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21 Fun Things to Do with a 3-Year-Old: Put that Toddler Energy to Good Use

If you’re the parent of a rowdy toddler, you’re not alone! Fortunately, you can positively channel all that energy and curiosity with our suggestions for 21 things to do with a 3-year-old below.

Three-year-olds are amazing, they have such a sense of wonder about the world and are so full of fun. But keeping them busy can feel like a full-time job.

We have put together some fun activities that you can do with your 3-year-old . Whether you’re stuck inside on a rainy day or embracing it boot-in-puddle style, these 21 great ideas help develop creativity, fine motor skills, imaginative play. (Not to mention, keeping them busy and entertained!)

In this article

Sensory Play Activities

Pretend play/imaginative play activities, five fun outdoor activities for 3-year-olds, six fine motor skills activities for 3-year-olds, what should a 3 year old know educationally, should a three-year-old know the alphabet, should a three-year-old be potty trained, can 3-year-olds draw people, fun with toddlers: summary, ten indoor activities for 3-year-olds.

There are a wealth of activities that you can do with a 3-year-old when the weather is less than favorable. As much as kids may enjoy the freedoms of the outdoors, this doesn’t mean you should underestimate the importance of some creative ideas and a few pieces of paper!

Sensory stimulation is a vital way to develop the sensory pathways and promote healthy development in your child. This stimulation can also promote wonderful opportunities for communication and strengthening bonds.

1. Playdough

A great fun way to get your children to use their imagination and make some amazing creations.

You can also have some fun making your own salt dough if you find you don’t have play dough to hand.

This is also a fun activity for them to practice their fine motor skills. Just provide them with some simple tools for cutting, chopping, and shaping the dough. Working the dough hones the strength and coordination of those tiny fingers and hands whilst they play.

2. Rice and Beans

This activity is so much fun and really helps your 3-year-olds to use their imagination.

All you need is some dry rice or beans and then lots of different-sized containers for them to pour them back and forth. Give them spoons, scoops, cups, and even a mesh strainer, and see the fun they have.

You can even encourage your kid to have some fun by mark-making, or showing them how to draw in the different textures.

For some added fun you could always dye the rice a range of colors using food coloring. This gives an extra layer of creativity to this activity for all kids and can help your three-year-olds to recognize colors and their names.

3. Water Beads

Water beads are a fantastic way to make learning fun and improve children’s hand-eye coordination through sensory play, and they can also double up as a fun outdoor activity.

You can use a variety of play ideas to improve kids’ pouring and counting skills and even include other toys and puzzles to create your own racecourse to blow the water beads through!

4. Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts cover a broad range of activities from finger painting , using pipe cleaners, working with a glue stick, cutting out, and using chalk or markers.

You really can let their imaginations run wild. Depending on the time of year you could make cards using colored paper, do some potato printing or use some toy cars and run them through the paint to see the patterns that their wheels make.

These activities provide a fun sensory experience for your little one.

Making fun craft activities doesn’t need to be expensive either, often activities for 3-year-olds can involve several steps such as outdoor exploring to collect materials that can be attached to colored paper using a glue stick or printing using leaves and other items that you may have collected.

You could even just print off some coloring sheets and let your child have some fun exploring their own ideas.

5. Making Lunch

Another great way to involve your preschoolers in daily activities is to let them help you prepare lunch. It’s the ultimate hands-on task that can help to improve their relationship with food in the future too!

Having more control over what your little ones choose and prepare for food can increase the likelihood of them clearing their plate. It also taps into different developmental domains, eliminating the need for lots of toys overwhelming them.

You can help them get creative with different shapes and patterns when chopping up fruit and veggies and make games out of everyday activities to promote wonderful fun for your little ones.

Not only can cooking together improve your kids reading skills, but it can also teach your child valuable life skills that will stay with them throughout the course of their life.

If your young kids struggle to maintain focus on a task then you can draw or write the recipe onto some paper and watch them stay focused to ensure a great outcome.

One of the most widely recognized methods of improving kids’ speech and imagination is through play.

Many a qualified professional says this quality time together can make learning great fun. It helps teach kids exciting new ways to play in the world around them as well as improve fine motor skills, without the need for expensive toys.

Imaginative play activities for 3-year-olds work best when your child can re-enact experiences you have noticed them taking an interest in. L their ideas and imagination take the lead to enable open-ended fun with no structure.

6. Reading Books

Although you may already read with your three-year-old every day, you can make your child’s face light up by adding funny faces and voices. Not only will it delight your little one, but it will help them to identify characterizations and follow narratives.

Kids love this type of quality time together when you read books; eye contact can help to immerse your three-year-old in the story further.

It will promote a great bonding experience and help your kids associate reading as a positive experience (a net benefit well into adulthood).

There is plenty of information online showing the best books to read to your kids , and sometimes this website provides printouts for activities related to these books.

Before reading a book you could mentally take some ideas for a nice list of questions you can ask throughout the story to encourage your kid’s imagination. This will help make the most of that childlike creativity and vivid imagination when reading books with them.

7. Put On a Puppet Show

One of the most overlooked and hilarious activities for 3-year-olds is to put on a puppet show using anything you can find around the house.

You can set up a stage, make up stories together and see what great ideas your little one can come up with in their very own first performance.

Your child will love something as simple as a sock puppet, or you can even encourage them to draw a paper puppet for you to play with together.

You could use this as a chance to re-enact a difficult scenario your child may have encountered. Address their emotions at the time to enable a healthy outcome to any tantrums in the future.

8. Run a Store

Running a store is a fantastic role play experience that kids love, you can take on any role and even spend time doing fun crafts to create a store sign beforehand.

Kids love to mimic the activities they see in everyday life, and you can often find many children’s toy websites that will feature their own pretend play and toy sections to help your kids take part in their favorite roleplay scenarios.

Toddler Teatime: The Best Tea Sets for Imaginative Play

You could sell board games, pretend to play in a bowling alley or even include their own favorite activities into the play on the days when you don’t want to leave the house!

Engaging in these forms of communication gives your kids the chance to improve their language and writing skills by using phrases they wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to use.

9. Safari Adventure

This is a great activity for your 3-year-old or any other kids for that matter! Your child will love this play set up and can be fully customizable using the toys your child has available.

You can get creative in the house, by drawing on paper to make little hiding spots for your safari animals, or take your child outdoors and hide their safari toys around for them to spot!

You could put together a list on a piece of paper and develop their knowledge of animals by printing fun fact sheets from any website your child enjoys and turn this pretend play into a great learning experience.

10. Doctors and Nurses

Setting up your child their very own hospital playset is a great way to eliminate any fears your toddlers may have of a medical setting and familiarize them with some of the familiar medical terms and equipment.

With some paper signs, or even some website print outs you can decorate the walls to replicate a doctor’s office and treat your patients (dolls, toys, anything your child wants!) and let their creative sides go wild.

One of the best ways to cheer up a grumpy preschooler is by adventuring on outdoor activities and letting their imagination take over, from a scavenger hunt to pretend play, you can find so many great ideas for activities that your three-year-olds are going to find fun.

11. Mud Kitchen

Mud kitchens are a staple preschooler activity that helps to make learning fun by improving knowledge of the outdoors.

The best part about a mud kitchen is that it is fully adaptable and can be used for older kids too.

From a muddy tea party to mixing bowls full of grass and seeds, the number of ideas for your 3-year-olds mud kitchen can lead to hours of great activities and endless fun craft, without having to worry about any mess on your kitchen floor.

12. Toy Car Race Tracks

It often feels like you can miss out on all the fun if your garden space is less than desirable. Even if you only have a small space, this doesn’t mean imaginative play needs to be limited to inside the house.

You can create an obstacle course for your child and their toy cars to race through by drawing chalk on the floor to create a fun race track kids will love. It’s simple fun stuff like this that makes the best activities for 3-year-olds.

13. Blow Bubbles

Bubbles are a great way to play with any kid of all ages. Taking some out and about with you and your preschoolers is a great game to involve others and even watch your kid make friends with others effortlessly!

You can make some great games with bubbles which require lots of imagination that your kid will love. Some firm favorites include-

• Making bubble wands
• Hula hoop bubbles
• Clap the bubbles
• Add paint to your bubbles

You can make your own bubbles by mixing 1 cup of dish soap with warm water and bending an old coat hanger to make a DIY bubble blower and letting your kids enjoy this fun activity.

14. Board Games

Board games are not only a great idea for activities for 3-year-olds, they can be a fun way to include kids and toddlers of all ages and teach them wonderful new ways to solve puzzles and play a game in a social setting with the whole family.

You could even include it as a once-a-week treat to spend some quality family time together doing something you all enjoy.

Even simple board games can help to improve hand-eye coordination and dexterity in any child, as well as teaching the valuable lesson of learning to follow rules and wait your turn.

Your 3-year-old may be struggling with the idea of sharing their toys and involving others in their game, but a board game can help to encourage your 3-year-old or any other child to play as a team and work together.

15. Car Wash

Water play is always a winner with kids–and you can also get a free car wash out of this activity!

Fill a bucket with water and some toddler-safe shampoo/soap and give them a variety of brushes, sponges, and cloths to clean with. You can get them to clean the family car, a favorite  toy fire truck , their bike or scooter, or even an older sibling’s bicycle.

On a hot day, you can finish up the activity by letting them rinse off their car wash with the hose before drying up and showing off their clean new ride around the block.

16. Threading Objects

Threading beads is a fantastic and highly versatile activity that focuses on supporting your child as they work on those fine motor skills.

It will involve their perceptual, visual, and pincer grip as they focus on correctly threading the objects onto their string.

This can be a great calming activity to relieve stress and unwind after a hard day and allow your child to get creative and explore the different patterns they can make within their beads of choice

You can use anything to make this activity come to life which is a fantastic way to reduce spending on new toys you don’t have room for. You can thread any beads of choice from wooden beads, metal, buttons, leaves, felt, or even shapes.

You don’t have to use string either! It could be spaghetti, pipe cleaners, macaroni, a colander, holes in a lid, or anything you can find that would fit the activity!

Threading is a highly versatile activity that your child will enjoy at any age and can be highly adaptable to your three-year-old preferences.

17. Building Blocks

One of the most highly recognizable toddler toys is the wide variety of stacking and building blocks that are all designed to have a versatile approach to aid their learning.

These blocks can be solid and easy to stack or interlink to focus on their engineering skills.

Structured block play is highly adaptable and can help improve color work and mathematic skills as a visual representation can help your little ones to understand basic mathematic concepts easier.

18. Webbed Baskets

Grab a small basket and some string and watch your kids love trying to solve this puzzle!

You can alter the amount of yarn you use in order to suit their abilities with this task and give them some tweezers, tongs or even a clothes peg to fish out small toys you place under the layers of string.

You can use any toys you have to hand such as plastic spiders, wooden pegs, or figurines your child loves! This activity is suitable for older children too if you want to improve their fine motor skills.

19. Gem Patterns

If you want to start focusing on patterns and shapes within letters then this is a great idea that kids love!

Using any buttons, beads, or shiny gems you have, trace a pattern onto some paper and get your child to follow the pattern with their chosen material.

You can even get them to focus more on creating a repetitive pattern with the colors of their buttons and beads to work on their concentration skills.

You could also alter this activity to include pipe cleaners and get your kids to bend and wiggle them into the right shapes and focus their hand strength.

20. Fidget Objects

Making your own fidget pillow isn’t as difficult as you may think, although there are several available online to purchase.

You can introduce a variety of different developmental activities to help improve your child’s skills. You can include zippers, buttons, switches, locks, or even doorknobs and attach them to a board or block for your toddler to focus on the individual skills that they’re most interested in.

21. Scissor Skills

Introducing the use of scissors can be a highly scary topic for a 3-year-old, but around this age, it is perfectly normal for them to develop an interest in this exciting-looking object.

Showing your child the safest ways to use scissors is the best way to introduce the use of scissors and also improve their visual-motor skills as well as an appreciation and understanding for appropriate tool usage.

There are a few fun activities you can introduce the use of scissors to your toddler:

• Cutting Playdough
• Cutting foam sheets
• Cutting string/ yarn
• Cutting paper

All of these methods are a great way to get creative with your little one, but of course, make sure you watch over them as they work on this new skill so you can appropriately help them learn how much fun this can be.

If your child is already familiar with the use of scissors you can draw some interesting patterns on paper for them to follow along with their scissors to work on their steady hand and gripping skill ready for all the crafts to come!

Frequently Asked Questions

As parents, we can spend a lot of time worrying about our children’s development and if they are meeting the correct milestones. Here are some frequently asked questions about your three-year-old to help.

At three years of age, most kids should be able to correctly name common colors, memorize parts of stories, understand a better concept of time, have a wider creative thought, understand differences in sizing and notice the difference in similar and different features.

By this age, your child will usually not remember the whole alphabet, but often will be able to remember around half the letters and their sounds in order to connect a letter to their sound.

Most children will not fully master potty training until their fourth year, although if you start around 18 months of age then they may begin being fully potty trained during their third year.

Usually, around this age, a drawing of a person will emerge with a “tadpole” style, and a head attached directly to the legs with some arms sticking from the sides.

Related Reading: 12 Kid-Friendly Card Games

At three-year-olds your child will be showing so much more emotion and awareness of the world around them.

During this important stage of understanding their own mind and body, you can really ease this developmental stage through creative play and educational learning to make the job of learning these new skills easy and stress-free for the caregivers.

Filling each day with exciting and entertaining age-appropriate activities can seem like an overwhelming task, but having access to open-ended toys and multi-purpose materials can do the world of good for your little one and help them play and learn together.

This article has covered some of the firm favorites that toddlers know and love, and given you some ideas for ways to improve your three-year-olds developing skills in a fun and appropriate way that can get the whole family involved.

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Does My 3 Year Old Need Preschool?

I found preschool to be so beneficial for my daughter at this age. The socialization is one of the biggest benefits of a preschool program.

They’ll be exposed to so many new opportunities that may not be available at home like different toys and learning materials, daily structure and routines, learning to respect their teachers, various educational activities, much more.

I don’t believe that preschool at 3 years old is absolutely necessary and your child will be fine without it. However, I would enroll a 4 year old in some sort of program to get them prepared for Kindergarten.

Some schools or daycares offer full day or half day preschool and you can choose whether your child goes every day or a few times a week.

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What You Can Teach Your Three Year Old

If you’re not in the education field, you may be unsure of simple ways to teach your three year old or ways to incorporate new learning into everyday activities.

Below are a bunch of things that you can help your 3-year-old learn and understand. Practice and exposure is the best way to develop new skills with your child so try and make every opportunity a learning opportunity you can.

This list is for children in the 3 year old range up to 4. Not exclusively once they turn three.

Also, always remember that every child develops at their own pace so don’t worry too much if your child doesn’t have all of these skills yet. This isn’t a list of what they should know at this point, but rather a guide to help you understand what they are capable of learning at this age.

1. New Vocabulary

Your 3-year-old will probably be speaking in full sentences or at least long 4-5 word phrases by now. Three year olds should have at least 250-500 words in their vocabulary as well.

Although there are way too many words to give you a full list, here are some of the common words, phrases, and concepts that your three year old should be able to say and understand:

• Body parts , Animal sounds and names , Friends/Family Names (and their own first, middle, last), Vehicles , Household objects (food, utensils, furniture, clothing, etc)
• Colors and Shapes
• Direction words (below, above, next to, on top, underneath, etc.)
• Days of the week, Months of the year, Seasons, Weather (sunny, rainy, cloudy, windy, snowy, hot, cold, etc.)

If your 3-year-old isn’t talking much at this point or is not trying to speak in full sentences, mention it to your pediatrician. Here are more  tips to get your child to talk  here.

2. Conversational Speech

Your 3 year old should be able to ask and answer simple questions and tell simple stories or anecdotes. They’ll probably be asking a lot of WHY questions as they are curious to learn all about the world around them.

Be sure to answer them with the correct responses and not just ignore their requests for information. Every question is an opportunity to teach your child and you don’t want them to miss out on those experiences.

It’s also important to make corrections in their grammar. When they were 2, some of the things that they said wrong sounded pretty cute. However, now that they’re 3, you don’t want them to get into bad habits of the way they speak.

Whether they’re pronouncing a world wrong, using the wrong tense, pronoun, or grammar, the only way they will learn the right way is if you correct them. So let them know the right way to say the word or sentence and have them repeat it back to make sure that they understand.

In order to get your child to initiate conversation or answer your questions , you can:

• Ask them about their favorite characters/shows/books/toys. What easier way to get a kid to talk than to get them talking about their favorite tv show or super hero?
• Ask them about their day , ie. what did you eat for lunch? What did you play with in the bath tub?
• Ask them for their opinions
• Tell them to ask you about the above mentioned things

If they still tend to give you one-word answers, ask them more questions to get them to elaborate. The more you ask. the more responses you will get. In turn this will help them to realize that they need to add more detail in their responses.

3. Reading books

At 3, your child should understand the concept of “reading” a book. They won’t actually be reading the words , but they should know how to grab a book, hold it the right way, and flip through the page independently.

They should be able to get a good understanding about what is happening in the book by looking at the pictures . They should even recognize that there are letters and words on the page that mean something, but won’t know exactly what they say or mean.

Read to your child everyday to instill their interest in reading. When you are reading to them:

• Use your finger to follow the words on the page so they start to associate the letters with what you’re saying
• Read word-for-word what the text says on the page instead of making up words or describing what the pictures look like
• Ask them questions about what they see on the pages

Your 3 year old may even be able to answer some inferential (why) questions (although this is a tougher skill), but it can’t hurt to try and ask them some of the questions. These are questions that the book doesn’t actually give the answer to, but the child has to think about their own answer or reason. For example, Why is the girl sad in this story? Why shouldn’t the boy have crossed the street? Why did the dog jump over the bone?

Reading doesn’t have to begin and end with books; labels on cereal boxes, words on toys, printed words on street signs, text on the television, or signs at stores are some examples where you can point out words and letters.

Related Post:  The Outstanding Benefits of Reading to Babies and Toddlers

4. Promote Independence

Your three-year-old should be doing many things on their own now so be sure to give them these opportunities to learn, understand, and make mistakes (within limits, of course).

Of course they may not have perfected every skill yet, but the only way a child will learn is by doing it themselves. You can give them a hand completing the task once they’ve finished.

They should be increasing their independence in areas like:

• Dressing : choosing their own clothes, dressing for the weather (warm items or cool items), taking on/off a shirt, pants, underpants/pull-up, shoes, and socks, and learning the right way to put on items (backwards, forwards), and that shoes are on the right feet.
• Self-feeding:  using utensils without spills, choosing their own meals and snacks (check out these  veggie puffs ), opening containers, drinking from an open cup with some supervision, and why it’s important to eat healthy. I love these utensils as my 3 year old graduated from her “baby utensils” to wanting to be just like mom and dad- these look like our silverware but are a perfect size for preschoolers.
• Brushing teeth and hair:  Teach them how to brush correctly on their own (back and forth, top and bottom), putting toothpaste on (with help), and why it’s important to keep our teeth clean. My 3 year old LOVES using an electric toothbrush like this one , especially the ones with their favorite characters.
• Cleaning up:  wiping up messes, putting toys away, bringing dishes, cups, & utensils to the sink when done, throwing away their garbage, using handheld vacuum to clean, and putting away toys when completing activity
• Hygeine : Blowing their nose, washing their hands, using a washcloth to wash themselves in the tub. Make washing hands and standing at the sink much easier by using stools and sink faucet extenders .
• Transitions:  Getting in and out of the car on their own, going up and down the stairs, ending one activity and moving to the next without complaining, turning on/off lights when entering/leaving the room

Be sure to model and show your childhood to do these skills the right way so that they don’t keep practicing something the wrong way.

5. Pretend Play

Using their imagination opens up a world of fun and play for your 3 year old. This skill typically comes naturally as they copy and imitate what they see in the real world, in books, or on tv.

They will use a combination of imagination and reality to copy the things they see daily , like these:

• Cooking in a play kitchen with pots and pans
• Hosting a tea party for their dolls and stuffed animals
• Feeding, burping, and changing a baby doll with play spoons, bottles, and diapers
• Talking on the phone with a play cell phone
• Playing doctor with a doctor or nurses kit
• Going shopping with a shopping cart and fake food
• Driving a car
• Sweeping, mopping , and vacuuming the floor
• Dressing up as their favorite princess , super hero, or character

At 3 years old, your child should have moved passed scribbling and be able to make intentional marks on the paper. They should be able to draw a:

• straight line down
• straight line across
• cross ( + )
• other shapes such as a square or triangle come later, but they can still attempt these, but may need help or the angles won’t be perfect

You can also guide them into making drawings using those elements (lines and circles), for example to draw a sun, a person (stick figure), or a flower . Of course, these drawings won’t be perfect, but they’re gaining insight as to how to make their marks on the paper look like something real.

Imitation is the best way to have your child learn to draw at this age, meaning that you draw one line and have them watch and repeat the same thing . This as opposed to copying (where you just show them the picture and expect them to figure out how to draw it).

7. Coloring and Painting

At age 3, your child can start learning how to color a picture correctly. You can guide them by showing them how to:

• Stay within the lines of a shape, border, or object
• Finish coloring each section without leaving a ton of white spots
• Use correct colors for certain objects, ie. coloring a strawberry red and a horse brown, instead of just picking any color that they choose
• Use different colors for different sections of a picture, ie. Coloring a beach scene with blue for the water, yellow for the sun, green for the palm tree, etc. instead of jut coloring the whole thing one color

Be sure that they are holding their crayon with the correct grasp at all times. I highly suggest  these finger crayons  for the young ones.  They are perfect for little hands and promote a good grasp when holding the crayons.

If your child likes markers, but you don’t trust them being alone in a room with them, these Crayola Mess-Free Coloring Sheets are my absolute favorites!

The markers come out clear if they are used on any other surface besides the paper. On these special sheets, they’ll turn a color so your toddler sees the masterpiece that they are creating. They have so many characters available so I’m sure you can find a pack that your child will love.

Tracing is a great visual motor skill (hand-eye coordination). You can teach your 3 year old to trace lines and letters by:

• Having them use their finger first to trace the line on the paper
• Tracing straight lines first and then working toward shapes, zig zags, and curved lines
• Making sure that they know to stay on the line the best that they can
• Tracing letters in preparation for writing

Cutting is a skill that 3 year olds can begin practicing. They may still have a difficult time, but here are some tips to get your preschooler cutting:

• Be sure to use child safety scissors so they can’t hurt themselves.
• Teach them how to hold the scissor correctly with their thumb toward the ceiling on both the cutting hand and helper hand
• Position the paper in front of them  while they are cutting instead of holding it off to the side or way up high.
• Make sure that their  arms, shoulders, and elbows are down and relaxed  as they cut right in front of them. As they’re concentrating, children tend to hike up their elbows and cut up high.
• Once they are able to make small snips on the paper by just opening and closing the scissors, teach them how to cut on a straight line
• Use sturdier paper like construction paper to make holding and stabilizing the paper easier on them.

10. Numbers and Counting

Your 3 year old may be able to count up to 20 (with some errors at times) from memory and maybe even up to 30 with more practice. They can also work on recognizing and identifying numbers and counting objects.

You can practice counting with so many different, everyday objects :

• count each step while you’re walking up the stairs
• count the number of blueberries on their dinner plate
• count the number of toys in their toy bin

Numbers are everywhere so be sure that they are counting whenever they can.

The concept of one-to-one correspondence (one object is one number) should be emerging now. Just show them how to point to each object as they count it and correct them if they start saying 2 numbers as they count one object or skip over objects when counting.

11. Letters and Sounds for Beginning to Read

Your child may already know many of the letters of the alphabet. At this age, they should probably be able to recite the ABC’s from memory (with some errors and help as needed).

Now you can work on recognizing letters, as well as the sounds they make. To make letter learning easier, try these tips to teach your 3 year old:

• Look at both uppercase and lowercase letters when learning . The lowers case letters are the ones that they will see more often when they read or see words.
• Point out letters to them everywhere : on cereal boxes, on street signs, on banners, and on snack bags
• When talking about a letter, always tell them the sound that it makes and a word that has this letter as its starter. For example M: say M says mmm for mom. Always have them repeat you to etch it into their memory.
• Use different sensory modalities to trace, write, or copy their letters . For example, writing them in sand, placing stickers inside the written letter, tracing the letter written in puffy paint with your finger, erasing the letters from a dry erase board , matching upper and lower case letters , etc. Here are some more fun sensory activities for letter learning .
• Sing songs that help them to remember the letters
• Use puzzles with letters for letter matching

These name puzzles from Bloom Owl are a great way to get your child learning the letters of their name. They’ll love playing with the puzzle as they start to recognize the letters they see all the time.

By far my favorite resource for having your child learning letters and letter sounds is the Leap Frog shows on Netflix . They include Letter Factory, Phonics Farm, and more. If you have Netflix you can access these shows! My 20 month old was reciting all of the letter sounds because he loves this show so much!

Once your child has a good memory of most letters and their sounds, you can teach them how to put them together to form short words. At 3 years old, a child may be able to start reading 2 or 3 letter words. Teach them how to use those sounds to read short words from the -at, -et, -it families, such as mat, rat, bat, get, set, let, sit, fit, kit, etc.

Related Post: Sticker Activity for Learning Letters

12. Building

Building helps to improve your child’s hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. They’ll be able to use their imagination and creativity to create masterpieces and then knock them all down when they’re done.

This Melissa & Doug Alphabet block set  is great to stack and Bristle Blocks are also perfect for stacking, putting together, and taking apart at this age. My 3 year old is also obsessed with Magnetic Tiles – it’s the one toy that just never gets old!

Have them use blocks to encourage imaginative play and see what they can come up with. Building blocks let them problem solve and investigate the world around them. 

