets for educational play. Because touch is an important factor in early childhood learning, this Little Genius starter kit uses silicone sticks and rings to help your child create shapes, letters and numbers to follow the included games' prompts. All three games, ABCs, Costume Party and Stories can be monitored via a parent app to track learning progress. You could get it for iPads or Fire tablets. Ages 3+
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.
Rachel Rothman was the chief technologist and executive technical director of the Good Housekeeping Institute for over 15 years, overseeing testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all GH Labs. She also managed GH's research division and the analysis of applicants for the GH Seal and all other testing emblems.
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