13. P uzzles

Puzzles are a great activity for fine and visual motor skills (hand-eye coordination). Having to fit a piece into it’s correct spot by turning and manipulating it is great for visual-spatial awareness.

Your 3 year old should have moved past inset puzzles and can do more complicated interlocking puzzles . Start them out with small interlocking puzzles like these or these , which only have 6-9 pieces per puzzle.

14. Physical Activity, Sports, and Getting Outside

Three-year-olds are known to be pretty wild so you probably won’t need much coaxing to get them active. However, make sure they’re getting plenty of physical activity to learn new gross motor skills . These include:

• Jumping and running
• Climb up and down playground equipment or a jungle gym
• Start learning how to ride a balance bike or a bike with training wheels
• Throwing/catching/kicking a ball
• Hop or stand on one foot for a short time
• Walk backwards

The best way to get them active is to give them lots of outdoor time . Take them to playgrounds to climb on the equipment as they offer so many opportunities for enriching gross motor skills. Take them for a walk and point out all the sights you see.

Your child can also start playing cooperative sports with peers and follow directions by watching someone do a movement. Activities like gymnastics, dance, soccer, swimming lessons, and tee ball are all great organized activities to practice all of the above skills.

15. Music, Dance, and Rhythm

Children love rhythm and music so get them singing, dancing, and exploring their bodies with music. Put on music for them to dance to, sing along to their favorite songs with a microphone , or make their own music with  toy instruments like maracas, xylophone, tamborine, etc .

You can also make musical ‘instruments’ with so many household objects , like shaking pill bottles, banging wooden spoons, or filling plastic Easter eggs or water bottles with uncooked beans or rice.

Do the Hokey Pokey to get them moving and learning body parts. Imitating movements that they see you doing is a great way to develop body and spatial awareness , as well.

Singing songs and doing dances are also a great way for your preschooler to learn and memorize new words and concepts like the days of the week song, months of the year song, head shoulders knees and toes, finger family song, etc. They’ll know their days of the week s quickly if you just put a tune to it!

16. Potty Training

Around 3, many children will be fully capable of using the toilet. If you haven’t started yet, give it a try! Your child may do better than you think.

If they’re already potty trained, make sure that they are fully independent with pulling their pants and underwear up and down, wiping themselves both back and front, and washing their hands afterward.

Be sure to wait until they’re ready and don’t force it on them. Here are some great tips on potty training your child here.

17. Sense of Time

Of course your three year old will not be able to tell time, however you can still teach them a basic sense of time, including:

• Understanding morning, afternoon, and night. They should understand the concept of when they wake up it’s morning, lunch time is the afternoon, and before bedtime is night. They can also understand this better by seeing outside when it’s light or dark.
• Recognizing the numbers on a digital clock . If they can identify numbers, they should be able to see the first number and say it’s 7 o clock. With my daughter, we tell her that 7 o clock is bedtime so when she sees 7 on the digital clock, she knows it’s time to go to bed.
• Knowing when they have 1, 5, or 10 more minutes left. They still won’t have a true sense of how long these increments of time are, but you can try to make them aware that 1 minute is quick, compared to 10 minutes or 20 minutes.
• Days of the week. They may be able to get a sense of what day it is today, what it will be tomorrow, and what it was yesterday

Before they fully have a sense of time, try setting an audio or visual timer when you need to show them when time is up. For example, when you say clean up in 5 more minutes, set a timer for 5 minutes to ring when it’s time.

We love the Time to Wake clocks for my little ones. They let them know when it’s time to call for mom or get out of bed by simply turning a different color when it’s almost time to get up or when they should leave their room.

This is a great visual way for them to “see” and understand time.

Of course, safety is a crucial lesson to teach your child. This is the age where they will probably have no fear or understanding of dangerous situations. The following practices need to be taught to your 3 year old as they may not just come naturally:

• not running away in public
• not running out into a parking lot
• stranger danger
• staying close to mom or dad
• being cautious when crossing streets
• holding hands when in public or outside
• sun safety: applying sunscreen, wearing hats
• being careful of hot items: kitchen appliances, flames, etc.

Speaking of safety for your little ones, the Whystle App is a great resource for all parents to have that tracks all safety information that’s important to your family. This includes product recalls for toys, food, and more that could promote dangers into your home. Download this app free on your phone and then there’s a free trial for the subscription so you never miss an important safety warning.

19. Manners and Respect for Others

Understanding how to properly treat others is a valuable trait to instill in your child. This goes for respecting both adults and other children. It’s important to teach your children how to use polite words and actions to show manners.

At this age, they are still testing their boundaries and exploring new ways of getting what they want. Instill rules for respecting others even through times of frustration.

• Saying  excuse me  when needing someone to move or get their attention
• Patiently waiting  for a parent to finish talking to another parent before chiming in
• Saying  please and thank you  shows consideration and appreciation
• Making  eye contact  when speaking to others
• Apologizing  when you do something wrong
• Ask questions  to others about how their day is or how they are feeling
• Compliment  others on their clothes, hair, or something they did
• Share  their toys or items that belong to them
• No pushing, hitting, biting, or pulling hair to hurt others in any way

20. Staying Healthy: Good Hygiene and Eating Well

Teaching your 3 year old to practice good hygiene and healthy eating is great to start young . Build-in their hygiene routine throughout the day and they will become accustomed to this regimen. Eating healthy foods early on to set them off for a healthy diet for the rest of their life. These include:

• eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins. Avoid: processed foods, unhealthy snacks, and sweets
• washing hands after meals and potty
• brushing teeth morning and night
• bathing daily or every other day
• keeping their clothes and body clean while they eat or play
• covering their mouth when they sneeze or cough
• blowing their nose into a tissue
• wiping their own privates after going potty

Complying with:

• brushing and combing hair
• cutting fingernails and toenails
• cleaning inside ears with a  child safety q-tip

Related Post:  How to Get Your Picky Toddler to Try New Foods

21. Acting Appropriately in Public and Understanding “No”

Preschoolers are very ego-centric (only care about themselves). It’s totally normal for them to only think about how things will affect them. This almost always leads to inappropriate behaviors as they learn what behaviors get them what they want.

Don’t always give in to every cry  and teach them that sometimes they can’t get everything that they want. Don’t always give them the cookie that they’re begging for or the new toy at the store. If they must get the object that they desire, make them earn it.

Teach your 3-year-old how to act appropriately to avoid tantrums in public. Try  putting rules in place  when you are out so they know what is expected of them. Always have a way to redirect or distract them when you see a tantrum starting (using something else they are interested in). Lastly, just avoid situations that could set them off.

This is a great article about  Tips for Cry-Free Shopping with Your Toddler

22. Empathy and Compassion

From a young age, you want to fill your child with compassion and empathy for others . Teach them about emotions and to be conscious of other people’s feelings.

• If they see someone crying, ask what’s wrong.
• If they see someone alone, go over and play with them.
• If they see someone that looks different than them, treat them equally.
• If they hurt someone, apologize and make it better

It’s never too early to talk to your children about race , ethnicity, disabilities, and recognizing differences between others.

23. Structure and a Routine

Your 3 year old probably already has some routine in place throughout their day . However, you want to ensure that they are consistently doing what is asked of them so that they could even do it on their own if needed.

The more structure that your child has in their day, the more they will start to understand time and a daily schedule.

I love using a  routine or responsibility chart (like the blue/green one on the right) so my toddler can have a visual cue of everything that is expected of her. Use  one with pictures  instead of just words, ( like this Mickey Mouse chart ), so your toddler actually understands what it’s for.

Here are some examples of day-to-day routines that you can create a specific pattern for:

• Bedtime: Brush teeth, go potty, wash hands, put pajamas on, read a story, go to sleep
• Morning: Go potty, wash hands, brush teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast
• Before naptime
• Pre-dinner wind-down time
• Cleaning time
• Getting ready for school/daycare : Packing their backpack, putting their jackets and shoes on, getting themselves into the car

Related Post:  Why Your Child Needs a Daily Routine and How to Make One

24. Staying on Task

A 3 year old’s attention span is still quite short, although it should have increased a lot since toddlerhood. It’s only reasonable to ask them to focus on a task for around 6-10 minutes at this age.

However, it is important for them to be aware that once they start a task they should finish it to completion. My daughter loves to grab a puzzle and put in 3 pieces and walk away or sit down and read 2 pages and then walk away.

The goal of teaching your child to stay on task is to complete what they start.  Here are some tips:

• While playing with your child, make sure that they complete the entire activity, ie. puzzle or read through the whole book, before they get up and run around.
• If they’re coloring or building a tower, keep them engaged in that one activity for as long as possible before you let them move on to the next.
• During mealtimes make sure they remain seated and finish their meal before getting up and playing.
• Make sure they clean up one activity before moving on to the next

25. Be a Helper and Doing “Chores”

Little kids LOVE to help grown-ups. They want to do everything that you’re doing because they’re starting to gain this growing confidence and independence. Invite them to perform tasks that they may not be able to do independently, but that they can help you with.

• Get the mail
• Take the trash out
• Refill the toilet paper roll dispenser
• Help with cooking: mixing, adding ingredients
• Carrying in bags or groceries
• Fill the dog bowl
• Entertain a younger sibling
• Cleaning up their toys
• Cleaning up after themselves: throwing their dishes in the sink garbage in the trash can
• Wiping down the table or floor when they make messes

26. Technology

Technology or screen time should be  limited  for preschoolers to no more than 2 hours a day, but it is still important for your child to learn how to use these devices. The fine motor skill of swiping, clicking, and sliding to nagivate through tablets and smart phones are something that your 3 year old can easily learn.

Ipad  educational games like  ABC Mouse are great to sharpen a lot of the educational skills listen above, as well as practice using a tablet or smart phone. There’s a great curriculum based on age and developmental level that teaches them so many new skills.

My 3 year old loves  ABC Mouse because of the wide variety of games and fun. She’s learning how to trace letters, numbers, make new sounds and words, etc.

Leapfrog Laptop  is also a fun interactive computer that little words can learn letters and typing on.

27. Sorting and Comparing

Sorting and comparing is a skill that you can teach your 3 year old. Make them aware of how objects are the same and different. Some of the criteria that they can use to sort is by:

• size (big, medium, small)
• categories (fruits vs. vegetables, farm animals vs. ocean animals)
• pattern (stripes, polka dots, solids)

This sorting pie from Learning Resources is a great way to practice sorting and categorizing objects by the features mentioned above.

28. Follow Multi-Step Directions

Your 3 year old should now have progressed from only understanding and following 1-step directions (i.e. put your shoes on) to following 2-3 step directions (i.e. get your shoes from the closet, put them on, and go wait by the car).

Practice with 2 steps at first to make sure they can focus on the direction given, process it, and carry it out. Then you can try adding in another step to see if they can still follow.

At times, your little one may be distracted to get all the distractions, and that’s ok since their attention span is still short, but as they approach 4, they should really be listening to you intently and follow your commands.

29. Rhyming Words and Opposites

You can teach your 3 year old some rhyming and opposite words at this age, as well. Short words that sound alike (ie. rat, bat and sky, tie) should be easy for them to catch on to.

Opposite words, for example in-out, up-down, should also be learned at this age as they use these words all the time. They should already know the words, but now understanding the meaning and how they are opposites of each other will really get their mind stimulated and understanding these concepts.

30. Sight Words

The first sight word that your preschooler may be able to spell and recognize is their name. Teach them how to spell their name and how to recognize it when it’s written. Those name puzzles shown above are great for practicing this!

Although your child isn’t expected to know sight words until later on, it can’t hurt to expose them to it now. Sight words are words that may not sound the wya they are spelled so they will have to just memorize the way the word looks.

These are typically commonly used words, for example, like, the, and my. As you read to your child, you will probably come across these words several times.

Point out the words to them and tell them what they say. If you tend to read the same books over and over, they should quickly pick up on what a word looks like and say it as you read. Not only soul you point these words out in their favorite book, but wherever you see it whether it’s a cereal box or sign.

Flash cards are also great for learning sight words, however they are a bit young for this.

31. Days of the week/Months of the Year/Seasons

By going over the calendar daily or singing songs, your 3 year old can learn the days of the week and months of the year pretty quickly. They still may not get a true sense of how these time periods work, but they can memorize a list of these items.

Most of these skills listed above can be accomplished at some point while a child is between three and four, but every child develops at their own pace.

This article is not intended to skew your mind into thinking that your child MUST know these concepts. However, if you are looking for activities to do with your child, ways to engage their mind, or knowledge to teach them, these are some great tips. Your child is NOT behind if they can’t adequately do all of these things, but if you are concerned, please speak to your pediatrician.

Have fun teaching your three-year-old and enjoy watching them blossom this year. They’ll be growing and developing before your eyes so don’t blink! Here are some more great activity ideas to do with your little one.

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40 activities to do with your 3-year-old

December 27, 2023 by Sanya Pelini, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

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Who would have thought that finding the right activities for 3-year-olds would be complicated? With so much time for play, it’s easy to get bored playing doctor with your child 10 times a day, every day.

The truth is, most of us end up repeating the same activities over and over again, sometimes because we don’t know there are other simple and easy-to-set-up activities out there, and sometimes because it’s easy to fall into similar patterns.

The good news is that there are many simple activities for 3-year-olds that can be spread throughout the day.

Remember that 3-year-old activities are essential to your child’s development because they help him develop or strengthen important skills such as fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, color and number recognition, and so on.

So let’s take a look at what your 3-year-old can do (or is just starting to do), and then I’ll give you a list of 40 simple activities, many of which you can do with objects you already have around the house.

What can a 3-year-old do?

When choosing activities for your 3-year-old, it is important to remember that this age group is naturally active, mobile, and learning in new ways every day. It is also an age of curiosity, the “why” age, when your child wants to know everything about everything.

A three-year-old can:

– Communicate effectively. They are saying more words, using simple sentences, and are more easily understood by others.

– Name colors.

– Sing along with simple rhymes.

– Dress and undress themselves (but they can still do buttons and zippers).

– Draw lines and copy a circle.

– Understand differences in size.

– Understand simple directions.

– Understand prepositions (on, under, in) and pronouns (you, me, they).

– Understand simple rules of play such as waiting your turn and sharing toys.

– Run and jump.

– Ride a tricycle.

– Feed themselves.

– Build simple objects by stacking.

– Wash and dry hands.

– Concentrate on tasks for a little longer than five minutes.

At three years of age, your child is also learning new things very quickly, and the activities they engage in are great for their development. It is generally recommended that toddlers not be inactive for more than an hour at a time during their waking hours.

Here is a great list of kid-friendly activities for your 3-year-old!

40 Activities Your 3-Year-Old Will Love

It’s always nice to have ideas for simple but different fun activities to do with your 3-year-old. The list below has many activities, all of which are designed to develop specific skills.

Go through the list and choose about 10 activities that you can propose throughout the day to make sure your child is practicing different skills each day.

1. Give your child a piece of cardboard and ask him or her to finger paint with water. They’ll love it, and the best part? No mess guarantee!

2. Turn on the music and have a dance party to your favorite dance songs.

3. Let your child help you cut soft fruits and vegetables in the kitchen. These Montessori designed knives are great for encouraging your child to participate in everyday household tasks.

4. Go on a nature walk, give your child a bag and ask him to collect at least five different objects.

5. Give them lots of age-appropriate puzzles .

6.  Ask your child to build a tower out of toilet paper and tissue boxes.

7.  Give your child a box or coloring book and ask him or her to color with child-friendly colors.

8.  Give your child magnetic blocks and let him or her express creativity.

9.  Take a walk and ask your child to name all the colors he or she sees.

10. Give them a giant search and find toy whose collection is adapted to 3-year-olds.

11. Play the memory game. Turn over memory cards and take turns trying to find two similar cards. Start with a few cards and gradually increase the number of cards as your child gets better at the game. Here are printable memory cards your child will love.

12. Let your child play doctor or dentist with their dolls or stuffed animals.

13. Look at family photos together.

14. Ask your child to water plants. They’ll love feeling all grown up. Encouraging your child to participate in age-appropriate chores is an easy way to keep them busy and help them develop important skills. This article has everything you need to know about choosing the right chores.

15. Get them a balance bike to help them practice their coordination.

16. Open a page in their favorite book and ask them to find certain objects.

17. Give your child stickers to play with.

18. Do a giant floor puzzle together .

19. Play dough activities are great for 3 year olds.

20. Let your child help you in the garden. They will love planting their own seeds and pulling out weeds.

21. Look at pictures in books and talk about the different feelings.

22. Read books together. Listening to audio books is also a great activity for a 3-year-old.

23. Go to the library.

24. Take your child to age-appropriate events in your neighborhood.

25. Take your child swimming.

26. Play hide-and-seek.

27. Listen to music.

28. Grab a giant box, turn it into a tunnel, and let your child decorate and play with it. Endless fun guaranteed!

29. Ask your three year old to paint on the outside of the house with water and a paintbrush.

30. Play Simon says. Laughs guaranteed!

31. Put duct tape on the floor and ask your child to walk or drive a car on it.

32. Give your child different empty containers and grains and have him or her move the grains from one container to another.

33. Give your child large beads to thread.

34. Put various objects that your child is familiar with into a bag and ask them to take out a particular object without looking in the bag.

35. Ask your child to dress up dolls.

36. Take your child to the park.

37. Get empty boxes of different sizes and tape them together. Ask your child to stack them and knock them over. You can also ask them to sort the boxes from smallest to largest, shortest to tallest, etc.

38. Mix plastic spoons, knives and forks and ask your child to separate them.

39. Mix objects of different colors (or shapes), then ask your child to sort them by color (or shape).

40. Put some heavy objects in your laundry basket and have your 3-year-old push them around.

What are some of your favorite activities for 3-year-olds? These simple activities aren’t just for 3 year olds, they’re great activities that can teach important skills to older and younger kids alike!

Let us know in the comments what activities your 3-year-old absolutely loves!

About Sanya Pelini, Ph.D.

Sanya Pelini holds a Ph.D. in Education. Her work has been published on Motherly, ParentMap, The Goffman Institute and Psych Central, among others. She lives in the south of France with her husband and three children.

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Best Activities for 3-Year-Olds

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Pasta necklaces, simple board games and gigantic block towers are just some of the easy ways you can make your 3-year-old's day both entertaining and educational. So find what sounds like fun and get started!

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20 Educational & Developmental Activities for 3 Year Olds

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If I have to be honest three year olds are my favorite! They are sweet and kind and so loving, but what I love even more is watching the growth that happens when they are three. They go from barely being able to form a sentence to in-depth conversations where you might find yourself scratching your head how they learned all this! To help them in their growth I love to have plenty of educational activities for 3 year olds on hand to help them in their growth when they are ready to learn!

Whether you are looking for educational or developmental activities for your 3 year old we have an entire list that will help teach and entertain your child throughout the whole year! 

Be sure to check out our activities for 2 year olds as well! 

Activities for 3 Year Olds

1. animal sounds.

Kids love animals, in fact, they probably point out every animal they see to you as you drive by them or while they watch a show. Use this time to ask your child what sound the animal makes. 

By doing this it helps develop cognitive skills and increase memory. 

2. Animal Walk

If your child loves animals, then pretend to be animals! You can name out an animal and have your child act it out. This could be as simple as a dog, or you can have them use their imagination as to what a unicorn would do. 

Kids will learn coordination, hopping, balance, and galloping as you play together. 

There is no better way to educate a three year old than to read to them. Make it a habit of reading with your child each day or night for at least 15 minutes. Use this time to snuggle. As you read talk about what is happening in the story. Ask questions and get them to cognitively think about the outcome. 

I love to have books available and out so they can always grab a book and “read” on their own as well. 

The development of fine motor skills is crucial in three year olds. Sit at the table and draw with them. Give them a variety of colors. Have them draw pictures, have them practice tracing their letters if they are interested. All of these things will strengthen those fine motor skills. 

Cutting is another skill that might scare any parent! If your kids are like mine, they might have given themself a haircut or even cut an important document that they thought was scrap paper. So keep the scissors up high and bring them down when it is time to cut. Have them practice cutting on lines and also cutting out objects. The more they cut the stronger their skills will be. 

6. Play Hide and Go Seek

Hide and go seek is so fun at this age because they are actually hiding and starting to understand the concept of the game! Not only will you giggle together and have fun, but this game teaches patience to your kids as they have to find you even if they might find it hard as well as patiently wait while you find them as well. 

With three year olds, you can start to introduce some harder puzzles to the mix. We love to have a bunch of 24 piece jigsaw puzzles on hand for them to work on. As they do puzzles, they will learn concentration, patience, and the satisfaction of a job well done when they complete the puzzle. 

8. Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Three year olds are explorers! So take them on an  outdoor scavenger hunt . Here they can explore nature, look for things big and small, and practice their observation skills. 

9. Sidewalk Chalk

On nice days, go outside and do various  sidewalk chalk activities . Have them trace around you and you trace around them. Have them practice writing their letters and numbers and a variety of other fun activities. 

10. Talk to them!

One of the best ways for your kids to develop educationally and developmentally is to talk to them. Have conversations with them. Answer your kids why questions 5000 times a day. You will be surprised at how well they are listening and soaking every word in that you are saying, even the ones that make you cringe when they repeat them, so beware!

11. Stickers

Stickers are another great activity. Have them grab the sticker off the sheet (which helps with those fine motor skills) and have them place them on the designated paper. Remind them that stickers only go on certain locations or you might end up with stickers everywhere! 

12. Play Soccer

If you want to help your 3 year old with coordination, go outside and kick the soccer ball with them. This will help them with hand-eye coordination, following directions, and help them stay active.

When in doubt, dance! Turn on some music and watch your kids dance! This helps relieve energy and helps them have fun and gain a love for music. Over time your kids will start asking for their favorite songs and asking you to turn off songs that they don’t care for. 

14. Sensory Bins

Create a fun sensory bin for your child to play with. These are relatively inexpensive and help with your child’s development. Have them look for certain things in the bin or create certain structures as they play. 

There is no better time to start counting with your child than now. Count together as you drive in the car and while you are sitting waiting for an activity to start. If you are giving your kids a candy treat, then count each object individually. This is the very beginning of basic math development and number recognition.

16. Finger Paint

Kids love to make messes. So put on some old clothes and let them finger paint. They will love using their fingers to create their very own masterpiece. 

17. Shaving Cream

Another fun activity with three year olds is to play with shaving cream. Place a big black trash bag over the table and on the floor and then add shaving cream. Let your child smash it, spread it, and squish it! 

18. Puppet Show

Create a puppet show with the kids. Make your own sock puppets or buy some puppets and play. Let your child take the lead on naming the characters and what will happen in the play. This is a great activity to develop creativity and develop their imagination. 

19. Build with Blocks

If you want another creative activity that uses their imagination as well as helps with fine motor skills grab some blocks. Here they can stack them on top of each other, build houses, and a variety of other fun structures. This is a fun activity to get on the floor and do with them through parallel play. 

20. Playdough

Make a big batch of playdough and give them some basic kitchen tools and let them play playdoh. Your child will spend hours each day playing with playdough. 

What other activities for 3 year olds would you add to the list? Share in the comments!

Check out these other great posts! 

15 Fun First Day of School Activities for the Little Ones

10 Smart STEM Activities for Kids

How to Make a Paper Airplane?

5 Cool DIY Water Balloon Launcher Ideas

How to Build a Catapult for School Project?

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Parent Resources for Learning > Core Skills > 7 Play-Based Learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds

7 Play-Based Learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds

by Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos | Aug 10, 2023 | Core Skills

Pop quiz: What’s a better way to get a 3-year-old to learn, pop quizzes or playtime? 

If you guessed playtime, you’re right! Play-based learning activities for 3-year-olds help them develop the skills they need for school and life by tapping into their natural love of play . It’s a lot easier to get a toddler to play a learning game than to sit down and study—plus, they’ll actually learn more!

The Short Cut

• Learning activities for 3-year-olds can help them develop Core Skills , Creativity , Critical Thinking , and the other 5 C’s that help them thrive
• Play-based learning activities work well because kids learn more when they’re doing something they’re interested in
• Many of the best activities are simple and use everyday items from around the house

We’ve put together instructions for seven of our favorite play-based learning activities for 3-year-olds, plus some general tips, to get you started.

Why Learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds Work

Three-year-olds have a lot of energy, and they’re often eager to have new experiences. You can take advantage of their natural Curiosity (one of the 5 C’s) to help them learn valuable skills and see where they are in reaching their developmental milestones .

When kids do an activity they’re interested in, their brains literally light up on researchers’ scans. They learn more and retain more of what they learn, including important abilities.

For instance, hands-on activities —in which your child molds, cuts, sticks, sorts, or manipulates objects—help them develop motor skills. They also help them learn to follow directions for precision and accuracy, improving their Critical Thinking. Similarly, activities like putting puzzles together and playing with building blocks help develop reasoning skills and Creativity (another of the 5 C’s).

All of these abilities will help them as they get older and start working on more complex skills like writing and tying shoelaces.

The first six years of a child’s life are a critical time for brain development. The things they learn in this period help them perform well in school, excel in work, build healthy relationships, and live happy, fulfilling lives.

How Should I Teach My 3-Year-Old?

Keep It Simple

Parents sometimes think early learners need an elaborate game or flashy toy to hold their attention. But three-year-olds are fascinated by lots of simple things—different colors and shapes , how these colors change when you mix them (e.g., red and blue make purple), kicking a ball, storybooks about dinosaurs, baking cookies, and so on.

You don’t need anything complicated to create engaging learning activities for 3-year-olds. In fact, you’ll often be more successful if you keep it simple and use everyday items you already have.

Allow for Creativity

Life is full of right answers for 3-year-olds (and a lot of them, like “Can I hit someone when I’m mad?” are important!). But focusing on process over the finished product when you’re playing helps kids maintain their natural Creativity. If they decide to paint a blue dog, that’s OK! And if they choose to create a 10-legged cat, that’s great too. 

Give them time to play with no “right answers” to strengthen this important skill.

Be Flexible and Patient

Not every activity you try is going to be a hit with your kids. That’s OK!

At this age, your child is learning who they are and what they’re comfortable with. Exploring their likes and dislikes (which can change quickly!) is part of their development.

7 Top Learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds

1. number hunt.

What You’ll Need

• A set of fun items—from teddy bears to building blocks to balls, anything goes!
• Hide the items around a room
• Ask your three-year-old to find a set number of an item or a group of items (for example, ask them to find one teddy, two socks, and three balls)
• If this is too easy and they lose interest, try turning it into a race against the clock (can they find the items in just one minute?)
• If they find the game a little tricky, ask your child to search for one item at a time (e.g., one teddy, and then one sock, and then one ball) and progress from there

We love this activity because it helps develop working memory and numeracy, important areas of both Critical Thinking and Core Skills.

2. Pasta Necklaces

• Dry, uncooked cylindrical pasta
• Sealable plastic bags
• Food coloring
• A cotton thread or string (you can also use an old shoelace)
• Paper towel
• Beads (optional)
• Place the pasta into the plastic bags, then add a few drops of food coloring to each bag
• After adding the coloring, seal each bag and let your kids give it a good shake
• Line the trays with paper towels, pour the colored pasta on top, and allow it to dry
• While the pasta dries, cut the string so it’s the right length to make a necklace for your child and tie a knot on one end
• Once the pasta is dry, your child can slide the pasta (and beads if you use them) onto the string to make a necklace. When they reach the end of the string, tie the two sides together and you’re done!

This is a fun way to help your child practice counting (“How many pieces of pasta are you adding?”), develop fine motor skills, and explore Creativity.

3. Trace Yourself

• Have your child place part of their body (like their hand) on a sheet of paper
• Show them how to trace around it using a crayon
• Let them take over tracing and finish
• Encourage them to decorate their tracing however they’d like—maybe their hand needs eyes and a mouth!
• The simplest body part to start with is your child’s hands. Once your child has mastered tracing out their hands, they can progress to their feet.
• For even more fun, use a very large piece of paper and trace your child’s whole body. They can then add features and clothes.

This activity requires little prep and can be great for an easy afternoon when you’re in the mood for low mess levels. And it’s an excellent way to help your child practice their fine motor skills!

4. Make an Ocean

• HOMER Sail the Sea printable coloring page
• Crayons, markers, or colored pens
• Help your child color in the printable and discover the interesting creatures that live in our seas
• As your child colors, point out the letters and say their names, the sounds they make, and creature names that start with them (“S” makes a “sssss” sound, for “seahorse”)
• Try to get your child to make the letter sounds too
• Lean into process over perfection. The goal is to introduce your child to letters, sounds, names, and the links between them—if all they want to do is say “sssssss” and color, they’re still learning!
• To make things even more fun, give the creatures silly names and make up stories about them

This is a great activity for developing Core Skills like letter-sound recognition and fine motor skills!

5. Build a City

• Building blocks
• Get out the blocks and start making things, giving each building a name (“This is a candy store. This is an apartment building. This is a playground.”)
• Invite your child to name their own creations as they build alongside you
• If they’re enjoying the game, ask them to copy buildings you’ve made (“This is a candy store. Can you make one too?”)

This quick, simple activity helps develop Critical Thinking (copying your buildings), Core Skills (fine motor skills), and Creativity, all at once!

6. Watch It Grow

• HOMER printable seed growth tracker
• Crayons or pencils
• Large jar (glass or clear plastic)
• Fast-growing seeds (e.g. peas or beans)
• Paper towels
• An old milk or juice carton
• A ruler or measuring tape
• Ask your child to fill the jar with paper towels, then pour water onto the paper towels until they’re slightly damp
• “Plant” the seeds in the damp towels, positioning them close to the jar’s edge so you can watch them grow
• Use the printable to decorate the “watering can” (the milk or juice carton) and add a tag with the plant’s name
• Each day, make a fun moment of checking the jar and asking your child to note any changes you can track in the field notes (“Oh! We finished breakfast! Time to check the jar!”)
• If the paper towels dry out, add water

This activity introduces kids to how plants grow, stoking their Curiosity (another of the 5 C’s) as they explore the way the seed changes day by day!

7. Create Your Own Color Hunt

• Five objects that match each color of crayon, located in or around the house
• Optional: HOMER Make a Color Hunt printable
• Draw a square in the center of a piece of paper (or use the optional Make a Color Hunt printable)
• After drawing the square, use just one color to color it in
• Hand your child the paper and ask them to find five items in or around the house that have the same color
• For kids who aren’t counting yet , you can place items in a bucket or box and ask them to find all the items inside that match the color on the paper

This is a great activity to help with sorting, learning colors, and counting!

Continue the Adventures with Begin!

There are lots of ways to help your child stay entertained, engaged, and learning at home! These activities should help your 3-year-old develop a wide range of important skills.

And if you need more, don’t worry—we’re here to help. Sign up for our emails or check out our award-winning products, from kid-safe learning apps to hands-on activity kits , or try our Early Learner Bundle to see how it all comes together to give your child their best start to achieving their fullest potential.

Jody has a Ph.D. in Developmental Science and more than a decade of experience in the children’s media and early learning space.

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Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos

Chief Learning Officer at Begin

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August 6, 2013 | 76 Comments

75 Everyday Activities For 3 Year Olds

What are your favorite activities for 3 year olds? These simple activities aren’t just for 3 year olds, they are great activities and preschool learning games for older kids too! Don’t miss my new book Everyday Preschool , it’s the best book for parents who want to make sure their child is learning every day.

Finding the right activities for 3 year olds should be easy… but it isn’t. This summer my daughter and I have had a lot of time to play. Extra time in fact because she decided when she turned 3 to give up naps. With her brother home from school for the summer, my attempts at forcing the issue have been met with refusal. I am going to try again in a month when her brother returns to school but in the meantime, she has quiet time, earlier bedtimes and lots of simple activities like these peppered throughout the day. For more specific games for 3 year olds check out our post here with our favorites! If you have a younger child check out our similar list of 75 TV Free Activities For Toddlers . These 3 year old activities have been the bulk of what we’ve done this summer. Big projects are fun but day in and day out this is what we do.

This post contains affiliate links.

Fun Activities for 3 year olds

• Playdough sculptures with dry spaghetti.
• Fill a table with books and read, read, read.
• Play doctor with dolls.
• Take a walk and hunt for colors.
• Play with puzzles.
• Look at family photos together.
• Create with peel and stick jewels .
• Read through catalogs.

Need more preschool learning games and fun? Keep Reading!

• Eat lunch outside.
• Play in a box.
• Paint with watercolors.
• Play with stickers.
• Play sports in the yard.
• Play-Doh and sequins.
• Play Simon Says.
• Make a balance beam out of painter’s tape and walk it!
• Play in a kiddie pool.
• Water some plants

What are some easy things to do with a 3 year old? Keep reading!

• Play with a light table ( easy DIY here ).
• Play with cold cooked spaghetti.
• Cook together.
• Play with the hose.
• Dress up some dolls.
• Take silly pictures together.
• Play hide and seek.
• Play with stamps.
• Paint your toenails with kid-safe nail polish .
• Run Through the sprinkler.
• Write in a journal with markers, stamps, and crayons.
• Go to the beach.
• Learn about emotions with Mr. Potato Head.
• Go to the library.
• Read with a sibling.
• Call Grandma ( or Aunty, Uncle… you get the picture.)
• Help clean.
• Play dentist with dolls.
• Finger paint.
• Draw with chalk on black construction paper.

What are the best activities for 3 year old ?

• Play dress-up.
• Take markers and paint onto the porch for art outside.
• Play School
• Mix sidewalk chalk and other toys for pretend play outside.
• Scrap paper collages. All you need is some paper and glue!
• Jump in puddles. I don’t know of a better activity for a 3 year old than this one!
• Build a tower out of recycling.
• Wash the car.
• Backyard nature hunt. Tape painter’s tape sticky side out on a window or wall and have your child stick what they find on it.
• Take some pictures.
• Have a tea party.
• Practice cutting with playdough!
• Make a ramp with cardboard and drive matchbox cars down it.

• Play-Doh with pipe cleaners.
• Wash push cars, scooters, and bikes.
• Go for a hike.
• Play airplane or train with your kitchen chairs.
• Wash windows with water and vinegar.
• Turn snack bars into shapes and practice using a knife at the same time.
• Play alone. Yes, it’s more than OK, it’s incredible to let kids play alone . Let your 3 year old think up their own activities. We don’t need to entertain them 24/7 !

What is your family’s favorite everyday activity? Not listed? Add it in the comments and tell us why your kids love it!

Need more activities to do with  3 year olds?

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76 Comments

August 6, 2013 at 9:08 am

Thank you for the fun reminders! Sometimes it’s easy to fall into similar patterns and it’s nice to mix it up with simple, but different fun activities.

July 9, 2020 at 7:26 am

This is so great I am going to be running a camp soon for 4 little girls that are toddlers and I am 13!

Pragmaticmom says

August 6, 2013 at 12:56 pm

What great ideas to keep toddlers busy!

June 26, 2020 at 12:13 am

72 is an everyday lately and I didnt even teach her to do that. Kids and their natural fascination with choo choo trains.

To add to the list, how about build a castle out of blocks

April 19, 2024 at 3:51 pm

We take a pail and go outside and have a scavenger hunt. Bring the items in the house and use them for a decoration or make a picture.

Kirstylee @ Moms Have Questions Too says

August 6, 2013 at 12:58 pm

These are so great. I often get caught up in the big projects and forget to do the simple things like these. Plus, this is a great list to turn to when netflix is getting tempting. 😉

Allison McDonald says

August 6, 2013 at 3:57 pm

Exactly! My 3 year old is watching Ni Hao Kailan right now , every day isn’t always perfect and that’s OK.

September 18, 2019 at 11:28 am

Great post. Thank you very much. I’m not a big fan of TV, so this compilation should definitely help us a lot as a family to have lots of fun away from TV

Liisa Direen says

August 6, 2013 at 3:22 pm

That’s a great list, thank you. I’d like to share of my favourite activities with my 3 yr old son. I have a container of junk I have collected, scraps, bottle tops broken toys etc. and we set it up as rubbish tip. He loves getting his toy Rubbish truck and moving the junk around and taking it to the pretend rubbish dump. Simple and entertains him for ages 🙂

June 12, 2016 at 11:29 am

I love this idea!

Peggy Carbajal says

December 9, 2020 at 7:44 am

I have empty boxes of various sizes that I have taped shut. We use to stack and topple over. Also can be used to sort from smallest to largest , shortest to tallest.

Lori Morales says

August 6, 2013 at 4:03 pm

Luv the of handy fun! We play with shaving cream quite often on paper, a tarp, cardboard or even the tub. Adding food coloring and sponge brushes if we feel like making it rainbow fun.

August 6, 2013 at 4:09 pm

Balloons and noodles

OneMommy says

August 10, 2013 at 7:22 pm

Terrific collection of ideas! Definitely sharing this!

Naveen Jain says

November 14, 2013 at 11:42 am

We do beans/rice/pasta in measuring cups to teach about volume

January 11, 2014 at 9:01 pm

This is a great list of activities for 3 year olds. I particularly like the one about playing dentist with dolls. Never thought of that one. I put something similar together on my website http://www.excitedkids.com

Feel free to use any of the ideas their for your website.

Danielle says

February 14, 2014 at 11:02 am

My 3yrs old likes to paint the exterior of the house with water and a paintbrush

October 19, 2014 at 6:49 am

I used to do this for hours when I was a kid! So much fun!!

EMMA ASTILL says

March 4, 2014 at 4:02 pm

Dishwashing liquid some food colouring and a straw. Blow Bubbles above the height of the container then place a piece of paper over the top to make a cool bubbly picture.

Suzanne says

March 28, 2014 at 2:50 pm

Allison, this is an amazing collection of activities. I have been doing a series of everyday activities and the different developmental domains. I just had to add a link to your activities to the end of my post on Cognitive Development. Of course, I have pinned & shared on fb, & twitter, too. Thanks for all the work that went into this post.

March 29, 2014 at 7:19 pm

What a great idea or series. So often we get wowed by the big shiny complicated things when really the basics are what kids need the most.

Caitlyn says

April 6, 2014 at 8:51 am

Thanks for the creative Ideas I have a 3 year old brother and it gets hard to think of different things to do with him when I watch him!!!!!

Kellie says

August 24, 2014 at 8:03 pm

I just stumbled across your blog via Pinterest, but I have to comment! This is a great list of everyday activities to do with a preschooler, but my favorite part about the list is that it isn’t activities for “girls” or “boys”. It is just a great list of kid friendly activities! Thanks so much for sharing!

August 25, 2014 at 9:28 pm

I have a hard time labeling children. I know and respect why some lists are like that but I prefer to just say kids.

June 12, 2016 at 11:32 am

That’s great! I got boys that love to play with dolls. No need to label kids. They all love to have fun!

Susan Morris says

August 9, 2016 at 1:52 pm

A hard time labeling kids? Since when did calling a girl – a girl – and a boy – a boy – become labeling? It’s what they are!?!?!?! What is wrong with you people???

August 11, 2016 at 8:28 am

I am referring to labeling an activity as something a boy would like vs what a girl would like. I don’t do lists like that – I have taught far too many kids who have busted all gender specific activities for me ever to write something like that and feel like there was any girth to it.

Richie says

January 27, 2017 at 7:18 am

Me and my daughter see how many clothes we can get on until we’re big and round.

January 27, 2017 at 7:46 am

This is my favorite comment ever 🙂

Gabriella Taylor says

April 22, 2016 at 11:37 am

Well, she did start this off saying these are activities with her 3 year old daughter. Yes, a lot of the activities don’t depend on the child’s gender, but there are girl specific ones in there. Unless, of course, you’re raising a boy on dress-up and dolls, although that would be unorthodox.

May 4, 2016 at 5:11 pm

So Barbie’s friend Ken and GI Joe aren’t dolls? When children play with dolls it’s an opportunity to discover how they interpret the world. Nothing unorthodox about that.

Melissa says

June 10, 2016 at 7:08 pm

My son has trucks, planes, duplo, Batman, an Elsa doll, multiple Disney figurines ranging from Buzz Lightyear to Cinderella…toys are just toys until we put a gender label on them.

RILEY! says

October 20, 2020 at 7:39 pm

i personally like the last one!

September 2, 2014 at 5:27 pm

Great ideas! My girls love when I hide a surprise (a toy, utensil, sock, etc) in a pillow case and they have to stick their hand in and guess what it is without being able to see it.

December 31, 2014 at 7:09 pm

When my son was little I would roll out butcher paper onto the kitchen floor and tape it in place. Then he would paint all over it and we’d use it through out the year for wrapping presents. You could use plain brown paper as well. Stores sell it in rolls. We also used to go for a hike in our local park and turn over rocks and look for lizards and snakes! we used to make Christmas ornaments together too. He’s 25 now and we made some together this year. Good memories:)

Natalie says

October 16, 2016 at 5:53 am

Love the idea of wrapping Christmas presents in the butcher paper! I have a little artist that’s just waiting to create some wrapping paper. Thanks!

Sharon Chastain says

February 9, 2020 at 7:03 pm

When my brother and I were little, we used to roll out a big sheet of butcher paper and then draw an aerial view of a city complete with roads. We used to use his little cars and we would drive all over our city. The maps got bigger as we got bigger. I did this again with his grandson and we spent hours deciding what to put in our city. We had a library, a Starbucks Drive through, a school, a fire station you name it! We had a park and we had our homes. We built our houses out of blocks right on top of the city. Perfect for a 5-8 year old. Entertains for hours!

January 9, 2015 at 3:24 pm

Sometimes it’s a lot of fun with my niece to take different colored construction paper, kids scissors, and a glue stick and just let them cut out different shapes and glue it to another piece of paper, they can also color it. If you’re worried about a mess, you can use a plastic table cloth. Also fun to have a mini chalkboard and paint with water and a paintbrush 🙂 going to some place like a park with ducks and feeding then is always a lot of fun. I’ve also had a lot of fun making bread with them and letting them dump ingredients in and watching it rise. Always fun to put food coloring in too

January 20, 2015 at 10:34 pm

Its really great to see so many activities. all of the are fun learning activities.

July 30, 2015 at 11:46 pm

My stairs are carpeted. I put a single bed (foam) mattress on them. Kids have GREAT fun sliding down it! You could also use an open cardboard box.

March 20, 2020 at 8:02 am

Or a mummy sleeping bag I did this all the time as a kid in the house I grew up in!

August 2, 2015 at 5:10 am

This is brilliant! I have a three year old niece and all she ever wants to do is play doctors with me. As much as I love her, I absolutely hate playing doctors now. This list should keep us busy and hopefully distract her from the doctor game

When I was younger, we used to get a glass of washing up liquid and food colouring, blow bubbles through a straw and put a piece of paper underneath, keep blowing until the bubbles overflow and you get a lovely picture xx

November 23, 2015 at 9:39 am

My 3 year old has always loved tying knots in a 2 foot length of rope- tying chairs, trees, back of the seat in the car…keeps him busy and QUIET for hours! At some point I will get him a book of knots to see if he can follow the instructions.

April 8, 2016 at 7:24 am

Thanks for the tips!! Duly noted! A simple game my kids have enjoyed since they were babies is you screw up a piece of paper and put it in one hand. Then you pass it quickly from one hand to the next and then suddenly stop with the paper in one of your hands and turn both your fists down. The child then has to remember which hand the paper ended up in. It’s great when you’re out and about and need sudden entertainment.

August 20, 2016 at 11:15 am

If you have long-ish grass (clover works well), you can tie the end(s) of a blade of grass into loops and loop them together into a chain. With my three year old, I tie the knots and let her loop the next one in. After you get a long chain, you can decorate yourselves or a chair or a tree with the chains. When she gets older, she might be able to tie the knots herself.

Yogini says

December 8, 2016 at 9:48 pm

What about ball games. There is no mention of that.

December 9, 2016 at 12:31 pm

Theresa says

December 23, 2016 at 10:56 am

This is very cool but i wish it had more details and had more games rather than crafts. Thanks anyway.

February 9, 2020 at 7:54 pm

Pick up some used small tennis rackets at a second hand sports store. Get some big nerf balls or pressure-less balls and then go out to a local tennis court. Forget about the net. See who can hit the most balls. Teaches hand/eye coordination. Older kids can get a point every time the ball goes over the net. Let it bounce as many times as needed or even let it roll. Have fun and run and hit. See who can hit the farthest or play follow the leader.

Sandhu says

October 8, 2017 at 12:18 am

My 2.5 year old baby girl like cycling. She has a tri cycle. Water paints and colouring is also favoriout hobby.

Frankie says

March 18, 2018 at 11:46 pm

Love the ideas it should keep my bunch busy no matter what the weather is. Thank you

Deb Gillmore says

May 20, 2019 at 5:03 am

Walk around your local streets and look at all the different letterboxes

June 5, 2019 at 3:24 pm

We used to cut potatoes into shapes and use them to make paintings

Gina B says

June 17, 2019 at 5:34 am

Plant a garden with your kids. My kids absolutely love pulling carrots up, and will eat tomatoes and mint leaves right from the garden-only if they plant it though;). Also, worm digging and ant watching is hours of entertainment;)

Kim Bierma says

July 9, 2019 at 10:44 pm

My 3 year old grandson loves to: 1. Use a blunt Fiskars scissors to trim the bushes with me, or clean up weeds in the back patio. Cut cut cut. Also cuts pieces of construction paper and puts them in a cup.

2. He like to play his guitar (my ukelele) while I play my big guitar and Paw Paw joins us to sing familiar song, IE muffin man. He’s big into doing things “toGETHer” w Grammy and Paw Paw.

3 Each planted a lily. He had plenty of freedom during that tine to find worms, use his growl to dig, and water things to his heart’s content.

October 4, 2019 at 7:06 am

yo waddup this nice

March 22, 2020 at 6:08 pm

How about: In your house or apartment, find everything you can that is blue. Which is biggest? Which is smallest?

Make up a silly story about one of the things.

Shannon says

April 23, 2020 at 2:02 pm

My daughter loves to play kitchen! she watches me cook and she likes to do it, too… or at least she pretends too!!

July 22, 2020 at 6:33 pm

I think these are great Ideas for kiddos! Thank you for being so thoughtful and sharing. I have a small round table in my kitchen and I have a box of scratch paper in my home office that had a printing error or something on one side and blank on the other. I took them and taped them together overlaying them together, tucking them under the table and taping them under as well. I gave them markers and crayons and they just colored or drew all over it. I would leave it out for a week or so as a table cloth. One of my granddaughters drew all over one with me and it was a lot of fun. My grandson came over a couple of days later (after she had left) and we had to stay in because of sheltering in. It so happened it was his birthday a few days later and we added a few things to our colorful table cloth with extra drawings and said he had a very special birthday table cloth that was left by his cousin. It was a good time.

Nana Edwards says

August 19, 2020 at 10:06 am

Thanks for the nice list and the great ideas in comments also. This Nana has grandbabes who are 8 mo, 11 mo, 3 1/2, another 3 1/2 (one month apart), and 6 yrs old being home-schooled for kindergarten. Yep, we’re busy especially during the coronavirus isolation protocols. Two sons and their wives are ok with me just being around their two families. Anyway, here’s something that used to keep my 3 kids entertained for hours 30 yrs ago. They each got a ball of crochet yarn, tied one end to a doorknob at different places throughout the house, then walked around and wrapped there yarn ALL OVER the entire house looping around doorknobs in every room, table legs, bedposts, shower curtain bar, etc….not too tight as to pull things over and not too loose and drooping…so that for the day we all had to step over yarn or duck under yarn to get around. It was crazy fun! This didn’t happen too often, but on a weekend or icy snowy day it was perfect.

October 4, 2020 at 10:16 pm

I just came across your blog via Pinterest, but I’ve got to make a statement! Here is a wonderful list of day-to-day events for preschoolers, but my favourite part of the list is that it’s not “girls” or “people” events. It’s such a wonderful list of child fun events! Thank you so much for sharing it!

Andrea says

October 19, 2020 at 9:24 am

great help to get ideas for my college assignment. love the ideas all very fun.

Melissa Aldrich-Welch says

October 22, 2020 at 12:05 pm

use a cookie sheet with sides and allow child to play with Magic Sand using different objects like toy cars, plastic animals, etc. My grandson likes to bury the cars and use the animals to rescue them. Provide a small plastic spoon and fork to “dig” with. Take turns hiding the objects in the sand and have the other try to find it. Magic Sand is great because it never dries out. You can even mix the colors to make new colors.

December 4, 2020 at 12:12 am

It’s an amazing 75 lists of activities. Would love to bookmark for the future. Ting!!!

February 13, 2021 at 8:49 pm

My grandson loves to cut up sheets of craft foam because it’s so satisfying to cut through the spongy-ness! Great scissor practice! He just cuts and cuts at this point and really isn’t interested in doing anything with the bits.

February 13, 2021 at 8:54 pm

Forgot to say… my (Canadian) grandson also likes to pretend he’s a member of American “marching bands.” We use everyday objects to represent instruments and march around and around the house, in time to great American marches…. Stars and Stripes Forever on the computer is his favourite! A short curtain rod that he found in my sewing room has become a trombone, we use a chopstick for a piccolo, two pot lids for cymbols. You get the picture! Lots of fun for Nana and Papa too!

August 4, 2021 at 6:50 am

Excellent!!! Looks like I will try this activities with my niece.

Sam Hood says

August 20, 2021 at 5:16 am

Thanks for writing this will surely help us to get engaged in activities. Keep Sharing.

Amanda Torres says

September 23, 2021 at 1:16 am

My cousin is 4 years old and this will give her great company and time. Thank you for sharing.

Percetakan Murah Jakarta says

February 26, 2022 at 10:29 am

Great article. Keep up the good work!

Steve Smith says

July 1, 2022 at 8:18 am

I work with Head Start children 0-3 years old. One of the things I think is so important is the everyday aspect of learning. There are countless things in our world that fascinate children and they can use to learn and imagine. Thank you for all 75, PLUS! the comments. You miss out on some great ideas if you don’t read those, also. I still think its so funny and instructive to adults when children unwrap gifts and then end up playing with the boxes!

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41 Fun Learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds

Home » Activities » 41 Fun Learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds

Three-year-olds are like sponges and constantly looking for something to get their hands on! If you’re a parent or caretaker, these learning activities for 3 year olds will keep them busy.

Even better, these fun activity ideas are all constructive and beneficial educational tools to help young children continue to grow.

All of these fun ideas are accessible enough for little hands, or there are sufficient easy modifications to supplement yourself to help anyone complete the fun activities.

Let me know if you try any of these educational activities or what your favorite of these engaging activities is down below!

1. Pom Pom Water Sensory Bin

First on this list of activities is a great sensory and fine motor activity that’s rolled into one, and the best part is that it’s reusable!

The best way to do this great activity is to make sure to dry your pom poms between uses by squeezing out excess water and letting them dry on a towel.

Fill a big enough container with water, add the poms, get some of these scoops or grabbers and have a ball!

This is one of the best hands-on kindergarten activities .

2. Brushing Teeth and Reward Chart

Kids so easily rebel at any age that sometimes it takes effort to ensure they understand just how vital some concepts are.

A great way to help form habits and important skills is to start with a daily activity like brushing teeth and introducing a reward chart.

Charts like this are a fun way to showcase how to build a habit that benefits you in the long run, but up front, there’s a small reward to incentivize the follow-through making it so much fun.

3. Balloon Rocket Science

Kids love science experiments–especially the ones where they can see the effect! You’ll need string, a straw, a balloon, and tape.

Secure the string across the room from you and back up, thread the straw onto the line, and add a piece of tape or two, but leave the tails unattached.

Blow up the balloon as much as you’d like–don’t tie it, just pinch the rear as you go, then place it under the straw and tape the tape to the balloon’s body.

Once prepared, let go of the tail and let the balloon fly across the room via the string-straw line!

4. Pattern Sticks

A pattern stick is great fun and only involves pom poms, a few markers of corresponding colors, and popsicle sticks! Color any sensical pattern on each popsicle stick, followed by three black circles.

The circles are intended for the continuation of colors by pom poms. If you need anything for the activity, I love these popsicle sticks , mini daubers –in place of markers, and course, poms !

5. Phonics Activities

At this time in a little one’s life, it’s excellent to start regularly practicing phonetic activities! This interactive game will really help their oral language development.

Don’t worry about where your child is either; everyone learns at a different pace, and this post is a great starting point for anyone.

Regular practice of these different activities really helps too!

6. DIY Stethoscope

I’m a big believer in teaching children about the real world in small moments, and this stethoscope is no different. It’s a natural way to teach about the body while having fun doing it!

Grab two smaller funnels– these work great, a paper towel roll, tape, and decorate–if you’d like! Tape one funnel on either side, and you’re ready to roll!

7. Printable Letter Crafts

A really fantastic way to teach all things alphabet and endless examples on the internet to buy, download, or inspire!

Do this as everyday activities, or whatever works for your schedule, and talk about the corresponding image that matches each letter.

8. Letter Colouring Pages

These would be great to work in conjunction with the printable letter crafts! You’ll need some bingo daubers to get the job done.

There are so many pages out there for an activity like this! This website has some fun and seasonal pages.

9. Printable ABC Worksheets

These ABC worksheets are a variation of the previous letter sheets, where you can practice hand-eye coordination, cognitive skills, gross motor skills and writing letters. 

Enjoy more ways to keep kids busy and learning with these large group activities for preschoolers !

10. Alphabet Letter Banner

If the crafty alphabet project isn’t your speed, again, there are many options for material for alphabet work. Check out sites like Etsy, Teachers-Pay-Teachers, or even Amazon for materials like this.

Everyone should be able to find something that works for their budget!

11. Oobleck Slime

Your first question may be, “What’s Oobleck Slime?” And it’s nothing scary or pricy; it’s just a Dr. Seuss reference from one of his stories and a great indoor activity for sensory play.

It’s one of the most straightforward slimes–the only ingredients needed are cornstarch and water.

Play around with the amounts, but add the water into the cornstarch slowly; we’re looking for something like a gak consistency.

If you’d prefer a colorful slime–add this food color ! Your kids will love trying new things with this sensory activity in many different colours.

Check out these other fun weekend children activities .

12. Popcorn Counting

This counting idea is an exciting activity for any kiddo that loves popcorn for a snack! This popcorn counting page is very easy to aid in counting numbers.

Don’t worry if you’re not a popcorn house; with a bit of googling, I’m positive there’s a counting snack page for most snacks.

13. Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

A favorite rainy day activity or an excellent impromptu game to play while out and help little ones stay occupied if they start to get bored.

Downloadable on the web or create one yourself; they can be as easy or complex as you need.

Making a blank document so they can find their own answers to fill in and one with household items they have to search for is a fantastic way to keep this hunt exciting!

You could even laminate the fill-in one, so you save paper! This is a good way to still have physical activities on a rainy day!

14. Rainbow Ten Frame Matching

Ten frame matching games are life-changing!

This rainbow one gets very loved in our house, but again, there are so many ones out there, find one with a favorite character, a season, or anything that will help entice your little one to stay engaged.

15. Flashcards in Spanish

Experts say that younger brains are able to learn multiple languages easier than adult brains.

Kid brains are growing and absorbing anything around them while adult brains have developed to completion, and a little harder for us to pick up a new skill.

So, whatever language you speak–try a new one out with your child, even if it’s just the alphabet.

We decided to pick Spanish and wrote the alphabet out on note cards–one letter to one card–and the phonetic sound on the backside. Have them practice as much as they’d like!

16. ABC Dot Marker Printable

These free ABC dot marker sheets are fantastic for practicing more fine motor and hand-eye coordination! You’ll need bingo daubers, pom poms, or another item to fill in the circles in each letter.

17. ABC Spanish Bingo

We’ve paired this ABC Spanish Bingo sheet with our practicing of Spanish! It’s all letter based, easy to read, and has become a staple!

Take a look for any alphabet bingos online, or make your own! Grab a ruler to make those lines are straight.

18. Interactive Alphabet Book

A project, but completely worth it– this interactive alphabet book ! The book is a great conversational tool to practice phonetics, order, and so much more.

If you’re not in for the craft, check your local library or bookstore, they’ll have great recommendations for you.

19. Colour Mixing Activity

Paints will work best for this experience– these are great and washable . A great trick for our messier pals is to add different colors into small zip locks so they can still see the effects but not have a major cleanup.

Grab or make a worksheet with the idea that (color one)+(color two)=(new color/color three).

20. Construction Sensory Bin

A sensory bin has proved to be a beneficial learning tool for children mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Pair a container with a book with different tactile accessories to be able to ask a child questions while reading together.

Recently one of my friends did a construction-themed one for her little one, and it was such a hit as they read a book about construction.

21. Alphabet Flash Cards

Like the Spanish cards, English flashcards are a stellar way to practice any letter-related concept. Make your own, or grab these super cute affordable ones !

22. Ice Cream Summer Craft

Counting activities are fun year-round! This ice cream template is a great one to break out and maybe pair it with a scoop of ice cream post-exercise; we’ve done it, and they loved it.

Each sheet has a certain amount of colored dots on the side. The child’s job is to count the dots and add the corresponding amount of scoops, and bonus, if they get the pattern right too!

23. Catching Bubbles Motor Activity

Bubbles are endless entertainment, frankly, for almost anyone at any age! A cool way to use bubbles to teach how to control our fine motor skills is by catching a bubble without it popping.

Whether it reaches the palm of their hand or re-attaches to the bubble wand, showing children how to be gentle through bubbles is fun. This is one of the best outdoor activities.

Keep enjoying the outdoors with these free outdoor activities for kids !

24. ABC Magnets

The fridge can be a great place to work on easy concepts like communication skills, and memory skills like matching and letter recognition.

You’ll need a set of alphabet magnets like these for these simple activities, a sheet of paper to trace them, and either tape or magnets with a sticky backing.

Trace the alphabet letters on your piece of paper with a marker and cut them out. Put them onto the fridge with either the magnets or tape, and then let your little one practice matching!

25. Baking Soda and Vinegar Process Art

As a mixture of an art project and a science experiment, these hands-on activities are more for exploration than anything else.

You will definitely need baking soda and vinegar, but you’ll also want to do this in a cleanable area with cleanable accessories.

Add food coloring to the vinegar and let your kids drip, pour, spray, etc., to the baking soda. Use any household items like straws, extra eye droppers, etc.

26. Numbers Playdough Mats

You can make your own placemats with someone practicing numbers, or grab these free mats and print em! Have your child practice the number on the mat by making a Play-Doh version by hand.

27. Stacking Cups Stem Challenge

One of the easiest Stem activities out there for youngsters is building a tower for a small toy to stand at the top. Plastic cups, thick popsicle sticks, or long strips of cardboard–whatever you have on hand.

The goal is to build the highest they can go without tipping the structure over and to place the toy on top.

28. Rainbow Cookies

Rainbow cookies are a sweet way to showcase intentional organization and practice order of operations.

There are many recipes out there with all dietary needs met; Google what you may need, and feel free to share pictures if you try this one out!

Looking for more fun things to do with your preschool aged girls? Try the preschool games for girls !

29. Don’t Break The Ice Alphabet Game

For this activity, you will need this game –which is a great time, I promise! Label all the cubes with a different letter of the alphabet and some alphabet flashcards.

Let the games begin!

30. Geo Board

If you’re unfamiliar with a geoboard, they look like a peg board with raised hooks to attach rubber bands to. It’s a practice in fine motor and picture matching if they work from a flash card.

They work wonders for dexterity too. If you’re looking for one, this one is great to start practicing.

31. Lion’s Mane Cutting Activity

Cutting exercises are a staple in early childhood education.

There are downloads available online, but a pretty simple way to accomplish this activity is to grab a paper plate, a sheet of yellow or orange construction paper, glue, and some coloring utensils.

Draw lines across the paper for your kid to cut on the line, and adjust the size as needed.

After, have them glue the strips to the backside of the plate going around the circle and then help them draw their lion face or let them color their own lion face.

32. Letter C Craft

Talk to your little one about what starts with the letter “C” for the letter C craft. Once they’ve shared the word, draw the picture together (or print it out) and glue it onto a big bubble letter C.

You could do this for any letter, or you could make this into a name activity.

33. Colour Sorting Eggs

This sorting activity is egg-cellent for fine motor and, of course, matching for any student! You’ll need pom poms, corresponding colors in felt or paper, and some grabbers.

Have them pick up a pom, sort it into the corresponding color area, and continue until finished.

34. Feed the Shark Ocean-Themed Learning

This shark printable is excellent if you want a more advanced sorting option! There’s a smaller opening in the mouth that the sorter has to be a little more intentional about placement.

The shark option does require some assembly, but making the acceptable motor activity a little more complex as the user gets better can only help as the kiddo learns!

35. Lego Dumping Sorting

I’m not sure how anyone else feels, but I feel like little kids love dumping anything onto the ground, and if you can’t beat ‘em, why not join ‘em?

If you have a dump truck toy, great; a big enough bowl to pretend that it’s a dump truck is also great–whatever works for you all.

Grab a handful or two of Legos and put them in your container, bring them to the child and do the whole bit–make the beeping noise, dump the entire thing dramatically, and have them get to work.

Have them sort them into bins or just group them in color piles, if the sorter needs it, corresponding colored bins or signifiers to place colors in specific spots.

This sorting activity can be as structured as it needs to be for your learner.

36. Ice Cube Colour Mixing

Another exciting and hands-on experiment that takes a bit of time to complete is ice cube colour mixing.

You’ll add water to an ice cube tray and drip a few drops of different dyes into each square, make sure to mix well.

Once the squares have frozen, add contrasting colors to separate glasses–two different colors each. Have your kids record the colors in each cup and their guesses for when the two colors melt together.

37. Math Bites

Snack time, as mentioned above, is an excellent time for teachable skills; math is the most common one to try out.

Grab some math mats online or make your own and try some simple equations the next time you break out the snack foods!

38. Squishy Colour Sorting Sensory Bag

Sensory time is so absolutely important in a young child’s life. Their brain starts to observe and collect knowledge in any way possible.

Sensory activities help refine all the senses in different but essential ways to support reasoning, problem-solving and more. A bag form is mess-free and can be taken on the go too!

Color polka dots on a paper sheet and slide them into a ziplock along with buttons and hair gel. Tape the whole thing shut and let your little one match at home or anywhere else!

39. Oil and Water

Another cool experiment that the kids will love! We’ll need disposable clear cups, oil, water, and food dye.

Fill an ice cube tray with water, add food coloring to each square, and stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours.

Once frozen, have them add two colors to each cup and let them record or take guesses of what the combinations will become.

A great way to record data is to leave sticky notes in front of each cup. Write down the original color combinations and the guess of the final color below!

The purpose of the exercise is to evoke critical thinking and questions. Cater this experiment however you see fit for your children!

40.  Umbrella Counting and Colour Sort

There is a little assembly required here, but the results are super adorable! You’ll need a few different colors of construction paper, pipe cleaners, scissors, and glue.

First, we’ll cut the umbrella shapes out. Feel free to print something out and trace it; I did a rough free hand on cardstock and used it as my stencil.

After you get all the umbrella tops traced and cut out, you can write, use stickers, or any other method to put numbers onto the paper.

Then, we’ll want to attach the pipe cleaners to the umbrella backs–tape may work better here. Finally, cut out the coordinating amount of colored shapes to each umbrella and its number.

41. Salt Writing Tray

As simple as it sounds, grab a tray and some salt (or any other bulk material you’re good with using). Pour the salt into the tray and use flashcards to practice writing letters.

This idea is a very lowkey but exciting way to practice and includes some bonus sensory to boot!

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25 Best Educational Games for 3 Year Olds to Uplift Learning

5 Online Games for 3-Year-Olds

5 toy games for 3-year-olds, 5 board games for 3-year-olds, 5 card games for 3-year-olds, 5 active games for 3-year-olds.

As your precious little one grows, so does their amazing brain! At three years old, their brain is like a sponge, soaking up everything around them. It’s a fascinating time for their development, and the games you play with them can have a big impact.

SplashLearn: Most Comprehensive Learning Program for PreK-5

SplashLearn inspires lifelong curiosity with its game-based PreK-5 learning program loved by over 40 million children. With over 4,000 fun games and activities, it’s the perfect balance of learning and play for your little one.

Did you know that during these early years, their brain is forming connections at an incredible pace? Did you know that 80% of a child’s brain develops during the first three years of their life? When your child’s brain produces excess synapses during the first three years, it becomes more responsive in later life. So it is important to stimulate the 3-year-old’s brain as much as possible. And there is nothing better than games for 3-year-olds to develop their mental and physical strength.

This article will take you on a stroll through the best 25 games for three-year-olds to improve their mental and physical abilities while keeping them fruitfully engaged.

25 Learning Games for 3-Year-Olds for Fun Learning and Entertainment

It is difficult to grab a three-year-old’s attention for a long time. They have the shortest attention span with interested in everything bright on Earth. Games for three-year-olds have to be fun yet educational. Here are the best games for 3-year-olds:

We all love playing online games, and so do our kids. Online games are another reason for screen exposure for our kids and an opportunity for them to learn from it if we, as informed parents, choose the right games for our children. So, it is wise to allocate a portion of the screen time we have allotted for our kids to online learning games. Take a look at some of the best games available online.

1. SplashLearn

Skill: Math and reading skills

Price: Free for teachers and a 7-day free trial for parents. Subscription starts at $4.99 per month.

SplashLearn is one of the best games for 3-year-olds to improve their math and language skills . This platform has interactive visuals, sound quality, and a storyline to engage young children. All the games have a simple interface and language that toddlers can easily understand. In addition, this platform has several helpful resources for parents and teachers to educate young students, like blogs, research notes, curriculums, etc.

2. Balls and Boxes

Skill: Memory improvement 

Price: Free 

Balls and Boxes is a challenging and one of the many free games for 3-year-olds available online. It is an award-winning educational game that is easy to play but hard to get right. It has three boxes, and each box has a ball. The balls get shuffled at each level, and players must remember which ball belongs to which box. It is a great brain teasing game to improve your toddlers’ memory and overall brain development.

3. Create Mosaics

Skill: Memory and logical reasoning skills 

This free game for 3-year-olds online can help them learn colors and improve their logical skills. It is a simple grid of four and six different colors. Children have to follow the color grid and fill in the right colors in the large blank grid in the center of the screen. 

4. Counting Pizza Party

Skill: Counting skills 

Price: Monthly subscription starts at $8.00 per month

Counting Pizza Party is a fun game where kids make pizzas and improve their counting skills. They get to decide what type of pizza they want to make and select its topping as well. When the customers make a request, it is up to your child to get the correct amount for topping on their pizza.

5. Learning Shapes

Skill: Shapes

By playing this game, 3-year-olds can learn basic shapes with the help of animated characters such as squares, rectangles, circles, hearts, and so on. The game has two types of exercises – coloring and shape-recognising activities. 

After online games, let’s explore kids’ very first and favorite love, toys, and learning toy games for them.

A 3-year-old kid is exploring their world curiously. Everything from insects to planes piques their curiosity. In this arena, toys cater to their developmental needs and natural curiosity. Toy games provide them with sensory experiences, encourage imaginative play, and offer them a sense of control and mastery. They allow kids to mimic real-life situations, experiment, and create, fostering enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment. Following are some of the most amazing toy games filtered from a whole lot just for you!

6. Toddler Chicken Egg Toys

Skill: Color matching and motor skills

Price: $18.99

It is one of the top educational games for 3-year-olds and is perfect for stimulating their color senses and motor skills. This game is also ideal for children suffering from sensory disorders. This simple game can enhance their contextual understanding and color-matching skills.

7. The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game

Skill: Math skills, social and strategic planning 

Price: $15.79

A family of four can enjoy this strategic game and improve the mathematical skills of their toddlers. In this game, 3-year-olds will learn to win a game by feeding their squirrels first. The gameplay is simple — spin the spinner, squeeze the matching colored acorn with the squirrel squeezer, and place it into a log. This game involves multiple elements,  perfect for entertaining your toddler.

8. The Honey Bee Tree

Skill: Hand-eye coordination, strategic thinking, and dexterity

Price: $17.97

This honey bee game is educational and fun for a 3-year-old. Your toddler will experience thrill and excitement while removing leaves from the tree without disturbing the honey bees. Players who have fewer honey bees in their trays at the end will win this game. It is a strategic and sensory game that can develop your child’s brain and keep them entertained at the same time.

9. WinkleStar Dartboard

Skill: Motor skills, color matching, and identifying fishes

Price: $12.59

Unlike the traditional dart boards with sharp darts, this is a unique kids-friendly dartboard with round balls as darts. So, it is a completely safe and educational game for young children. The dartboard contains different colors, fish images, and patterns to improve toddlers’ color, shape, and print recognition skills. It is a perfect classroom and party learning game for 3-year-olds. 

10. Cootie Bug Building

Skill: Color matching and motor skills 

Price: $8.99

Cootie is a classic educational game for three-year-olds. This is a fun party activity for toddlers to learn color-matching skills and improve their hand-eye coordination. Players have to spin the spinner and hope to land on the bug part they need to complete their Cootie bug. The player who builds the bug first wins the game.

Everyone has fond memories of playing board games as kids. Their popularity lies in their ability to create suspense and happy feelings in moments of victory.  Board games enhance children’s strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. Through them, kids also learn qualities like teamwork and sportsmanship. Now that we know how important board games are for children, let’s see a few best ones around.

11. Candy Land

Skill: Color matching and strategies 

Price: $12.99

Candy Land must have brought your childhood’s nostalgic memories back. It is a classic board game that every child has played. Over the years, different versions of the game have been created. But the traditional version with colored cards, sweet illustrations, and four gingerbread players is the best. Children must pick the cards and move their plastic players on the board to explore different landscapes and mountains while targeting the castle.

12. Chutes and Ladders: Peppa Pig Edition

Skill: Counting, addition, and color recognition 

Price: $9.99

Chutes and Ladders is the best party game for three-year-olds. Four players can play this game at one time. There are multiple versions of this game available today. So, based on your child’s interest, you can get the game. This game helps toddlers improve their counting and number-adding skills. Children have to spin the spinner and count numbers to move their player on the board squares and aim to reach the 100th square. This way, Chutes and Ladders inject a dose of thrill and excitement into the gameplay.

13. Magnetic Maze

Skill: Creativity, imagination, and motor skills

Price: $22.99

As the name suggests, it is a magnetic board with vibrant images and graphics. Your child has to use a magnetic ball to move it from point A to B while crossing a maze. Children will use their imagination and strategic skills to move balls in the magnetic maze. It is a simple game to stimulate imagination and creativity among toddlers.

14. Hi, Ho! Cherry-O

Skill: Math Skills

Price: $11.99

Hi Ho! Cherry-O is yet another classic board game for three-year-olds. In this game, children have to spin the wheel and pick cherries from the tree based on their instructions, like 1, 2, 3, etc. They will learn to read, count, add, and subtract while picking the cherries. 

15. Disney Classic Characters Matching

Skill: Identify similarities and differences

Price: $14.39

If your child is a big fan of Disney movies, this game is perfect for them. You will get 72 tiles with Disney character pictures like Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Dumbo, The Incredibles, Donald Duck, Goofy, etc. Children have to pick the matching photos and name the Disney character. You can also make this game fun by giving a time limit for finding the right Disney character match.

Card games are ageless as much as they are entertaining. It is a perfect way to spend quality time with your friends and family. A session of card games builds memories you cherish for years to come. Kids can also be introduced to card games for their age and understanding. Card games often involve memory, math, and critical thinking, entertainingly enhancing cognitive skills. Let’s take a look at a few superb card games we have put together below!

16. Lingo Cards

Skill: Language and memory skills

Price: $14.99

Do you want to teach your mother tongue to your toddlers? If so, you can play lingo cards with them. These are regular 52 cards with two jokers. However, a phrase from your selected language will be printed on each card. So, you can show different cards to your children and teach them words with phonetic pronunciation. These lingo cards are available in various languages like Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, etc. 

17. Smack It!

Skill: Memory and motor skills

Price: $6.99

It is a fast-paced and rowdy card game for three-year-olds. Your entire family can play this game together and spend some quality time. Players must sit in a circle and swiftly swipe cards in the center. But they must remember when to say smack it and win the game. These cards are also perfect for playing classic games like wars and Slapjack. 

18. Gimme 5

Skill: Counting and patterns

Price: $4.99

This game is a toddler version of Snap. It has a hundred colorful cards that you can divide equally among your toddlers and let them put cards individually in the center pile. However, they will try to use their power cards to make their opponent give away their card as a punishment. It is the perfect classroom card game you can play with over ten kids.

19. Steal The Bacon

Skill: Matching skills 

Steal The Bacon is the tastiest fun game for 3-year-olds. This card game contains delicious breakfast cards like pancakes, bacon, etc. Players have to match breakfast cards, and when their breakfast plate matches their opponent, they rush to steal the bacon from their plate. The player who steals the bacon first obviously wins the game.

Skill: Matching and memory skills

Price: $9.94

BLINK is a fast-paced family card game. In this game, two players race against one another and try to match different colors, shapes, and counts of two cards. You can play a card with four yellow stars on any card with yellow symbols (color), on a card with any number of stars (shape), or a card with four symbols of any kind (count).

It’s a game of speed & focuses with no reading or counting, so it’s perfect for young children.

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

Yes, active games make children anything but dull. When children involve themselves in active play, they experience an adrenaline rush that makes them more robust, confident, and intelligent. Therefore, there should be no undermining of physically active play for children. Qualities a child does not learn in the physical constraints of a classroom; he learns effortlessly in the playground. Following are a few great active games for 3-year-olds:

Price: $26.99

Elefun is a cute elephant that produces butterflies from its trunk. It is the best activity game for toddlers. The game is pretty simple, you have to plugin the Elefun, and it will first produce a trumpet sound before throwing butterflies out of its trunk. After that, children can use a net to catch butterflies, and the one who catches the most butterflies will win the game. With this game, you will get 20 butterflies and three nets. So, three-year-olds can play this game with their friends and do some physical activity.

22. Toy Rocket Launcher

Skill: STEM skills

Price: $19.99

For unlimited outdoor entertainment, you can give this toy rocket launcher to your toddler. It is not only a fun toy to create foam rockets. It is a scientific and technical toy that teaches children how to apply the right amount of pressure at the right angle to fly a rocket. Also, assembling this toy rocket requires some basic engineering skills. So, if you have a little engineer or scientist in your family, you should definitely play this activity game with them.

23. RaboSky Bean Bag Toss

Skill: Motor skills and important sensory development

Price: $24.99

When toddlers toss bean bags into the interactive holes, this will not only improve their motor skills. But it will also improve their tracking, visual, coordination, and aiming skills. It is a perfect party and classroom game to keep energetic three-year-olds active all day.

24. Whack A Mole Game

Skill: Motor skills  

Price: $38.99

Whack A Mole Game is the best educational and entertaining game for 3-year-olds. It is an electronic game that automatically pops up moles, and children have to use hammers to whack them all. You can set the game’s speed based on your child’s ability. It is also available in eight languages that help improve language skills among children. With hand and eye coordination improvement, this game improves visual and tactical senses in young children.

25. Hover Ball

Skill: Motor skills

Price: $45.95

To tire out energetic toddlers, this is the perfect indoor soccer game. It is a football, but it is made of foam and travels in the air. Kids will have a blast kicking around this hover ball. The best thing about this ball is that it travels in the air. Therefore, it is perfect for playing indoors without breaking anything.

“Play is the primary way children were designed to learn” – Kathy Hersh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkoff

These captivating learning games are tailored for the enjoyment of 3-year-olds . They effectively blend education with entertainment, ranging from engaging board games to interactive online experiences. With a variety of options available, some offered at no cost while others require a fee, you can immerse your toddlers in these games and witness their developmental progress firsthand.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can i pick the best games for my three year olds.

While selecting the best games for three-year-olds, check the educational and entertainment levels in the game. The game should teach a skill or value to children. In addition, it is an advantage to have some entertainment value in the game because it is hard to retain the attention of young children.

Should I allow my kids to play online games?

Online games are helpful to entertain and educate children when parents are busy with other errands. Having said that, monitoring your child’s screen time is equally essential.

How many hours of play does a 3 year old need?

Toddlers should be allowed at least one hour of free, unstructured play and at least half an hour of structured adult-led structured play.

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7 Easy Educational Crafts for 3-Year-Olds

Looking for some educational arts and crafts for 3-year-olds? These seven clever options promote growth and development while keeping your little one entertained.

When a child turns 3, their growth and development are well underway. Indeed, the 3-year-old brain is capable of orchestrating ever more complex cognitive and physical skills, like jumping and hopping on one foot, pedaling a tricycle, walking up stairs, completing three- or four-piece jigsaw puzzles, naming colors, and following simple directions, says Laura Phillips, PsyD, ABPdN, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Learning and Development Center for the Child Mind Institute .

One great way to encourage learning and fine motor skill development is through at-home crafts and learning activities . When doing crafts with your 3-year-old, it's important to facilitate reciprocal verbal and non-verbal exchange. For example, when a toddler is coloring and chatting about their yellow sun, even if the chatter is nonsensical, Phillips encourages parents to make comments and reflections.

Try asking open-ended questions. "These rich and meaningful exchanges facilitate language development , attachment, self-concept, and lay the foundations for continued learning and growth," she says.

Here are seven easy educational craft ideas for 3-year-olds you can do at home. These engaging projects encourage learning at home, helping your child reach important milestones before starting school. Once you've mastered one, why not try the rest?

Get Creative With Art Supplies

Three-year-olds have the capacity to create art with markers, crayons, paint, and pencils—all of which improve fine motor dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Handing your child a blank canvas also inspires imagination and joy.

“Open-ended art—as opposed to specified crafts or projects—encourages creativity, flexible thinking, and problem-solving,” says Phillips. She adds that playing with art encourages kids to take risks.

Make Homemade Playdough

Search for an easy taste-safe playdough recipe online. Your 3-year-old can help make it. They’ll practice patience when waiting for the playdough to cook and cool and playing with the finished product improves fine motor skills, encourages creativity , and provides an engaging sensory experience. Your kid can also learn to follow directions by imitating your movements: rolling out the play dough, flattening it like a pancake, rolling it into a ball, etc.

Make Recycled Collages

Gather items to recycle as art supplies from around the house, like buttons or newspaper clippings. Have your preschooler glue them onto paper for a makeshift collage.

“While working with different materials, you can encourage awareness of basic concepts and categorization,” says Phillips. “Talk about and play with texture, size, shape, color, letters, and numbers.” (For example, tell your toddler to glue two buttons to the paper, and then have them attach something blue or bumpy.)

Trace Letters, Shapes, and Numbers

Getty Images / tolgart

“Many 3-year-olds are learning about letters, especially those in their names. They may be interested in and capable of tracing letters and numbers,” says Phillips. You can print out tracing worksheets or make your own template.

Here’s another idea: Draw your child’s name in large letters on a poster board, and have them “trace” the letters with stickers, buttons, or pipe cleaners. Or write their name in glue on paper and have your child attach bits of colorful paper or sprinkle glitter on each letter. This craft for 3-year-olds will teach them about spelling and writing, and it’ll also improve their fine motor skills.

Sort Stickers by Color

Getty Images / Sandra Milisavljevic

Give your child a stack of stickers. Have them divide them based on color. This fun sticker activity helps with primary and secondary color recognition and sorting skills. Then, they can use fine motor skills to stick them onto paper. You can also complete this sorting craft with buttons, pompoms, paper cut-outs, or any other small colorful crafting items you have around the house.

Stamp With Potatoes

Have extra potatoes on hand? Cut them in half and carve shapes like a heart, diamond, triangle, or smiley face into the flat, cut surface. Then, supply your child with paper and ink pads in a variety of colors. These potato stamps are a unique way to craft, and they can also teach your child shapes. Your 3-year-old will be delighted with the unexpected use of old produce!

Cut Straws and String Bracelets

Children need lots of dexterity for writing, and using scissors can be a precursor to holding pencils. Have your 3-year-old cut up drinking straws, which make a satisfying snap when the scissors break through. Then, they can string yarn through the straw pieces to make an easy DIY bracelet.

This craft relies heavily on fine motor skills and coordination—and your child will also learn patience and frustration tolerance. (You can also make jewelry with pasta, beads, or O-shaped foods!)

Optimizing Fine Motor Coordination, Selective Attention and Reaction Time in Children: Effect of Combined Accuracy Exercises and Visual Art Activities . Children (Basel) . 2023.

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100+ No-Prep Indoor Activities for 2 & 3 Year Olds

• Preschooler

Updated in 2023 with new no prep toddler activities! Are you looking for fast and easy activities to keep your toddler busy? No prep or low prep activities that are easy to clean up, engaging, education and fun? The you have come to the right place! Here is our ultimate list of the best super easy no-prep or low-prep activities you can do at home with your toddler or preschooler or 2 and 3 year olds .

Most Requested List on Social Media

I first put this list together back when we were all at home but it has quickly morphed into one of the most requested resources on social media. Hundreds of parents struggling to keep their toddlers busy at home message me on instagram requesting this list. These are the go to activities that I did with my 2 and 3 year olds at home and it will quickly become your go to as well.

I have updated the list with new activities and new pictures and more details.

I put this list together from the best kids activity blogs out there and I hope that it will help you through this time while at home. I will be updating this list periodically as I find more easy no and low-prep ideas. So keep checking back for new ideas. They will be at the top of the list.

Tips for Working Parents

If you are a parent who is now working from home, finding ways to entertain your kids all day can seen very daunting but with this list you will have a resource you can turn to that will help you through this tough time.

The best way to use this list is to go through it the night before and choose 2 or 3 ideas you think your kids will enjoy and you feel comfortable setting up. Write them down on stick them on the fridge so you can refer to them the next day.

Keeping the Mess Down

To help keep the mess down when it comes to doing easy painting or easy sensory activities take advantage of your bathtub! It’s a sure fire way to change the mood of any toddler and messy activities when done in the tub can be cleaner up with a turn of tap.

Supplies For No Prep Toddler Activities

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

For a quick guide to activity supplies check out my Amazon shop .

For more help on how to start to do activities with your kids check out this post for things to buy and save for kids activities.

These activities are things you can set up when your child comes to you and says, “I’m bored”. Most of them will take 5 minutes or less to set up. And although it’s hard to predict how long your child will play with an activities, it’s more than likely that they will play with these ideas for more than just 5 minutes!

Quick No Prep and Low-Prep Activities for Toddler

• 50+ Easy Things to Do at Home by Happy Toddler Playtime is a great list of 50+ super no prep activities to do at home with a 3 year old but can also be done with a 2 year old and even older children. That should be the first place you look for easy no-prep ideas. I created it when I was pregnant with my twins and I had a 3 year at home. It saved me on many many days. Click here to find the first 50 super easy and completely doable low prep activities for preschoolers here !
• Mega Blok Jumping

You’ll need Mega Bloks. Set up an indoor jumping range for your toddler using their Mega Blocks. This is a simple active activity that your toddler can help set up with you!

• Pillow Road

You’ll need pillows and cars or trucks. Create a pillow road for your toddlers favourite trucks and cars.

• Toilet Paper Rolling

You’ll need toilet paper and toys. Take a toilet paper roll, unroll is and place a toy at the end. Invite your little one roll is back up trying to keep the toy from falling off.

• Snack Names

You’ll need snack, paper and a marker. Write their name on a piece of paper with circles below each letter. Invite your toddler to place one snack in each circle and have them identify each letter and its sound. As they remove their snacks and eat them repeat the same thing.

• Sock Puzzles

You’ll need a sock and a wooden puzzle. Put wooden puzzle pieces inside a large sock and have your child put their hand in to find the pieces and complete the puzzle

You’ll need paper, marker and snacks. Count snacks on a piece of paper.

• Free the Animals

You’ll need animals and small ziplock bags. Place the animals inside and invite your toddler to open and free them.

• Dinosaur Bath

Put dinosaur toys in the bath

• Decorate your Diapers

Decorate diapers with permanent markers.

• Painting Bread

You’ll need white bread, food colouring and milk. Paint bread with edible paint and then eat it! Find out more here .

• Ice Sensory Bin – an easy idea that works in winter and summer
• Snowman Towers – build a snowman using paper towel rolls.
• 100+ Low -Prep Activities you can Do in Your Backyard by Little Pine Learners are a great set of fun activities to do outside.
• Paint with Kitchen Tools as Paint Brushes by Busy Toddler or with cotton balls.
• Do a craft together using kitchen tools. Check out this post of super easy crafts using a potato masher .
• Car bowling using bowling pins or toilet paper rolls and a car big enough to knock them over. Line the pins or rolls up and then use the car to knock them down.
• Alphabet Match is fun activity using fridge magnets and can be set up in 3 minutes!
• Tea Bag Water Play is a quick activity using herbal tea bags and water.
• Paper Tunnels and Balls by Toddler Approved can be set up in minutes and is fun for little and big kids.
• Pom Pom Number Sweep can be set up in 2 minutes and is fun for 2 and 3 year olds.
• Pouring Station by Busy Toddler is fun water sensory bin that is sure to entertain for more than 5 minutes!
• MegaBlok Names is a quick set up activity to practice name recognition.
• Foil Puzzle Presents is a great way to use a puzzle and has lots of ways to extend the play.
• Toddler Dot-to-Dot by What We Do All Day is a fun idea for Toddlers
• Build a Book Rainbow is a great way to use your children’s library in a fun way. It will lead to reading a few current favourites and some forgotten favourites as well.
• Sponge Letter Match uses sponges and letters and is fun for 2 and 3 years. It can also lead to lots of extending play.
• Animal Tape Rescue by Busy Toddler is a fun fine motor activity that toddlers will love!
• 10 Salad Spinner Toddler Activities is a list of 10 super easy to set activities to do with a salad spinner using items you already have at home.
• How to Make Paper Airplanes by The Best Ideas for Kids has a great full video tutorial. This idea is great for all ages.
• Spaghetti Drop for Toddlers is a quick activity using dried spaghetti and cardboard tubes. You can set it up in minutes.
• STEM Play Dough Building Challenge by Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds. This is a fun idea that you can set up in less than 2 minutes and great for 4-6 year olds as well.
• Cloud Dough Kitchen uses a quick sensory recipe using flour and oil to create a taste-safe dough that is fun and easy to play with.
• Coin Sorting by Rhythms of Play is a fun sorting activity using coins and can be set up in 2 minutes. Great for 3-5 year olds.
• The Drop Anything Toddler Activity have your toddler drop markers, crayons or anything they can find that will fit down a cardboard tube! You can set this up in 2 minutes!
• Towel Holder and Rolls For Toddlers by Powerful Mothering using paper towel rolls and is great for toddlers.
• Feed the Animals by Little Ones Learn
• Cutting a Banana by Rhythms of Play is a great way to combine snack time and playtime. This is great for 2 and 3 year olds.
• Pom Pom Picnic by Happy Toddler Playtime is a fun pretend play activity that lasted for days in my house.
• DIY Sorter by Little Ones Learn is a fun diy activity using a cardboard box and random items in your house.
• Lego Color Sorting by Lorena & Lennox is a quick set up colour sorting activity that has the potential to lead to lots of free play!
• Colour Mixing Tea Party by Happy Toddler Playtime is a quick early colour mixing activity.
• Water Play for Toddlers – Fishing for Colors and Letters by Active Littles is a fun and easy water play activity for toddlers.
• Cardboard Box Wash & Paint by Happy Toddler Playtime for Toddler Approved is a great way mess free way to use a cardboard box.
• Dinosaur Hunting with Paint by Powerful Mothering is fun for 2 and 3 year olds using water colour paints.
• Pom Pom Water Transfer

You’ll need Pom Poms or sponges and two containers and water. Find out how to set it up here .

• Cookie Sheet Sensory Play by Twin Mom Refreshed is a quick to set up sensory activity.
• Stone Washing by Happy Toddler Playtime is a easy set cleaning activity using stones and shaving. Its not as messy as it sounds and will entertain for more than 5 minutes for sure.
• Wine Cork Push by Happy Toddler Playtime is a great way to use those wine corks you might accumulate while working from home with your kids!
• Paint Animals

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mandisa | Easy Activities for Toddlers & Kids (@happytoddlerplaytime)

51. Elastic Bands Around Feet

Take a few elastic bands and invite your toddler to pull them over there feet. Don’t use too many and remove them immediately after playing. This is great practice for putting on socks. You can also use scrunches!

• Cutlery Sorting

53. Dinner Plate Counting

54. Backyard Toy Painting

More No Prep and Low Prep Toddler Activities

55. Car Letters

56. Hand Sock Painting

• Window Washing

You’ll need sponges , water, soap and sensory bin or bowl.

• Pom Poms Mega Blok Colouring Sorting

Your’ll need Pom Poms, Mega Bloks and tongs. Turn your Mega Bloks upside down and use them to colour sort with Pom Poms.

59. Snack Necklaces

Serving snack? Why not turn it into an activity. All you need is string and a embroidery needle and snacks that are soft enough to thread the needle through or have holes or soft

60. Elastic Bands over Paper Towel

Grab some elastic bands and invite your toddler to see how many they can wrap around the paper towel roll.

61. Ivory Soap Experiment

You’ll need ivory soap, microwaveable plate and microwave. Unwrap bar Ivory Soap, place in the middle of the plate. Place in microwave and heat for 1- 2 minutes (about 1:30 is the sweet spot). Keep watching the entire time because it happens fast!

62. Turtle Boxes

You’ll need a cardboard box. Grab a cardboard box and place it on your toddlers back and pretend to be turtles. Can you hide in your shell? Decorate the outside of the shell with markers

63. Bug Whisk Rescue

You’ll need a whisk and small toys, Pom Poms or socks. Place toys like bugs or LEGO or Pom Poms or socks or cotton balls.

64. Book:  Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more. 

Find out more and grab your copy  here .

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

65. Laundry Basket Dump Truck

You’ll need a laundry basket and heavy items like a bag of flour or bottle of vinegar or oil. Place some heavy items into a laundry basket and see if your toddler can move them around like a dump truck.

66. Balloon Bug Tennis

You’ll need a balloon and a cardboard tube like a paper towel roll.

67. LEGO Body Trace Activity for Kids

You’ll need larger butcher paper, LEGO DUPLO or MEGA BLOCKS and marker.

68. LEGO Finish the Animals

You’ll need butcher paper and LEGO and markers.

69. Step Stool Jumping

You’ll need: a step stool. Invite your toddler to climb and jump off the step stool!

70. Feed the Stuffed Animal Ball Relay Race

You’ll need: Plastic balls, cardboard boxes, stuffed animals. Place the plastic ball pit balls into a box on one end of room or backyard and an empty box on the other end. Place their favourite stuffed animals next to the empty box. Invite your toddler to use a spoon to scoop up a ball and walk it over to the box next to the stuffed animals. They can pretend to feed the animals the ball and then place it in the box. Repeat until all the balls have been transferred over.

71. Rescue the Animals

You’ll need pipe cleaners and animals. Wrap elastic bands around your under the sea creatures or farm animals. Invite your toddler to unwrap the animals to free them

72. Stick Ladder

You’ll need sticks. You can use broom sticks or even just painters tape and invite your little one to pretend that it’s a ladder that they have to climb up. Find more ways to play  here .

73. Book Drop

You’ll need: books and a cardboard box and scissors. Does your toddler love to return library books at the library through the book drop? Well all three of mine do so I decided to turn it into a fun activity using a cardboard box!

74. Bubble Wrap Highway

You’ll need bubble wrap, painters tape, sharpie and cars. Use bubble wrap to create a highway for your toddlers toy cars and trucks.

75. Glow in the Dark Bowling

For toddlers use a larger ball so that hitting the balls is not so challenging. Grab some empty large water or pop bottles, fill them with glow sticks. Set them up in your basement or a room that you can make fairly dark and let them try and know them down!

76. Paper Towel Roll Towers

Grab some paper towel roll with the paper towels still on. You can even add some toilet paper rolls with the toilet paper still on. Full rolls for this activity and invite your toddler to stack them like giant blocks! We did activity in the winter and made  snowmen  out of them by adding buttons and a hat. 

77. Fly Swatter Bubbles

You’ll need fly swatter and dish soap, water and a bowl. This bubble making activity is soo easy for toddlers and a great way to get out energy. And bonus no spilt bubble solution!! All you need is a fly swatter! Find out more  here .

78. Clouds in the Sky Picture: Cotton Ball Gluing

You’ll need blue construction paper, glue and cotton balls. Invite your toddler to make a clouds in the sky picture glue the cotton balls to the blue construction paper.

79. Water Pouring Station

You’ll need bowls and cups and water and towel or sensory bin. Fill bowls and cups with water and place them on a towel. You don’t need lots of water to make this fun. Invite your toddler to pour the water in the bowl. If doing this in a sensory bin or outside you can add more water! or even colours with food colouring!

80. Ice Cream Cone Balloon Toss

You’ll need: balloons and brown construction paper. Twist your brown construction paper into a ice cream cone shape and use some tape to secure it. Blow up a balloon. Invite your toddler to toss the balloon in the air using the cone an try and catch it again!

81. Taste Test

You’ll need 4-5 containers and different foods that taste sweet (honey, chocolate), sour (lemon, lime), salty (chips, cucumber with salt) and bitter (kale). Invite your toddler to taste each one. Taste about how it tastes with them. What’s their favourite? Least favourite?

82. Pull the Pipe Cleaners

You’ll need pipe cleaners and a colander or container with small holes. Invite your toddler to insert the pipe cleaners in the colander and them remove them.

83. Spice Container Measuring

You’ll need spice containers. Measure different things using spice containers. My kids loved measuring themselves, stuffed animals and large trucks.

84. Pillow walk

You’ll need pillows. create a path using all the pillows and cushion you have and go for a walk on it!

85. Giant Nail Salon

You’ll need cardboard box, sharpie, ice cube tray washable paint, fine paint brushes or q-tips. Find out how to set it up here .

86. Pom Pom Water Transfer

87. Wash the Toys

You’ll need plastic toys large or small, water, dish soap or bubble bath and water. If indoors use a sensory bin otherwise you can do this outside!

88. Oat Sensory Bin

You’ll need oats, animals and a sensory bin or box or large Tupperware container.

89. UNO Memory Game

You’ll need UNO cards. Choose a match of 3 or 4. Place the card face down. Flip over two cards, if they match you keep them. If they don’t match turn them over and try again.

90. Draw A Farm

You’ll need markers, paint sticks and a large sheet of butcher paper and farm animal toys. Invite your toddler to draw the different habitats of farm animals. For example a mud pit for the pigs, a pond for the ducks, a field for the cows and horses and barn or the chicken. You can draw the outline of item for younger toddlers and let them colour it in or let yourolder toddler create their own farm.

91. Pom Pom Drop

Can’t have a list of easy toddler activities without this classic one. Its a classic for a reason. Its super easy to set up and just plain or fun for toddlers. You’ll need cardboard tube, painter’s tape and Pom Poms.

92. Prepared Playdough Kits

93. Foam Shapes on the Window

You’ll need foam shapes, a bowl and water. Wet the foam shapes and stick them all over a window!

94. Painting with Water and Chalk

You’ll need construction paper, colourful chalk, bowl, water and paint brush. Paint the construction paper with water. Then colour over the water with some chalk.

95. Salad Spinner Art

You’ll need a salad spinner, washable paint and coffee filters or paper and scissors. Place the coffee filter in the salad spinner or cut a circle from white paper to fit inside the spinner. Add a few drops of washable kids paint. Close the spinner and turn as fast as you can. Open the spinner up and see what happened!

96. Pasta Threading

You’ll need penne pasta and pipe cleaners. Thread the penne pasta around the pipe cleaners.

97. Feed the Animals: Puzzle Activity

You’ll need rice, animal puzzle, spoon, bowl and sensory bin or box.

98. Oobleck

You’ll need water and corn starch. Find out how to make it here .

99. Popsicle Bath

You’ll need popsicles and bath.

100. Stacking Challenge

You’ll need flat rocks. Try and stack them as high as you can!

101. Fizzy Experiment

You’ll need baking soda, Tupperware container or sensory bin, bowls, vinegar, eye dropper and food coloring. Spread baking soda out in the sensory bin. Fill bowls with vinegar and a drop of food colouring. Use the eye droppers to apply the coloured vinegar to the baking soda and watch it fizz with colour!

102. Playdough Tool Mark Making

You’ll need paint, paper and play dough tools. Dip the playdough tool in the paint and make prints or marks on the paper.

Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!

Play2learn toddler & preschool programs for curious toddlers.

There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!

But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.

Play2Learn for Toddlers  includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.

Play2Learn Preschool  which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years.  That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again! 

These  toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities  will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!

Click here for more information: Play2Learn

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book:  Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information  Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids . Or grab your copy at  Amazon . 

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Book:  Big Book of Riddles for Kids

Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast?  The Big Riddle Book for Kids , of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles that show them how to think outside the box.

• 350 riddles for kids —Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
• Level up their skills —Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
• Double-check their work —Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.

Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!

Designed for kids ages 6 years   old and up.

TV Show:  Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to finally share my new crafting TV show  Curious Crafting  which launched July 1 at on  TVOkids  and  TVOkids YouTube !

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create. 

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.

This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up. 

WILL YOU TRY ANY OF THESE NO PREP & LOW-PREP TODDLER ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR TODDLER OR PRESCHOOLER?

Filed Under:

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• Two Year Olds

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LOW LIFT FUN

• Fine Motor Activities
• Sensory Play
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Activities To Do with 3 Year Olds: 40 Awesome Indoor Activities

Toddlers are like little sponges, eagerly soaking up knowledge and experiences from the world around them. At the age of three, children are brimming with curiosity, imagination, and energy.

Engaging them in age-appropriate activities not only keeps them entertained but also supports their cognitive, physical, and social development. In this blog post, we will explore a variety of fun and educational activities to do with 3-year-olds that will stimulate their minds, foster creativity, and promote healthy growth. However, please remember to only do what fits your family!! Not every activity shared here will be a fit for you and your kids, and that’s ok!!

As long as my kids are engaged in something, the time stuck inside always seems to go by a little quicker!

Sensory Play Activities for 3 Year Olds

First, let’s call out some of the benefits of sensory play! Sensory activities are fantastic for young children as they help develop their senses, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. Set up a sensory table or area with materials such as rice, sand, water, or play dough. Encourage your child to explore different textures, colors, and shapes. Add tools like spoons, cups, or molds to enhance their play and stimulate their imagination.

As much as I love sensory play, you may find that some activities are a better match for your family than others. And that’s ok!! Pick what you love an leave the rest!

My kids love these five indoor water sensory play activities when they were three years old! Lay down towels under the activity for easy clean up at the end!

Indoor Sensory Play with Water

Looking for more water activities?! You’ll love 25 Water Activities for Kids !

As I noted, not every activity is a fit for every family! That’s OK! If water play isn’t your thing, then you may find another option that feels better for you!

If you have flowers on hand, then be sure to set up a flower cutting activity before tossing out the dying flowers!

Art Activities for 3 Year Olds

SHOP our favorite art supplies here !

Creativity knows no bounds at this age! Engage your little Picasso in arts and crafts projects that allow them to express themselves freely. Provide them with washable markers, crayons, colored pencils, and finger paints. Set up a designated art corner where they can draw, paint, and create masterpieces. Remember to display their artwork proudly to boost their self-esteem.

PUFFY PAINT RECIPE: mix equal parts regular white school glue (like the classic Elmer’s glue!) and shaving cream. Add food coloring to dye it any color you like.

Also, sometimes it’s fun to mix up art time!! Try these low prep activities like a giant color page, paint mixing in sealed bags, or car drawing (just tape the markers onto cars).

Q-Tip painting it a fun way to use items you already have on-hand!

Cookie cutter stamping, making a cardboard pizza, and setting up a creation station are always hits in our home!

Also, tin foil painting is a another fun and low prep craft you can set up using materials from your home!

Does your 3 year old love art activities?! Check out 40+ EASY Crafts!

Literacy, Storytelling, and Book Time

Letter exposure.

Letter exposure is so beneficial for kids! Fun activities like a letter scavenger hunt in the pantry, decorating their name on giant butcher paper, or making a sensory bag to practice letter formation are all fun ways to play with letters!

Reading and Story Baskets

Reading to a child at any age is one of the most valuable activities you can do together. Gather a collection of age-appropriate books and spend quality time with your little one, reading and exploring stories together.

Encourage them to participate by asking questions, pointing out pictures, and even letting them choose their favorite stories. This activity not only enhances their language skills but also nurtures their imagination.

If you have some materials that happen to coordinate with a book you have, try acting out the story together as you read! For example, we pulled out our pretend ice cream cones and acted our the Piggy and Elephant book Should I Share My Ice Cream?

Baking and Books

We also love to pair a book with baking! Grab a simple baking mix for cookies or muffins, and read a book that goes along with the baking project! All things considered, this has to be one of my favorite things to do with kids! It’s so much fun to have some fun in the kitchen, and then read aloud a story that pairs with our baking project!

Want more?! Check out 50 Preschool Activities here!

Building Blocks and Puzzles

Building blocks and puzzles are excellent tools for enhancing problem-solving skills and spatial awareness. Invest in age-appropriate building blocks, interlocking toys, or puzzles with large pieces. Encourage your child to build towers, bridges, or simple structures. Completing puzzles together helps develop their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and patience.

Want to try mixing up puzzle play?! Drop the puzzle pieces in some beans to add a sensory component to puzzle time for your 3 year old! Always monitor closely, as beans are a choking hazard.

It can even be fun to take your magnetic tiles or blocks somewhere unexpected! For example, we love building with magnetic tiles in the windowsill – it makes the coolest sun catcher, and your 3 year old is sure to love this!

Similarly, you can mix up how your little one plays with cars by laying painters tape for them as roads! So simple, but super fun!!

Music and Dance

Music is a universal language that resonates with children of all ages.

From time to time make a point to encourage your little one to explore music by introducing them to different instruments or playing a variety of tunes. For example, you may sing songs, dance together, and make music a regular part of your daily routine.

Also, it’s worth noting that music and dance activities promote self-expression, rhythm, and coordination.

Math Activities for 3 Year Olds

There are so many FUN ways to have fun with foundational early math skills with your little one!

Also, don’t forget you can use cardboard to create fun and easy math activities for kids! Here are 3 low prep favorites that my kids loved!

Making 100 is a classic early childhood activity! Help kids count out groups of ten objects! Ten groups of ten allows kids to SEE 100!

Snack Activities for 3 Year Olds

Fact of life. If you have kids, then you know kids love snacks.

Obviously I have to include some fun and easy snack activities on a list of indoor activities for three year olds! Without further delay, here are three LOW PREP easy snacks you can make with your little one!

Try making cookie cutter shaped pizzas, apple donuts, or a muffin tin lunch with your little one.

Another great snack activity is pattern making! Why not bring some early math skills into your 3 year old’s day by making patterns with their snack?! Not only is this fun, but also a great way to incorporate a little learning and conversation at snack time!

All in all, you can’t go wrong with a snack activity when you’re stuck inside with kids!!

Looking for more easy snack recipes?!

You’ll love these 20 delicious and easy snacks for kids!

Pretend Play Activities

Imagination knows no bounds at this age! As a result, this is the perfect age to set up a pretend play area with costumes, props, and toys that allow your child to role-play various scenarios. Encourage them to be a doctor, chef, firefighter, play library or hotel, or anything their imagination desires.

Pretend play helps develop language skills, social interaction, and creativity. For this reason, I highly encourage all families to find pretend play options that feel fun for their little ones!

Conclusion:

Engaging 3-year-olds in fun and educational activities not only helps them learn and grow but also strengthens the bond between you and your child. These activities provide opportunities for cognitive, physical, and social development while nurturing their creativity, imagination, and curiosity about the world. So, gear up, get creative, and embark on exciting adventures with your 3-year-old. Remember, the joy of learning together is immeasurable, and the memories you create will last a lifetime.

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Home • Baby • Play And Activities

36 Fun And Interesting Learning Activities For 3-Year-Olds

Multiple outdoor and indoor activities from all genres for your adorable toddler.

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Three-year-olds are very active and keep parents and other family members on their toes all the time. Interesting activities for three-year-olds can help parents channelize their energy in the right direction . While their concentration span increases with age, they may be more restless to satiate their curiosity to explore new things. No number of toys or games can hold a three-year-old’s interest for very long. So to keep them engaged in a particular activity for more than just a few minutes, it is inevitable for parents and caregivers to come up with meaningful activities that would cater to their preferences and interests. Read this post where we bring some amusing and educational indoor as well as outdoor activities that keep your three-year-old engaged.

What Are The Skills Your Child Develops At Three Years?

At three years, children achieve significant milestones. However, the pace may vary from one child to another ( 1 ).

• They learn to initiate basic conversations, ask questions, and describe actions from pictures or books.
• They may articulate their name and express more clearly.
• They start to articulate well enough for others to understand. They may say their name or what they are doing.
• By this age, your child may draw a circle and understand safety precautions like not touching hot objects or not playing with a knife.
• By this age, your child may start wearing clothes themselves. They learn how to put on a T-shirt, or a pant.

These milestones highlight their growth and progress at this age, encompassing emotional, social, language, cognitive, and physical development.

35+ Activities For Three-Year-Olds

Arts and crafts to improve creativity.

Art and craft activities are said to improve children’s cognitive abilities as they enable them to use multiple areas of the brain . Using both their hands and fingers also encourages the development of muscles in those areas and could improve their fine motor skills i Set of abilities that help move and control various body parts, especially hands, legs, and fingers. .

Here are a few art and craft activities for three-year-old kids.

1. Fabric painting

For a three-year-old child, fabric painting could be something basic to teach them a few painting techniques, shapes, and colors. As they have fun playing with shapes on the fabric, they will also develop their motor skills and imagination.

You will need

Old fabric or T-shirts, fabric colors, stencils or chart papers, small sponges

• Get ready-made stencils or take a thick chart paper and make some shapes like stars, hearts, drops, etc., in it to make your stencil.
• Tape the stencil on the fabric and ask your kids to fill it with color using the sponge.
• Once they are done, remove the tape and stencil to find surprisingly perfect shapes.
• Repeat the process in different parts of the fabric to get a beautifully painted fabric.

Image: IStock

2. Drawing or painting

You cannot ask a three-year to draw a masterpiece. Instead, you can help them paint or draw something with easily available tools.

A paper or a drawing book, water colors or acrylic paints or crayons, pencil, fork, brushes, or sponges.

• Get them an appealing coloring book and ask them to fill the images in it with colors as in the reference image.
• You can also draw some simple geometric figures like squares, circles, or triangles and ask them to color them.

3. Pot painting

Get a plain terracotta or a clay pot from your garden and let your kids add color to it. Be open-ended so that your kids use their creativity to make it beautiful in their way by playing with clay pots and colors, even if it is not perfect.

A small empty clay pot, bright colored acrylic paints, a wax paper, and a newspaper.

• Spread the newspaper on the floor, followed by the wax paper. Keep the clay pot upside down on the wax paper.
• Squeeze acrylic paints around the pot’s edge so that it drips down and colors the sides of the pot. Take one color at a time and do it one after the other.
• Don’t let the paints dry in between. Once the pot is completely covered, let it dry for at least a day.
• You can also keep the canvas clear with a base coat of white or black and ask your kids to paint whatever they wish.

4. Stamp painting

This is one of the easiest ways to make your kid paint different patterns without much effort. You can use a variety of objects to create beautiful patterns with this art form.

Potatoes, lady’s finger, onion, natural flowers, leaves, cookie-cutter, knife, paints, drawing paper, and brushes.

• This depends on the kind of object you choose. Let’s take a big potato, cut it into half, and with the help of a cookie cutter or a knife, make some shapes out of it. Remove the excess portion, and your stamp is ready.
• Hand it over to your little one along with some paints.
• Simply dip the stamp or paint the stamp with color and press it over a drawing paper or a fabric.
• Once they stamp at different places, you can simply join them with branches, add leaves and pot to make a flower pot or bouquet.

You can also use other objects like onions, ladyfingers, flowers, and leaves to make natural patterns.

5. Cup painting

You can paint the cups and also make different creatures using painted paper cups and everyday items.

White paper cups, paints, brushes or sponges, chart papers.

• Give a base coat to the cups with the color of the creature. Let’s say you’re making a chicken. Paint the cup yellow.
• Draw its eyes with black and white, and nose red.
• Cut the red chart paper to make its crown and feet and paste them on the top and bottom of the cup, respectively.

Similarly, your kids can create different characters like Peppa pig, angry bird, frog, etc.

6. Paper plate crafts

Just like paper cup crafts, the paper plate painting is quite interesting to do. You can make paper plate fans, paper plate turtles, and paper plate sunshine.

Disposable paper plates, paints, brushes, color charts, ice cream sticks, etc.

• Take a paper plate, flip it towards its bottom, and color it with your favorite color or multiple colors.
• Take the colored paper and cut it into six shapes: four feet, one head, and a tail.
• On the head, draw the turtle’s eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stick all six shapes to the turtle, and that’s it, your paper plate turtle is ready.

You can also make a ladybug in the same way.

7. Bird feeders

A nature craft idea for three-year-olds is bird feeders of different varieties, shapes, and sizes. A well-made one is sure to attract birds to your garden.

Empty tissue paper rolls, birdseed, twine thread, vegetable shortening, popsicle sticks, and a plate.

• Using the popsicle stick, ask your kid to spread the vegetable shortening on the empty tissue roll. This makes the paper roll water-resistant and helps it to hold the feed in place.
• Take the bird feed on a plate and roll the tissue roll over the feed. Make sure the feed gets stuck to the roll completely.
• Pass the twine through the tissue roll and tie it at one end, and your handmade bird feeder is ready.
• Hang the feeder to any tree in your garden.

You can also use pine cones or cardboard to make different feeders.

Sensory Developmental Activities

Sensory activities for kids stimulate their senses like touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing, balance, and movement. The benefits of sensory activities could include language development, development of fine motor skills, and problem-solving . Listed below are a variety of sensory development activities that would stimulate your child’s senses differently.

8. Playdough crafts

Playdough is a popular activity that encourages creativity in children. But if your three-year-old has the habit of putting everything in the mouth, you need to exercise some caution. In such cases, you can opt for homemade edible playdough.

Colorful play dough, cookie cutters, play scissors, popsicle sticks, etc.

Ask your kids to use the play dough to make a simple ball, roll into a snake shape, flatten it with hands or a rolling pin.

Once they master doing these simple things, they know how to use their hands to shape the dough. Then you can ask them to make shapes using a cookie cutter or play scissors and slowly progress into making some small animals and objects. Playing with animals’ dough can improve their knowledge of animals and their physical appearance.

You can also make salt dough at home as a non-toxic alternative. Alison, a mother of two, shares her experience of doing so for her young daughter. She says, ”For a young toddler who loves getting her hands into everything, salt dough was a perfect medium instead of play dough as we got to cook, paint, and keep some of the end results afterward which will last forever. To make up the dough, you’ll need:1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, and 1/3 cup water with some extra flour for the dusting surface.

“You can get the kids involved in this step too – it’s a messy but really great sensory experience for them as they turn gooey flour and water into a salty dough. Find random objects from around the house. I found some cookie cutters, blunt cutlery, pencils, jam jars, and stamps… Let them loose! my daughter played about with different items in the dough for absolutely ages which was brilliant – it kept her busy, entertained, and learning new shapes and textures (i) .”

9. Pasta bin activity

This activity can develop the senses of touch and sound in your preschoolers . With a few items available at home, you can try this activity.

Pasta noodles, a big basket, bottles with caps, measuring jars or cups, a blanket.

• Take a big basket and fill it with pasta or macaroni.
• Give the empty bottles to your kids.
• Ask them to fill the bottles with pasta using the measuring jars.
• Once they fill all the bottles, they need to empty them and refill them.

For the sense of sound, ask them to fill each bottle to the half, secure the lid and shake it. Ask them to observe how each bottle is sounding differently, quieter, or louder. Change the quantity of pasta and ask them to check the sound again. Albeit a bit noisy, this activity can be fun.

10. Frozen treasure

This sensory activity for three-year-olds requires pre-planning and execution by the parent. It is quite apt during the summer to beat the heat.

Fresh fruits or small toy figures, freezer-safe containers, a kid-friendly tool kit with a hammer, screwdriver, and pliers, and a big tub.

• A day before the activity, fill the freezer-safe containers with small fruits like berries, grapes, and cherries, add water, and freeze them. Fill four to five containers with different colored fruits and freeze them overnight.
• On the day of the activity, remove all the ice blocks from the containers and put them in a big tub.
• Hand over the tool kit to your toddlers and ask them to dig and find what’s hidden.

11. Animal sound game

This activity of guessing the sound helps your child develop the hearing ability and also the ability to memorize things . It’s simple and does not require any crafting supplies.

A phone or a laptop.

Download some animal sounds, vehicle noises, and bird chirpings. Play them for your children and ask them to guess the sound.

If they’re not familiar at first, tell them what the sound is. When they can imitate the sounds and recognize them, you can play the guessing game.

12. Smell it and tell it

This is similar to the Guess the Sound game; only here, kids have to smell different objects and identify them. They could be edible or non-edible items but must have a unique that makes it easier for them to guess.

Fresh fruits, flowers, soaps, perfumes, a cloth to blind old, etc.

• Blindfold your children with a soft cloth and keep various objects before them.
• Ask them to pick one at a time, smell it, and guess what it is.
• Score them for every correct guess and keep aside the incorrectly guessed objects.
• Once they remove the blindfold, show them what they missed.

13. Treasure hunt in a sandbox

Kids love playing in the sand. Another fun twist to the game is to combine it with a classic favorite – hide-and-seek! So why not create a sensory game out of it?

A sensory bin or a big container, sand, coins, jewelry, etc.

Hide the coins, jewelry, and other toys in the sand. Ask your little one to explore and find all the hidden treasure. To make it more exciting, ask them to find it within a time frame.

14. Pasta sorting

This is both a sensory and learning activity. If your kids are aware of colors, this activity helps improve their knowledge of different shades of colors.

Pasta, food color, color bowls, a big container.

A day before the activity, take four portions of pasta, add different food colors to it and dry it.

On the day of the activity, mix the pasta in a big bowl, and keep the colored bowls beside it. Ask your kids to sort the pasta based on color.

15. Transferring or shifting activity

Shifting objects from one container to another, or from one place to another, might be easy for adults. But for toddlers, it’s a challenging activity.

Two containers, small objects like toys, cushions, etc.

Keep two containers at different places and fill one with toys. Ask your child to transfer them from one container to the other.

Learning Activities

There is some learning in activities designed for children. However, certain activities are specifically targeted at teaching specific things like colors, letters, counting numbers, or names. Listed below are such learning activities that keep your three-year-old engaged and entertained.

16. Color and shape sorters

This is a fun activity to teach colors and shapes. Your toddlers would enjoy and also learn something new.

Objects in primary and secondary colors, readily available shape sorter set.

Place primary and secondary colored objects differently and teach your kids. Once they understand the differences, mix everything, and ask them to sort.

For teaching shapes, you can buy any shape sorter game readily available. Once they learn the shapes, you can take it to the next level by asking them to sort them. It can be made further challenging by introducing stacking. Ask them to stack the shapes on top of each other, starting with the largest shape at the bottom and ending with the smallest shape on top. This will help them understand the concept of size and spatial relationships.

17. Learn letters and numbers

Teaching your preschooler letters and numbers at home is a good way to engage them.

Butter beans, marker, white chart.

Mark the butter beans with letters and numbers. On the chart, draw vertical and horizontal lines to form a checkered design. Write the letters and numbers randomly in the blocks. Place the beans in a basket with the letters and numbers facing upward.

Now ask your kid to match the letters and numbers on the beans to that on the chart.

18. Play with puzzles

Puzzles are readily available and solving them can improve your child’s motor skills and cognitive and reasoning skills. In older kids, it can also help improve their concentration ability.

A readability available puzzle set.

Start with a small puzzle that has fewer pieces. Once your toddler masters it, slowly increase the difficulty level. Changing the puzzles often makes them think differently and aids in improving problem-solving skills.

19. Cook together

Cooking does not necessarily involve using the stove or fire. Teach your kids something that doesn’t involve serious cooking and let them discover the joy of real cooking.

Utensils, cutlery, and cooking items.

Pick a dish and get the required items. Some ideas include sandwiches, baking cookies or cakes, and making a salad.

Give them a small task like mixing the dough – show them how to first and let them try it independently. You can also do it together. One added benefit of this cooking class is getting the kids to make something healthy and eat the food they prepared.

Outdoor Activities

Playing outdoors is what makes the activity even more interesting and exciting for the kids. However, make sure you’re taking necessary safety precautions before planning any outdoor activities for your three-year-olds. Here are a few ideas for outdoor sports and games for three-year-olds.

20. Gardening

Gardening is a simple and interesting outdoor activity for a three-year-old. Teach them some basic gardening tasks like watering plants, pruning, planting, harvesting, etc.

A small watering can or a small bucket and a mug, kid-friendly scissors, etc.

Take your kids around your garden and tell them a little about the plants you have in there. If they’re already familiar with the plants, go straight to the activity by handing them the water can.

Show them how to do so that they won’t over water it. If the water can is empty, ask them to refill it and repeat watering to the rest of the plants.

You can also teach them pruning if they understand what it is. Ask them to use their play scissors to do it along with you.

21. Backyard obstacle course

If you have three-year-old boys who are always on the go, this backyard obstacle set-up would excite them. As it involves physical activity like running and jumping, it helps develop muscles, improves endurance, and aids in developing gross motor skills.

Anything available from your kids’ toys like boxes, flags, frisbees, hula hoops, balls, cones, etc.

Design your obstacle course using the items you have. Ensure the path gets the kids to jump, crawl, run, walk, balance, skip, and slide.

22. Building sandcastles

You can plan this in your backyard or on a nearby beach. Just take the kids to sand, and they will know what to do. If they don’t, you can always show how playing with sand can be a fun activity.

Sandcastle set.

If you’re planning the activity in your backyard, gather some sand at one place, give the sandcastle kit to your kids, show them some sample pictures, and leave the rest to their imagination.

Indoor Physical Activities

We cannot always plan physical activities outdoors. You must have some indoor physical activity that allows your kids to move around. Listed below are a few ideas that you can try.

23. Walk like an animal

You don’t need any items for this activity. Just show it to them and ask your kids to imitate you.

If your three-year-olds are familiar with animal sounds and behaviors, this would be an easy and interesting activity for them. Just say the name of an animal and ask your kids to imitate. If they don’t know, you can show them how and they can imitate you.

24. Scavenger hunt

The regular scavenger hunt is a clue-based activity. But for the tiny tots, we modify the game a little to make it simple yet fun.

White papers, pens, baskets, etc.

Before starting the activity, prepare a list of items that your kids are familiar with in the house.

Once the kids are ready, read out one item from the list and get them to bring it and place it in a box. Once they find one, call out the next item, and the next until they find all the treasure.

25. Dance party

If you’re running short of time and ideas, one instant thing you can plan is a dance party.

Music system, some snacks, drinks, flashy lights, etc.

Set up the dance floor with lights, music, snacks, and drinks, and let the dancing begin. Get them to move as they want to the music or teach them easy dance steps to try with you. Additionally, the children can also enjoy entertaining themselves by playing with musical instruments, if available.

26. Indoor obstacle course

You can also plan an obstacle course indoors with some household items and some toys from your kid’s collection.

Chairs, tables, hula hoop, balance board, basket, skipping rope, play mat, and cushions.

Just design a simple obstacle course with 5-6 activities. You can incorporate some of these ideas in the activity – crawling under the chairs, passing through the tunnel made using a playmat, skipping, balancing, throwing a ball into the target, somersault, etc.

You can place cushions on the floor to prevent injuries if the child misses a step and falls.

27. Yoga practice

Teaching good habits in childhood helps the kids become better adults. Yoga is one such activity that promotes overall well-being for all age groups.

A yoga mat, some reference yoga videos.

If you’re not aware of safe yoga for kids, search some asanas i Precise body postures that are practiced in Yoga (a form of exercise that originated in India). that can be done by the kids. Play them on the TV and ask your kids to follow them.

Try to do along with them so that they find the activity interesting. You can make it part of their daily routine so that they become habituated to it.

Montessori Activities

Montessori activities are designed to encourage children to learn through play. These activities are designed to promote independent thinking, fine motor skills i Abilities where one needs to use the small muscles in their hands, fingers, and wrists to perform specific movements. , critical analysis right from childhood. As they’re tailored around a child’s areas of interest, they help the kids to learn quickly and easily. Listed below are some fun activities inspired by Montessori techniques.

28. Toy cleaning

A simple but interesting activity for kids as it involves playing with water. It also teaches them some day-to-day activities that we do at home.

All the washable toys of your kids (preferably plastic and silicone toys), two water tubs, dish soap, a towel.

• Ask your toddlers to collect toys from all the rooms, sort them, and separate all the washable toys.
• Fill both the containers with water, maybe two-inches deep.
• Add dish wash soap to one container and make some water bubbles.
• Children love playing with bubbles thus making this a fun activity. Ask your kids to wash each toy at a time in the soap-filled container and then rinse it in plain water.
• Then keep them on a towel spread on the floor. Once all the toys are washed, they can wipe them with the towel.

29. Float and sink experiment

Let’s add some science to the fun. Teach the kids about sinking and floating with this simple water experiment.

A water tub, some natural items like leaves, twigs, flowers, stones, shells, etc., some water toys.

• Before starting the water play, get some items like leaves, flowers, stones, sticks, shells, buds, etc., from your garden.
• Place them next to the water tub along with the water toys.
• Now ask your kid to sit there and drop each item at a time. Tell him to observe which item is floating and which is sinking.
• Explain to them why some objects are floating and some and sinking.
• Now remove everything from the water, ask questions, and then check their answers by dropping the objects.

30. Fruit cutting

Fruits and vegetable cutting is one of the Montessori food prep activities. This enables them to use both their hands and also teaches them some practical life skills.

An apron, water, kid-friendly peeler, knife, chopping board, etc.

Ask the toddlers to clean all the veggies with water first. Each fruit needs to be cut in a certain way. Show them how to do it and ask them to do it as is.

For their safety, choose soft veggies and fruits and a blunt or kid-friendly knife that they can use for cutting.

31. Hammering

Your three-year-old might be more interested in real tools than his regular toys. Well, why not let them explore the same with a kid-friendly tool set and activity.

You can purchase a readily available Nail game set that comes with all the necessary tools, including a corkboard, a wooden hammer, tack nails, some color cards, etc.

You can simply ask your kids to hammer the nails into the board by placing a plain paper in between. Once they master it, you can ask them to form shapes using some colored cards, pictures cut into pieces, etc.

A variety of activities can be created using the hammering tool kit.

32. Writing on a chalkboard

Every preschooler needs to get a good grip on pencils, chalks, or markers to develop writing skills. To avoid wasting paper, you can set up a chalkboard and offer them a clean canvas.

A blackboard, chalk pieces, board eraser, etc.

Set up the blackboard in your kid’s playing corner and give them chalk to scribble on it however they wish. If they are not comfortable standing and writing, you can place the board on the floor for a few days and let them practice.

33. Moving puzzle game

This activity gives a new twist to puzzles, making it even more helpful for further skill development.

Any puzzle game (preferably the one your kid is familiar with)

Unlike in a regular puzzle game, keep the pieces of the puzzle in a different room. Ask your kid to solve the puzzle in the play area by bringing one puzzle piece at a time. This not only keeps them moving but also encourages them to remember which puzzle piece is required.

34. Window cleaning

Another popular Montessori activity is window cleaning. While spraying water on the windows is a thrilling sensory activity for kids, cleaning the windows improves their gross motor skills .

An empty spray bottle, white vinegar, water, a piece of cloth, or a sponge.

Just mix vinegar and water in the required proportion and fill the mixture in the spray bottle. Hand over the bottle and the cleaning material to the child, show them how to do it, and let them imitate you.

35. Touch and tell

This is a sensory Montessori activity that encourages your kids to use their sense of touch to guess the things.

Small toys that your kids are familiar with, a big bag with a drawstring or a zip closure.

Gather all the small toys your kids usually play with and keep them in the bag. Blindfold your kids and ask them to pick one toy from the bag and name it just by touching it.

36. Match the socks

Matching colorful things is one of the best Montessori activities to improve visual coordination in your kids.

Multiple pairs of socks.

Mix all the socks pairs and ask your kid to pick each one and find its pair.

37. Pasta necklace activity

Your kids can have a colorful treat with the simple yet enchanting art of creating unique jewelry with dyed pasta.

Pasta, colors, yarn, duck tape, and scissors

• Start with dying the pasta in fun colors.
• Cut yarn for your kid’s necklaces, add duck tape to one end to make threading easier, and tie a pasta noodle to the other end so it doesn’t slide off when the kids add the other pasta noodles.
• Set up art stations for your little ones by using pallets covered with tablecloths. Display the colorful pasta in trays and let your kids find the yarn in a bowl.
• Invite your kids to the pasta necklace station and allow them to choose how long they want the yarn to be, then watch as they thread the dyed pasta, creating their special necklaces.
• Once the pasta necklaces are done, let them make extra jewelry for themselves or even for the grown-ups. These creative pieces make wonderful keepsakes to take home.

Introducing toddlers to learning activities for 3-year-olds will help keep them engrossed and entertained and enhance their creativity, focus, and cognitive abilities. Ensure you pick the right activity for your toddler as per their interest and abilities. Sensory developmental activities such as making art and crafts, frozen treasures, and Smell it and Tell it will help improve their sensory and motor skills. You may also try the various learning activities and outdoor and indoor activities mentioned above to aid your child’s physical and psychological development.

Infographic: Waldorf Activities For Three-Year-Olds

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are some tips for planning activities for three-year-olds?

You may keep the activities simple and safe while ensuring that the child enjoys them and gets to explore their surroundings. Activities emphasizing socialization are also preferable since they are fun and provide avenues for interaction with other children.

2. What activities help promote language development in three-year-olds?

Reading books, storytelling, singing nursery rhymes and songs, playing pretend, asking open-ended questions, playing with blocks and puzzles, role-playing conversations, and exploring nature are all great ways to develop language skills in children, including three-year-olds.

3. How can I encourage my three-year-old to participate in activities?

Making the activity fun is the best way to entice a three-year-old to play a game or try an activity. Other ways include leading by example, being creative, and positive reinforcement.

Key Pointers

• Art and craft activities can improve creativity and cognition in three-year-olds.
• Sensory activities, such as playdough crafts benefit a child’s brain growth.
• Games such as color and shape sorters can help three-year-olds learn new colors and shapes.

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Personal Experience: Source

MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.

• Important Milestones: Your Child By Three Years. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-3yr.html#:~:text=Children%20this%20age%20are%20starting
• Fact-checker

Dr. Maymunah Yusuf Kadiri MD

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36 Activities For Your 3 Year Old (That You Can Do Inside!)

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you click a link and purchase something. Please check out my disclosure policy for more details. All opinions are my own!

Ideas & Activities for 3 Year Olds

My three-year-old is a super busy little guy. He’ll work on one activity, switch to another, or call for me to come play with him. While I LOVE playing with my little man, sometimes I run out of ideas or just need him to do some independent playing by himself for a little while.

Cue – the list of 30+ things for your toddler to do (even if they can’t go outside).

Whether it’s rainy, freezing cold, or you’re finding yourself in some other life-changing situation where you can’t (or don’t want to) head outside, here’s a list of 30+ activities for your 3-year old that you can do inside!

These 3 year old activities are easy for parents to set up and let your child play, while others require a little more supervision. Regardless of your plans, these fun toddler activities and ideas will help keep your little one entertained for hours.

1. Mess Free – Paint in a Bag – This project is EASY. What you’ll need is a zip lock bag, a paper to go inside it, and a few paint colors. First, drop globs of paint on the paper and then slide it in the zip lock bag and seal it up. Let your child smush and smudge and drag and draw all over the paper!

2. Water Doodle Mat Drawing – A water doodle mat is pretty awesome. So awesome and mess-free that I actually let my 1-year-old play with her big brother and I didn’t even flinch about them doing it on my new rug. The water doodle mat is reusable and easy for all little ones to figure out and enjoy. Check it out on Amazon right here .

3. Toddler Dance Party – “Into The Unknown”, “Where You Are”, “Down By the Bay” – trust me, Amazon Music and Alexa knows them all. It’s time to dance it out and let your toddler show you their best moves. And it’s super cute to hear your toddler say “Alexa, play Moana!”.

4. Sorting Games – You can create a sorting game with almost ANYTHING. Grab some colored balls and have your child sort them into matching colored buckets. Color a different colored dot in the bottom of each section of an egg carton and have your child find something that matches that color.

5. Play in the Bath – Someone once told me that if your child is having a tough day, put them in water or outside. My kiddos LOVE baths, so even if they’re not dirty, give them a bath and let them play! These are some of our favorite bath toys , along with plastic cups for pouring, and dinosaurs.

6. Build Towers – Grab some blocks and get building. Whether you use lincoln logs, squishy blocks, or these foam blocks we got a great deal on, get creative and make towers or castles.

7. Play with Kinetic Sand – We LOVE Kinetic Sand. If you’ve never felt it or tried it, it’s a must and a huge hit for toddlers. Out best decision was to get this giant pack and dump it into a large plastic tote for storage and playtime. Now it’s easy to use for playing with very little (to almost no) cleanup.

8. Play PlayDough (make pizzas, roads, cupcakes, etc.) + Cookie Cutters – Use playdough (or make your own!) and let your toddler get creative. Adding cookie cutters to the mix can make it fun and let them make new shapes and creations.

9. Bake with Mommy/Daddy – If you can, let your toddler bake or cook with you. Pull up a sturdy chair, find a spot on the floor, or use a helper stand (we love this one !) to get your 3 year old nice and close and let them pour, dump, measure, and stir with you!

10. Play Puzzles – Puzzles are so good for your toddler’s brain development. Find a few things they love and let them spend some time working on putting the pieces together.

11. Grow Water Beads and Play/Pour Them – Never seen water beads ? Get on it! These little beads grow in water and are a fun sensory toy for your toddler to play with. Get two bowls and a measuring spoon and let your 3 year old transfer the beads from one bowl to the other.

12. Toddler Balance Beam – Set up a small board in your home and put it flat on the ground. Let your toddler practice their balance and gymnastic skills at home!

13. Read – Read, read, read! Whether your child wants to “read” to himself, you’re reading to him, or you’re reading together. Interactive books like this one are a great way to keep your toddler busy on his own!

14. Stickers – Stickers on ANY paper can make a 3-year-old’s day. If you’re looking for a specific sticker book recommendation, we love these !

15. Cutting Practice or “Projects” – If your toddler is ready, let them practice their cutting skills. They might make strips or other cut outs and be SO proud of themselves. Use junk mail, magazines, or construction paper! We found these scissors to be the perfect size for our toddler and I wasn’t as terrified he was going to cut himself with them. Win-win!

16. Make Pasta Necklaces – Get the macaroni or the penne pasta out and let your toddler string the pasta on a piece of yarn or string. If they want to get more creative and colorful, they can color the noodles with markers or you can dye them before they make their necklace!

17. Sensory Noodle Bin – Put noodles of all kinds together in a big tote. Use measuring spoons, bowls, cups, and other kitchen utensils to let your 3-year-old dig and play. Tip: this toddler activity can be done with dry or cooked (and cooled) noodles for different textures!

18. Color on Dry Erase Boards – Still have some dry erase boards and markers lying around? Your toddler will love drawing and wiping. Also, don’t worry, they don’t all smell horrible – these would totally be worth a try.

19. “Wash” Dishes and Practice Pouring – I remember doing this as a kid, and my toddler LOVES it now. Let your toddler stand at the sink and pour water into cups, use bubbles, and just play in the water “washing dishes”. Pro tip: set up a towel on the floor before they start washing.

20. Create an Obstacle Course – Get creative! Use pillows, a hula hoop, a fun toddler tent or climber, balls, or a jump rope. Set up a fun obstacle course to keep your toddler busy and tired out!

21. Play with Balloons (Volleyball, Kickball, Don’t Drop the Ball) – Don’t let the balloon hit the floor, play kickball, or catch. Balloons are a great way to build your child’s hand-eye coordination without stress. Tip: if you’re worried about the balloon popping and little pieces going all over they make a balloon cover you can get here . Who knew!

22. Paint on Ice Blocks – Freeze of chunk of ice and get our your child’s watercolor paints. Let them paint on the ice!

23. Trace Your Child and Let them Color and Draw on It – Get a large piece of paper ( this roll is HUGE), or tape a few together, and trace your toddler. Let them add a face, clothes, and more to the picture.

24. Set Up A Scavenger Hunt – You may think your toddler is too little for a scavenger hunt, but don’t be so quick to judge. Draw or cut out pictures and have them find that item in the house for their next clue! If you want something to give as a gift or if you’re finding you’re constantly making a scavenger hunt, this would be a great addition to your toy bin!

25. Build with Cardboard Boxes – If you order from Target and Amazon Prime as much as I do, you probably have a few cardboard boxes around. Let your toddler build a tower, a house, a car, or anything they can dream with the boxes!

26. Color on Cardboard Boxes – Remember all those cardboard boxes? Some of them come with the cutest designs and pictures on them (I’m looking at you Target ). Set your toddler up with some crayons, markers, or paints and let them go wild!

27. Build a Fort – Pillows, blankets, couches, chairs. Use it all! Let your toddler design the fort and build it together. Complete with snacks of course.

28. Build with MegaBlocks and Legos – Legos and MegaBlocks are a great way to get your toddler’s imagination going. Let them build whatever comes into their head or suggest a fun challenge or competition.

29. Bring Snow Inside to Play With or Make Your Own Snow! – Grab a bucket or pan and fill it with snow from outside (or make your own with this 2 ingredient recipe ). Give your toddler a spoon, a little shovel, and some buckets to play with the snow inside. Hint: a towel underneath is a really good idea – just sayin’.

30. Make Homemade Ice Cream – Make homemade ice cream together in a bag! So easy and your kids will love getting to make it together (and eat it together ;)). Check out the how-to here .

31. Make Music (Bucket Drums, Kleenex Guitars) – Flip over that bucket or clothes basket and let your toddler start drumming. Or grab an empty kleenex box, put a few rubber bands around it and add an empty toilet paper roll to the top. Voila! A homemade guitar for your little one to serenade you.

32. Use Your Busy Bag! – Use your Busy Bag and let your child choose what they want to play. Learn how to create an on the go busy bag for your toddler here !

33. Free CREATE Time – This activity can be really fun for kids of all ages. Grab whatever you have (boxes, cardboard, paper, magazines, markers, paint, glitter, googly eyes, etc.) and let your child make whatever they want. Give them lots of free time to explore and create.

34. Make Sock Puppets – Find those socks with a hole or without a match and let your toddler make some fun sock puppets!

35. Write a Story and Color It Together – Fold up a few pieces of paper and staple them together. Write a story with your toddler and draw pictures to go along with it!

36. Use Large Paper and Draw a Town on It (Play with Cars, Polly Pockets, etc. on it) – Remember that huge paper we talked about earlier? Well, grab it again and this time draw a town on it! Let your toddler help you design and draw the town, then make it come to life by playing cars or Polly Pockets on it.

Fun Indoor Activities For Your 3 Year Old

These fun indoor activities for 3 years olds will help pass the cold winter days when you can’t get outside! Or even those rainy days when you might be wondering what should I do with my 3 year old today.

Do you have other favorite indoor activities to do with your 3 year old? Or have you tried some of these? Let me know in the comments below!

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Jen is a Registered Nurse, owner of Minnesota Momma, and mom of two little ones. She loves to focus on topics that keep families happy and healthy from pregnancy through birth and beyond. 

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5 Pre-Writing Activities For Your 3-Year-Old

While your 3-year-old probably isn’t ready to write a full sentence (or even a single word), there are several activities you can do to help her get ready for writing.

The following activities are simple, require very few supplies – and are a great way to spend quality time with your child. As an added bonus, they’ll help prepare your child’s hands and eyes for writing.

Name Tracing

Materials You Will Need: paper, highlighter, marker or pencil

What To Do This fun activity will provide an opportunity for your child to learn how to write his/her name. Write your child’s name on paper with a marker.

Remember to write the first letter using a capital letter then the rest in lower case.

Let your child trace over the name with a highlighter. By repeating this activity, your child will begin to understand how to write his/her own name!

It will take time for your child to write his/her name legibly.

Cutting Practice

Materials You Will Need: pair of child sized scissors, pictures from magazines

What To Do Have your child work on fine motor and pre-writing skills by inviting your child to cut out pictures from old magazines. Your child may choose to cut out toys, food, or just pictures of interest.

Your child may also cut out letters or numbers that he/she recognizes. This activity is easier than trying to cut on lines, but still requires hand strength and more advanced fine motor skills.

Play Doh Letters

Materials You Will Need: Play Doh

What To Do Have your child roll medium sized balls of Play Doh into 6 inch ropes. Ask your child to choose a letter to make, then see if your child can use the rope of Play Doh to do so.

If this is challenging for your child, write the letter on paper first, then let your child form the Play Doh on top to match.

Materials You Will Need: piece of paper, markers

What To Do Write your child’s name on paper using dots, (5 or 6 per letter), instead of lines. Have your child start with the first dot and connect the dots.

Hopefully your child will recognize his/her name! Try this with the names of other family members if your child enjoys this activity.

Tally Marks

Materials You Will Need: small number of objects, paper and pencil

What To Do Today’s activity will introduce tally marks to your child as a new way to represent quantities. This is especially good for a child who is challenged by writing numerals. Tally marks to show the numeral 4: ////

Place 4 blocks or objects in front of your child. Show your child how to make a tally mark for each block. It’s not important that you use a slash for the 5th object at this point, if you are counting that high.

Want more? Visit Productive Parenting to see more than 60 pre-writing activities that you can do with your kids – from birth to age 5. While you’re there, become a member (for free) and have activities emailed to you based on the developmental age of your child. Activities build on one another from infancy to age five to provide a solid foundation for learning and, at the same time, promote lasting parent-child relationships.

You can also find Anna at My Life and Kids .

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About the author: Anna Luther

Anna Luther is the mom of three little kids, and the driver of a minivan. She's the Director of Social Media for Productive Parenting - a website that is full of simple activities you can do with your kids! In her spare time, she blogs at My Life and Kids, where she shares her stories, makes you laugh and helps you feel better about your crazy, messy, fabulous life.

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This is the picture of my handsome grandson and I am so glad for this article since he does start Kindergarden this fall, thanks

Just because your child might be able to trace letters at 3 years old does not mean this is what you should be doing with a three year old. As a kindergarten teacher, one of the most difficult problems I have teaching handwriting is REteaching a child who has practiced making letters wrong for years because their parents were in a hurry to start their education. I suggest the above activities using lines and shapes instead of letters. Making letters requires a precision that is not developmentally there for most 3 year olds. I know, I know, you are saying, “but my child can, and they like doing it, I don’t see any reason not to.” If they can do it at three then there is no reason to practice, they’ll do it easily at five. There are other things three year olds should do. What should three year old do: climb, build, pretend, run, jump, talk, talk, talk! Keep the ‘sitting-still and focusing hard’ activities to a minimum. They will have 13+ years ahead of them to do that.

hi. my son is 3 yrs 3 months and at school they were making him draw and write, and i, as a primary school teacher, i was worried coz i believe that he should be having fun. Now am a bit assured that my belief in learning thru play and fun is the gud. thanks Sooneeta

That’s so silly that you think you have to reteach a kid how to write a letter the “correct” way. Do you have strict ideas on if letters should have tails or not? Learn to tailor your teaching to each kids separate knowledge, that’s what a good teacher does. I think your anger over a parent doing something other than run around and play with toys is silly. My nephew is very bright and loves to hear stories. He can “read” my dad’s name tag he wears on his shirt because we’ve talked about it, that it seems like he can take the next step to learning letters just fine. Besides, as soon as you learn how to write as a human being in general we each start to make our handwriting our own. My handwriting doesn’t match anyones I know so, unless it’s upside down or backwards, I don’t see how a parent would be teaching them how to do it wrong. Learning new tasks also gives them different things to occupy time especially if they’re not already in preschool. Maybe playing with trucks and dinosaurs all day isn’t enough to keep him satisfied, and momma doesn’t always have the steam to play make believe. I can’t sit back and randomly read such a statement that makes me cringe…to me it’s like saying Why have Pre-AP classes, if they’re smart enough to do it now, they should just wait and do it in college. See how dumb that is? It’s important to not treat kids like they’re all basic…some babies want to match shapes with the corresponding hole and some want to throw those shapes.

Thank you SO much! I’m a mom of a 3 year old and a one year old and a university teacher with PhD in education and I feel exactly the same. Thank you for making me feel not alone in this!

AMEN! My grandson just came home with papers of letter tracing and number tracing! These kids are 3. There is plenty of time to teach writing when it will be easier to do it correctly! Especially since cursive is not really be taught much anymore. Some of my kids wrote better in cursive than print because they had already learned to make the letter incorrectly.

Thank you for stating this. The other piece is that there are other pre-reading skills needed prior to the abstract activity listed here for pre-reading.

this is the best comment so far!!

[…] Pre-Writing Activities For Your 3-Year-Old […]

Hi! My son is 2years 9month, he can only write 1, he did not like to write at all and he won’t allow us to hold his hand but he love to colour, anytime we want to do his assignment he will hold his pencil and he will be looking at another direction and start asking for something he did not need at that moment inorder to distract me. I will like to know if there is a way to make my son to love to write and identify. Thank you.

my child turned 3 in November. her daycare insists she should be able to properly hold a pencil and should have chosen her right or left hand by now. since she hasnt we have been asked to make her use her right hand only and only color if she hold pencil/crayon properly. I would think that her age would allow a little more freedom to develop. she has only been in daycare for about 5 months so she could be behind the others, however, I am not sure I want to “force” her to do anythign yet. I am afraid it will make her dislike writing and coloring all together. please advise

Hi Penny – I just wanted to let you know that I’m looking into this and will get back to you with thoughts from one of our therapists.

I’ve been teaching in a special education setting for children ages 3 to 8 for seven years. That said, I’ve had the same experience as you when my child was 3. What I’ve run into is at some preschools the employees are not always certified teachers and sometimes are not well versed on child development. I wouldn’t be worried about hand dominance because some children do not choose a dominant hand until 5 or 6 years of age. I definitely would not force your child to use a specific hand. It will come with time or she could just be ambidextrous. If you are worried about her grasp, which once again I wouldn’t be getting on to her about it, start doing some fun play based fine motor activities. There are tons out there that can be made with things you would usually throw away. One of my favorite things to use in my class is clothes pins. It strengthens those little fingers she will be using for a tripod grasp and you can build activities that can reinforce numbers, colors, shapes and anything else you would like! They can even be used as a tool to pick up little objects. My students love them. I hope this helps you and gives you some fun ideas to do with your daughter.

My daughter’s kindergarten class expected all children to be able to hold a pencil correctly, know and write ALL letters and numbers until 25 without looking at a paper. That being said I think it is appropriate to start at 3 and work from there.

I agree with Tara, over here they expect children to at least know how to write their name and hold pencil correctly by the time they go in kindergarten, if not they are held back or even put in special programs. Both my one and three year old boys are in a preschool and my 3 year old is already learning how to write his name. Even though you say we should wait until 5, its the child that suffers when he starts kindergarten and doesn’t know how to write or hold a pencil correctly, and that i DO NOT want for my child. I personally like early teaching, but at the end every one has their own opinion and I respect that.

Our son has ADHD he is on meds just started kindergarden but cannot write his name .we are working with him he went to p-k last year teacher said he would need work with but this summer he would not be still .he is a little better very smart know his lunch code and numbers ,letters my cell number to .does not color good teacher not so happy with him way we took it so what would be the answer ?

How is you son doing? I think some kids just need an outlet to move! They’re so young, when they don’t want to do something they just wont. You have to find the motivation and sometimes it’s within the realm of being jealous of other kids abilities…when they’re disappointed with themselves they’ll show you and when they don’t give a hoot, they’ll show you that too. I loved being able to write my name in Pre-K, but I’m an artist and have loved to doodle since very young. Maybe your guy needs sports or something else to be motivated with.

James: My son has ADHD and is now 13. When he was in kindergarten he hated to color and write. If he had to color for class he would take one crayon scribble the whole page that one color and call it done. It wasn’t until 3rd grade that he started to like to color just a little. Writing was just as bad. Once he learned that certain words could be abbreviated he jumped on it and will try to abbreviate everything-he still does. Writing paragraphs now in school is still a struggle. I saw a study once that suggested that children with ADHD will sometimes have issues with writing and coloring and that as parents and educators accommodations should be put in place to help with that. If you don’t have an IEP with the school I would get one, it will help tremendously throughout your child’s education experience. My son has an IEP and it has truly helped tremendously because he hates to write he falls behind other students in classwork and homework the IEP helps to give him more time for his work and for taking tests. Good luck, I know the struggle.

This is insane. I learned my alphabet in kindergarten and to write in 1st grade. What are the teachers doing if we are teaching them this stuff before they even start kindergarten? My daughter is going to be 3 after Christmas and cannot imagine forcing her to write when she hasn’t even gotten all her letters memorised.

my daughter is 3 and half she was born here, but she went to Africa at the age of 1 she just came back she’s 3 she started nursery. we speak 3 different languages with her now she has difficulty speak or understand English. The teacher is giving us hard time, She wants her to do as the other kids. Any advice

I am a mother of 3 children, ages 13,10&5. I also have a bachelors degree in elementary education, specific learning disabilities, & a masters degree in education. I currently teach students grades K-3 that have Autism Spectrum Disorder. I feel from my 19 years teaching experience & parenting experience, that children should not be forced to do any learning they are not ready for. We need to quite trying to keep up with the “jones’s” as it deals with our kids being the best at everything. I wish preschools would have the main focus of learning is to play, socialize and grow in ways that will energize the kids to enjoy learning. Developmentally all kids are growing at different paces. They will eventually plateau at age 7-8. This is when their little brains have developed enough to start taking in and holding onto all the higher level learning. From an article I read a few years ago on the countries in the world that had the lowest illiteracy rate, I would love to go toAustralia & spend time learning their techniques. They do not introduce formal academic learning until age 7. Just something to think about. Enjoy your kids while they are kids????

I hate what kindergarteners are forced to know this day in age. 50 sight words phone numbers birthday addresses, how to “decompose” numbers!!! I’m sorry but that word just bothers me for my kindergartener to even say!! We are on our second round of kindergarten because we didn’t meet benchmarks to the school expectations I believe early learning is very much needed or the kids suffer from it not the parents. They watch their friends move on and they feel bad they have to stay in same grade. If u don’t know almost all the stuff before u start kindergarten you are already behind and it’s so sad. I remember we played in kindergarten when I was a kid just learned our abc’s played house sang songs. There is to much pressure now days and I don’t agree with it.

I agree with Kimberly; in today’s society, the children must excel early. Its extremely hard in this world we live in. Try making the learning experience as fun as possible.Never feel the work is too hard or that its to hard on the child at that age. He/She are in their repetitive stage… so everything they do daily is remembered. Today’s society expect more in every aspect now more than ever.

These days? What? I was doing that when I was in kindergarten. It’s very important! Using songs we learned how to spell words and were even asked to sing our addresses, and it has been very helpful. I remember those songs to this day! It wasn’t a chore, it was fun!!! Don’t feel bad with your kids though, encourage them to think that they’ll be smarter than the new kids because they get to go over everything again. These are the generations that are going to get to go to college, instead of it being a privilege.

Yes, Kindergarten IS the correct time to learn these things! We are talking about 3 year olds!

My kid is pre term baby.now she is 3 yrs and 11 months. She is very adament to hold the pencil for writing. She is asking me to hold the pencil for writing. If we beat also she is stubborn and not writing a letter. She likes only the number 1 2 3 for writing other than that she wont move for 4 5etc or abc. She will be writing 2 and starting saying i have written 1 she is repeating the same. How to give practice for alphabets and other numbers

hi sathya priya .please dont worry abt ur child writing letters or numbers… may be she is not yet interested to read or write. Now in preschools they are forcing to write. But their age is only to play well as they can. Make them to write but please dont tense for that. Make them engage in other outdoor or indoor games. And make them learn slowly in studies also..even my 3 year old son i am not making to read or write..sending to playschool just for activities

So what about when your kid is obsessed with letters and numbers? My son just turned 3 and he points them out everywhere we go. He can identify upper and lowercase and he knows all the sounds that they make, even some letter combinations like “ch”. He accurately reads a digital clock, of course he has no concept of what the time means.This has all happened almost on its own, there is no “lesson time” in his routine. We just talk about what he sees and we do read quite a bit. Should I just leave it as it is, or encourage what seems to be an active interest? I don’t want him to be bored when he finally goes to school.

so Miss Penny parents are not supposed to teach their children about letters and words because teachers are not smart enough to work around this? In my experience as a teacher and parent all efforts in the reading and writing area are useful and make the child’s brain think about these things and be ready to embrace all styles of teaching.

Early education is the best platform to set up your kid future. and choosing the right place for your kid is also an important task for their parents.

Nice information,thanks for sharing this type of information.

That kid is left handed!!!!! I realised thst because i.m too

The blog is really interesting. Pre-writing skills are the basic skills that children need to acquire before they can write. Such abilities lead to the ability of the infant to keep and use a pencil and the knowledge of drawing, writing, copying, and coloring. Kids are very curious about the events of childhood. Pre-writing skills are necessary to allow the child to develop the ability to hold and move a pencil fluently and effectively, thereby producing readable writing. At home and in schools, we have to give proper training. There are so many pre-schools offering various activities to develop the ability to read, write, speak and listen.

This is a great idea, I think we can also teach them to read books; it can develop our children at this age too.

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Important Milestones: Your Child By Three Years

CDC’s milestones and parent tips have been updated and new checklist ages have been added (15 and 30 months). For more information about the updates to CDC’s developmental milestones, please review the Pediatrics journal article  and these  important key points .

How your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves offers important clues about your child’s development. Developmental milestones are things most children (75% or more) can do by a certain age.

Check the milestones your child has reached by 3 years by completing a checklist with CDC’s free Milestone Tracker  mobile app, for  iOS  and  Android  devices, using the Digital Online Checklist , or by printing the checklist [1 MB, 2 Pages, Print Only]  below.

“Learn the Signs. Act Early.” materials are not a substitute for standardized, validated developmental screening tools .

What most children do by this age:

Social/emotional milestones.

Close this video

Language/Communication Milestones

Cognitive milestones (learning, thinking, problem-solving), movement/physical development milestones.

Calms down within 10 minutes after you leave her, like at a childcare drop off

Strings items together, like large beads or macaroni

Puts on some clothes by himself, like loose pants or a jacket

1 of 2 images

2 of 2 images

Uses a fork

Other important things to share with the doctor…

• What are some things you and your baby do together?
• What are some things your baby likes to do?
• Is there anything your baby does or does not do that concerns you?
• Has your baby lost any skills he/she once had?
• Does your baby have any special healthcare needs or was he/she born prematurely?

Concerned About Your Child’s Development? Act Early.

You know your child best. Don’t wait. If your child is not meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills he or she once had, or you have other concerns, act early. Talk with your child’s doctor, share your concerns, and ask about developmental screening.

If you or the doctor are still concerned:

• Ask for a referral to a specialist who can evaluate your child more; and
• Call your state or territory’s early intervention program to find out if your child can get services to help. Learn more and find the number at cdc.gov/FindEI .

For more on how to help your child, visit cdc.gov/Concerned .

As your child’s first teacher, you can help his or her learning and brain development. Try these simple tips and activities in a safe way. Talk with your child’s doctor and teachers if you have questions or for more ideas on how to help your child’s development.

• Encourage your child to solve her own problems with your support. Ask questions to help her understand the problem. Help her think of solutions, try one out, and try more if needed.
• Talk about your child’s emotions and give him words to help him explain how he’s feeling. Help your child manage stressful feelings by teaching him to take deep breaths, hug a favorite toy, or go to a quiet, safe place when he is upset.
• Set a few simple and clear rules that your child can follow, such as use gentle hands when playing. If he breaks a rule, show him what to do instead. Later, if your child follows the rule, recognize and congratulate him.

Click here for more tips and activities

• Read with your child. Ask questions, such as “What is happening in the picture?” and/or “What do you think will happen next?” When she gives you an answer, ask for more details.
• Play counting games. Count body parts, stairs, and other things you use or see every day. Children this age are starting to learn about numbers and counting.
• Help your child develop his language skills by speaking to him in longer sentences than his, using real words. Repeat what he says, for example, “need nana,” and then show how to use more “grown-up” words by saying, “I want a banana.”
• Let your child help with making meals. Give him simple tasks, such as washing fruits and vegetables or stirring.
• Give your child instructions with 2 or 3 steps. For example, “Go to your room and get your shoes and coat.”
• Limit screen time (TV, tablets, phones, etc.) to no more than 1 hour per day of a children’s program with an adult present. Don’t put any screens in your child’s bedroom. Children learn by talking, playing, and interacting with others.
• Teach your child simple songs and rhymes, such as “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
• Give your child an “activity box” with paper, crayons, and coloring books. Color and draw lines and shapes with your child.
• Encourage your child to play with other children. This helps him learn the value of friendship and how to get along with others.
• Let your child play with playdough by squishing it, pressing it, pinching it, and making balls in different colors. This builds her hand and finger muscles for writing, buttoning, and cutting.
• Give your child simple, healthy food choices. For example, at snack time ask, “Do you want carrots or an apple?”
• Play games to teach opposites. Get down low and say, “I am small.” Then stand up and say, “I am big.” Do the same thing for fast/slow, quiet/loud.
• Play matching games. Ask your child to find objects in books or around the house that are the same.
• Play outside with your child. Go to the park or a walking trail. Allow your child plenty of time to choose what and how she wants to play. Join her and follow her lead.
• Help your child be ready for new places and meeting new people. For example, you can read stories or role play (pretend play) about new places or things to help him feel more comfortable.
• Encourage your child to tell you her name and age.

Special acknowledgments to the subject matter experts and others who contributed to the review of data and selection of developmental milestones, especially Paul H. Lipkin, MD, Michelle M. Macias, MD, Julie F. Pajek, PhD, Judith S. Shaw, EdD, MPH, RN, Karnesha Slaughter, MPH, Jane K. Squires,  PhD, Toni M. Whitaker, MD, Lisa D. Wiggins, PhD, and Jennifer M. Zubler, MD.

Sincere gratitude to Natalia Benza, MD and José O. Rodríguez, MD, MBA for their thoughtful review of the Spanish-language translation of these milestones.

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Top 35+ Activities for 3 Year Old Children

Video: 12 Best Development Boosting Activities for a 3-Year-Old Child

Art and craft activities, sensory developmental activities, educational and learning activities, indoor activities, outdoor activities, quiet time activities, montessori activities, benefits of activities for your 3 year old child, how to encourage your 3 year old child to participate in activities.

Children at the age of 3 rapidly develop and incorporate activities into their daily life that will help mould and develop their skills. These activities enhance your child’s cognitive, learning, creative, and motor areas. Engaging and age-appropriate 3 year old activities are essential for the development and growth of children. At this tender age, toddlers are curious explorers, eager to learn through play and discovery. In this article, we present activities, from sensory play and art projects to simple games and outdoor adventures, that are designed to capture the imaginations of little ones and foster their social and emotional development.

Here are a few preschool art and crafts for 3 year olds:

1. Painting With Forks

Who said forks were only meant for eating? Here’s a fun way to use forks (after a meal) –

This simple yet fun activity only requires a few plastic forks, paint and drawing papers or books. Dip the fork in the paint and create different patterns. Your child can experiment with the colours.

What Does It Teach?

• Visual Development

2. Art on Foils

Turning a foil into a work of art is now truly possible with this activity –

For this activity, you need silver foil and a toothpick. Make your child draw patterns across the foil. When you turn the foil around, you’ll see a work of art.

Improves creativity

3. Painting Pots

Add colour to your pots. Get the paints out and bring out the artist in your child –

You’ll need a pot and some paint for this. You can use the base paint as white or black, so the other colours stand out. After the base colour has dried, give your child the brush so he can go crazy with the paints.

• Cognition and reasoning.
• Your child will learn about the different colours in the process as well.

4. Potato Art

Potatoes are delicious. But now, you can make them beautiful too! –

Cut potatoes in half, and start carving shapes on them. You can then paint them and stamp the painted side on a clean white sheet of paper. Use a sketch pen to define the edges of the imprint.

It enhances your child’s creativity and allows him to experiment with shapes and colours

5. Cup Animals

Introduce your child to animals with this activity –

Buy a few paper cups from the local store and some sketch pens. Draw animals around the cup so that you can make figurines with them.

This activity introduces your child to the world of animals.

Here are some activities that will help improves their five senses.

1. Play Dough

Playdough takes you down memory lane, as we’ve all played with these. Carry on the same tradition with your child.

You can buy play dough at the stores, or use clay. Use a fist-size ball for your kids to play. They can make different shapes and experiment with it. You can get the colourful dough to make it more exciting for your kids.

• Motor skills
• Playdough activities help in developing your child’s tactile sense as well.

2. Colourful Pasta

This isn’t just fun; it is an informative activity that will benefit your child, as he will learn to differentiate and sort out colours.

Take four bowls and fill them with pasta. You can colour the pasta in each bowl a separate colour. Paint the bowl the same colour as the pasta in it. Once it dries, mix the pasta from every bowl together. You can then ask your child to sort these colours into the respective bowls.

• This activity teaches your child sorting and coordination.
• It stimulates the visual and motor skills of your child .

3. Sand Foam

We’ve all played in the sand. Take it up a notch by introducing your child to sand foam!

Sand foam can be bought at stores, but you can make it at home as well. You require sand and shaving cream for this. Mix the two. You can add paint or food colour to this mix.

This activity helps develop your child’s tactile sense.

4. Guess the Sounds

This fun activity is something your child will love –

Download different sounds of animals, transport, rain, and thunder. Teach your child what each of this sound is. Then, play the sounds and make your child guess which sound it is.

This develops your child’s hearing sense

5. Guess the Smell

Lift your nose high and start sniffing around to win this game!

Pick different kinds of objects like flowers and fruits. Introduce these fragrances to your child and let him guess it,

This one enhances your child’s olfactory senses while introducing him to the world of smells.

Here are learning activities for 3 year olds to help their brains grow!

1. Sorting Colours

This fun learning activity is the best way to teach your child colours –

Introduce your child to both primary as well as secondary colours. Find objects of different colours and make your child sort them.

This activity teaches your child about different colours.

2. The Alphabet Game

Time to teach your child the alphabets!

Teach your child the alphabets and make him identify them from a book or alphabet blocks.

Introduce your child to alphabets.

3. The Number Game

Your little one is about to love numbers with this activity!

Just like the alphabet game, you can do the same, except substitute it with numbers this time.

Introduced your child to numbers.

4. Around the World

Take your child on a world tour, from the confines of your room –

Teach your child the history of the world. You will find several books online and at stores, that explain geography for kids to understand.

This activity introduces your child to the world of geography.

We all loved rhymes. Take out the rhyme book and let’s get started –

Kids love rhymes, so sing a few rhymes, or play a few rhymes.

This activity helps in enhancing your child’s communication and memory skills.

Want to keep an eye on your kids? Try these activities for 3-year-olds at home!

Is it raining outside? You can still have fun indoors with puzzles –

You can either make a simple puzzle or buy one at the store. Puzzles are fun and great indoor activity.

Puzzles improve your child’s spatial skills, motor skills, and helps improve cognitive processes. They also help develop reasoning.

Building blocks are favourite among many kids, and for a good reason. They’re fun, fun, and more fun!

We all love lego or building blocks. Buy your child these amazing wonders and watch him build his world.

• Building blocks help develop motor skills.

3. Painting and Drawing

Get the creativity flowing (as well as some paint) –

Give your child paints, pencils and a drawing book. Either ask your child to draw something around him, or provide a picture that he can copy.

Imagination is one of the first areas that is enhanced by painting. Your child will also benefit from enhanced creativity.

4. Play House

Thought only you could run a house? Wait until your little one takes your role –

Let your child run his own house. Buy a tent and watch your child play house. He can divide his space into different rooms. Instead of a tent, you can provide a small space in the house for this as well.

This activity helps with reasoning.

5. Imitate a Profession

What is your child’s ambition in life? Figure it out with this activity-

Buy a kit of your child’s favourite profession. If your child wants to be a doctor, then buy a doctor’s kit. This way, your child will have fun pretending to be working.

Most of these kits come with tools that are replicas of the actual tools. This gives your child exposure to how these professions work.

Are your kids not getting enough Vitamin D? Try these physical activities for 3-year-olds.

1. Building Sand Castles

Beautiful day to play outside? Let’s build sand castles then!

Build a small sandpit in your backyard or take your child to the beach. You can buy sand castle making tools for your child. He can then start building sand castles.

Sandcastles help in developing your child’s motor skills as well as enhances sensory development.

2. Plant a Tree in Your Backyard

This activity works in favour of your kid as well as the environment-

Buy a seed or a sapling. Look for a nice spot in your backyard, and help your child plant it. From there, give your child the responsibility to water the plant every day.

This activity gives your child a sense of responsibility.

No childhood is complete without learning how to cycle!

Buy a cycle for your child and teach him or her how to ride.

It helps improve balance

4. Swimming

Is it a hot summer day? Jump into the pool with your kid –

Like cycling, swimming is a fun exercise. He will enjoy playing in the water while developing the health aspect as well.

It helps in your child’s motor skills and muscle growth.

How about shaking a leg with this one?

Dancing is always fun. You can either dance with your child or enrol him in a dance class.

Hand and eye coordination

Activities that can be done in places where they need to be silent but engaged.

Teach your child something new with this reading activity-

Reading is not just interesting; it is highly informative. Pick a fun-filled, interesting book about any topic, be it the animal kingdom or fairy tales. Read these stories to your child.

• Reading a book to your child is informative. Children learn new things from every book they pick.

2. Informational, Fun Videos for Kids

Grab some popcorn, and enjoy some fun videos –

Thanks to technology, we’ve got access to a million fun and informational videos on the internet. Play something interesting like short stories, rhymes, or kids drama.

Videos can give them visual stimulation.

3. Dress-Up

Let your child explore the world that is your wardrobe –

We’ve all, at some point, played dress-up. Give your child the licence to do the same. Does your child want to be a doctor? Or maybe a teacher. Sometimes, kids dress up like their parents. Either way, this is a fun activity that your child will enjoy.

Your child learns to differentiate between genders

So which country are y’all heading to today?

Get a globe for your child. You could get a map as well. Teach your child how big this world is, and introduce him to the different places around the world.

This activity gives your child geographical knowledge.

Let’s bring out the Michelin star in your little one with this activity-

Give your child a children’s cooking set. You can use a few utensils from your kitchen instead as well. Cooking without fire is a great activity.

They get creative, learn to experiment, and develop their motor skills as well.

Apart from the above activities, you can also subscribe to a monthly activity box that aids learning through play. Intellikit is an activity box subscription for children that develops all 8 smarts in your child through fun activities that keep him engaged while having fun. With unique themes and activities every month, each Intellikit is designed by experts and curated keeping in mind the age group and requirements of children. Enjoy a month-long calendar of DIY activities, worksheets, storybooks and more. Simply pick your subscription plan and select the age-group of your child to get started.

Let’s take a look at Montessori for games for 3 year olds.

1. Sponge Squeezing

And the fun begins with this squeezing activity.

Provide a bowl of water and two sponges. Show the child how to grasp and squeeze water from one sponge to another.

Teaches hand strength, coordination and introduces the concept of water absorption.

2. Colour Mixing

A fun, colourful activity for little munchkins!

Offer primary coloured water in separate containers and empty containers. Guide the child to mix the colours (e.g., red + blue = purple) to create secondary colours.

Introduces colour theory, encourages creativity, and develops fine motor skills.

3. Nature Walk and Observation

A walk in nature to enhance your little one’s observational skills.

Take the child on a nature walk and encourage them to observe plants, insects, and animals. Discuss findings and engage in drawing or journaling about the experience.

Cultivates observation skills, appreciation for nature, and language development.

4. Threading Buttons

This a great way to make your child practice essential skills, like hand-eye coordination.

Provide large buttons and a shoelace or thick string. Demonstrate threading buttons onto the string and let the child practice independently.

Develops hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and patience.

5. Shape Sorting

Any easy activity to make your child learn to sort things.

Offer a collection of objects with different shapes. Ask the child to sort objects into corresponding shape containers.

Enhances shape recognition, classification abilities, and cognitive development.

6. Sandpaper Numerals

Build your child’s math skills with the help of this activity.

Present sandpaper numerals and numeral cards. Guide the child to trace the numerals and match them to the corresponding cards.

Teaches numeral recognition, tactile exploration, and early math concepts.

7. Counting With Beads

Teach your child sequencing in a fun way!

Provide counting beads or objects. Help the child count the beads and arrange them in a sequence.

Develops counting skills, number sense, and basic math understanding.

8. Pouring Dry Goods

A great activity to enhance your child’s skills.

Offer two small pitchers and rice or lentils. Assist the child in pouring the dry goods from one pitcher to another.

Enhances fine motor skills, hand control, and practical life capabilities.

Here are the benefits of some preschool activities 3 year olds.

• It strengthens and improves physical health.
• It maintains good metabolism of the body.
• It develops cognitive and fine motor skills.
• It improves eye-to-hand coordination.
• It maintains physical, emotional and social well-being.
• It imparts knowledge on various topics.
• It improves academic performance.
• It builds interpersonal relationships with others.

Want your child to indulge in fun activities for 3 year olds? Here are some ways to encourage them:

1. Keep Things Simple

Parents often feel the need to find elaborate activities for their 3-year-olds, but simple things like colours, shapes, and storybooks captivate them. Engaging learning activities can be created using everyday household items, making it easy and enjoyable for both parents and children.

2. Allow for Creativity

Encouraging children to explore their creativity and make their own rules during activities is essential. Allowing them ownership over their crafts is valuable. However, considering the potential mess is also crucial. Choosing less messy activities can be a practical choice, especially during busy or tiring times, while reserving the messier ones for more relaxed moments. Prioritizing a stress-free experience for both parents and children is important in creating a positive and enjoyable learning environment.

1. How Can I Get My 3 Year Old to Sit Still and Focus on An Activity?

Try to find your child activities they are interested in and enjoy doing. Make sure you provide plenty of breaks to them during the activity so that your child doesn’t become overwhelmed or frustrated. Also, praise your child when they display good behaviour so that they know you are pleased with their efforts.

2. Which Activities Help to Develop Language Skills in 3 Year Old?

Activities like reading books, storytelling, singing nursery rhymes and songs, asking open-ended questions, playing with blocks and puzzles and exploring nature are all great ways to develop language skills in children, including three-year-olds.

These activities will prepare your child for school while aiding in the overall growth and development as well. All of these are simple activities that your child will love, so go ahead and introduce your child to this world of fun.

Learning Activities for Toddlers Why 3 Year Olds Find It Difficult to Control Impulses What Should a 3 Year Old Child Know Academically?

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Activities for a 2-year-old: Fostering your toddler’s development

Y ou’ve got a front-row seat to watching this tiny human become a thinking, feeling person before your very eyes. It’s a beautiful—and sometimes challenging—place to be. Your 2-year-old these days is getting more comfortable with expressing their opinions about everything, from what they eat (“more blueberries!”) to what they wear (“no socks!”) to what they want (“mine!”), and you’re just along for the ride. 

Just remember that they’re working on developing their independence at this stage, a milestone in and of itself. And to support their burgeoning do-it-myself skills and all those newfound likes and dislikes, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite 2-year-old activities to keep them entertained and engaged. 

Related: 2-year-old milestones

Sensory activities for 2-year-olds

1. scented playdough.

Add scents like vanilla, lavender, or citrus to homemade playdough , and let your child engage their senses as they knead, shape and explore the fragrant dough, promoting sensory development and relaxation. Kitchen tools like forks and cookie cutters can make fun shapes, too. 

2. Sensory bins

Now that your kiddo is over 18 months, sensory bins are a great way for them to explore new textures and tactile sensations. Try filling a large but shallow bin or baking pan with dried black beans, rice or kinetic sand, and then incorporate a few of their favorite toys into the mix, too, like mini metal cars or trucks for digging or items found in nature to discover and collect, like pinecones, acorns and flowers. 

3. The big dig

Freeze small toys or objects in a large block of ice and provide your child with tools like spoons or paintbrushes to chip away and melt the ice, promoting fine motor skills, problem-solving, and a cool sensory experience.

Related: 2-year-old health & growth guide

Developmental activities for 2-year-olds

1. pom pom party.

Give your child a pair of toddler-friendly tongs or two spoons and a bowl of colorful pom poms (find them at the craft store!), and encourage them to transfer the pom poms from one container to another to promote fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and concentration. Then, ask them to find just the red ones, or just the green. 

2. Shape treasure hunt

Hide paper or cardboard shape cutouts around the house and help your child search for them, encouraging shape recognition, problem-solving, and gross motor skills as they navigate and collect the triangles, squares, circles and stars.

3. Alphabet matching

Using index cards or small squares of construction paper, create flashcards with uppercase and lowercase letters, and have your child match the corresponding pairs and find the letters in their name, promoting letter recognition, memory skills, and early literacy development.

Related: 2-year-olds aren’t terrible–they’re just learning how to be human

Things to do with a 2-year-old

Week 1: coffee date.

Consider taking your 2-year-old out on a date to a nearby coffee shop. They’ll love the focused one-on-one time with you (maybe you can chat about your day, do some people watching or sketch the dogs you see) and they’ll also get a taste of what it’s like to be in the grown-up world for a bit. At home, you can play barista together! 

Week 2: Rainbow rice

Dye dried rice in different vibrant colors using food coloring, and let your child create colorful masterpieces by gluing the rice onto paper or cardboard, providing a sensory-rich art experience that promotes creativity and fine motor development.

Related: 75 activities to cherish while your child is still little

Week 3: Make a maze

Using painter’s tape, make a maze or car racing course on the floor. Your little one can drive an imaginary vehicle through the track or use a scooter or toy cars. Watch them flex their gross motor skills, balance and spatial awareness. 

Week 4: Bubble stomp

Got some bubble wrap tucked away? Lay out a sheet of bubble wrap and let your child stomp, jump and pop the bubbles with their feet, combining tactile and auditory experiences while encouraging movement, coordination and sensory stimulation.

Our favorite products for 2-year-olds

Our favorite christmas gifts for 2-year-olds, melissa & doug, 1. let's play house dust sweep mop 6 piece pretend play set.

Toddlers love to help with whatever household chores you are doing. A mop, dust pan and broom just their size allows them to clean alongside you. (After all, chances are good it’s their mess you’re cleaning up.)

2. Doctor & Ambulance Kit

Paging Dr. Toddler! With this kit budding physicians can tend to the medical needs of their dolls and teddies with an arsenal of tools (all made from recycled plastic, btw), that all packs away into a toy ambulance they can zip from one house visit to the next.

Banana Panda

3. super size memory game.

Sometimes bigger is better: That’s the case with this super-sized twist on the classic game of memory. The big cards boasting illustrations of cartoon critters are ideal for tiny toddler hands. Not to mention, the rules are easy enough to follow for game newbies, and littles will hone cognitive skills while they play the game.

Steven Kwan goes yard to open rehab assignment with Lake County

Kwan will play again with the captains on sunday..

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan began his rehab assignment with Class A Lake County with a bang.

Kwan went 1-for-3 at the plate, but in the fifth hit a go-ahead three-run home run to put the Captains ahead 4-3. Kwan had been on the injured list since May 6 with a left hamstring strain, and prior to his injury was leading the American League with 47 hits and a .353 batting average.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN STEVEN KWAN HIT HIS FIRST CAPTAINS HOMERUN? pic.twitter.com/cGHhq5u06Y — Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) May 26, 2024

W. pic.twitter.com/cBUteNOogW — Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) May 26, 2024

Kwan initially was injured on May 4 while chasing down a fly ball in the Guardians’ 7-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels and was expected to miss at least four weeks.

First pitch on Sunday between Lake County and West Michigan is set for 1 p.m. at Classic Park.

Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.

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Fleet Week returns to NYC tomorrow: What to know

By brad luck • published may 21, 2024 • updated on may 21, 2024 at 6:27 pm.

The USS Bataan (LHD 5) amphibious assault ship will be back in New York Harbor Wednesday as one of the centerpieces for Fleet Week New York 2024, the U.S. Navy announced .

Fleet Week will take place May 22-28 this year with a theme of "Fleet Week New York...Celebrating Those Who Serve."

Two U.S. Navy ships, three U.S. Coast Guard vessels, and four U.S. Naval Academy Yard Patrol boats will participate, along with ships from Germany.

24/7 New York news stream: Watch NBC 4 free wherever you are

Ship and pier locations, according to Fleet Week, include: Manhattan, Pier 88 South:(Public tours only on Saturday, May 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) - Amphibious assault ship, USS Bataan (LHD 5) from Norfolk, Virginia

Manhattan, Pier 90 North: (Public tours only on Saturday, May 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) - Baden-Württemberg-class frigate FGS Baden-Württemberg (F-222) from Germany - Berlin-class replenishment ship FGS Frankfurt am Main (A-1412) from Germany

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Manhattan, Intrepid Museum, Pier 86 (Tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) - Four U.S. Naval Academy YPs, Annapolis, Maryland (Tours only May 23-24) - Bay-class cutter USCGC Sturgeon Bay (WTGB-109) from Bayonne, New Jersey (Tours May 23-27)

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Homeport Pier, Staten Island: (Public tours will be May 23 - 27, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) - Freedom -class littoral combat ship USS MARINETTE (LCS 25) from Mayport, Florida - Legend-class cutter USCGC Calhoun (WMSL-759) from Charleston, South Carolina - Keeper-class coastal buoy tender USCGC Katherine Walker (WLM-552) from Bayonne, New Jersey

This is Fleet Week New York's 36th year with 2,300 U.S. service members expected to participate.

For a full list of events and tours for Fleet Week, visit the official website here.

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A 79-year-old who started running in her 40s has done 28 triathlons. She has 4 tips for young people wanting to be as fit as her.

• Cherie Gruenfeld, 79, is a 28-time Ironman triathlete.
• She shared her tips for people who want to be as fit as she is at 79.
• These include incorporating strength training and making sure to rest.

At 79, Cherie Gruenfeld has done 28 triathlons. But she didn't even start running until her 40s .

Gruenfeld was inspired to start running after watching the 1986 Boston Marathon, at the age of 41.

She completed her first 26.2-mile run that year, and soon moved on to triathlons, competing in the 1992 Ironman Triathlon , which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run.

Through school, college, and a successful career in management at a tech company, the idea of being an athlete never crossed Gruenfeld's mind. But as soon as she started running , she discovered a love and talent for long-distance sports that seemed to build exponentially. In 31 years, Gruenfeld has completed the Ironman 28 times, even continuing to train through treatment for cancer.

"You can do things that were thought impossible for 80-year-olds ," she told BI, by "staying healthy and strong and having a commitment to living every day to the fullest."

Being fit is great for your health — one 2019 study suggested that highly active people aged between 40 and 79 years old were 42% less likely to die prematurely. But you don't have to already be active, because getting fit is beneficial at any age. The same study also suggested that people who were inactive at the beginning of the study, but who increased the amount of exercise they did over time, decreased their likelihood of dying from any cause by 24%.

Gruenfeld shared her tips for people wanting to be as fit as her at 79.

Get and stay strong

Gruenfeld said that she has found strength training helpful for her fitness, to maintain muscle as she has aged.

As you age, you naturally lose muscle — 5% to 10% of muscle mass per decade after the age of 50, according to a 2022 review of studies, which can make you less mobile and more prone to falls.

To maintain her muscle, Gruenfeld lifts heavy weights, to "really stress those muscles."

Related stories

BI has previously covered getting started with weightlifting , as well as how to build strength by doing the bare minimum.

Add activities you enjoy

You don't have to only do strength training to get fit. Gruenfeld recommends adding "biking or hiking or running or swimming or golf or whatever physical activity you enjoy and fits into your lifestyle."

Gruenfeld's exercise regimen is already varied since her training consists of running, swimming, and cycling for the triathlon, and she also works with a personal trainer for strength training.

Varying what you do to keep fit is great to keep yourself motivated, and is also beneficial for health — BI previously reported on one 2022 study that found that doing cardio as well as weightlifting was linked to a 41% lower risk of mortality.

Make sure to rest

Gruenfeld rarely has a day without exercise, but she says she knows it's important to take a rest from intense workouts.

The body actually needs recovery time to build muscle, and rest days reduce the likelihood of injury, according to UCLA Health. It's best to do active recovery, where you rest from intense workouts but still incorporate some light movement into your day.

Sometimes, Gruenfeld will do something active, but gentler than her regular workouts.

"Go out for an easy walk or an easy swim, just anything that's not really stressing the body but still keeps you moving," Gruenfeld said.

Be vigilant about what you're eating

"My best tip for nutrition is just simply to be vigilant about what you're putting into your mouth," Gruenfeld said.

She eats a balanced diet that contains a mix of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts, with limited sodium and sugar. When she's training, she prioritizes carbohydrates before a workout to fuel her body, and protein afterward to build and maintain muscle.

Being conscientious about what you're putting in your body is important for fitness. BI's nutrition reporters love the 80/20 rule — where you eat healthily 80% of the time, and are flexible for the other 20% — because it's a great way to fuel your body for exercise while maintaining balance and a healthy attitude toward food.

Watch: How actors transform their bodies for superhero roles

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Rechargeable Laser Tag for Kids, Teens & Adults - Blasters & Vest Sensors - Fun Ideas Age 8+ Year Old Toys - 4 Set - Lazer Teen Boy Games - Boys & Girls Outdoor Teenage Group Activities

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Laser Tag Light Force Edition: Delivers hours of action-packed, adrenaline-pumping fun wherever you set up the battleground! With quick setup and long-life rechargeable gear, you'll be up and running - and shooting - in no time. Just pick your teams (or go solo!), strap on your gear, and get ready to battle! Run, hide, roll, take aim, and eliminate your enemies to win the game! Includes: 4 guns and vests, 4-in-1 charging cable.
• Rechargeable gear – You never have to stop the game action to change a few dozen batteries. The guns and vests are fully rechargeable! The set includes a 4-in-1 charging cable to effortlessly charge all the gear at once. You can play approx 8 games per charge.
• Premium Specs: Fully Synced – The guns and vests are wired together to ensure a seamless experience! Lives and team data are automatically synced. Multi-Zone Targets: Two target zones (chest and gun) give your opponent no escape. Safe Tech: Uses child-safe infrared emission and not laser rays.
• More advanced features... Choose between two weapon modes (Pistol and Automatic); Stealth Mode; Team or Solo mode; 150-foot reach; you can add unlimited guns and vests as all Squad Hero LightForce Laser Tag sets are compatible! All this makes LightForce Laser Tag an intense, hi-tech, and altogether awesome home-based infrared laser tag game!

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Squad Hero is committed to creating the most advanced outdoor toys in today's modern world. In this fast-moving society, teens spend most of their free time on screens. But we have a different vision - we bring you products that encourage action, exercise, team-fun, and give our generation ways to really socialize. Our goal is to grant you hours of laughter together with your friends and family.

Product Description

Rechargeable Laser Tag Set for Kids, Teens & Adults, with Gun & Vest Sensors - Fun Ideas for Age 8+ Year Old Cool Toys - Teen Boy Games - Outdoor Teenage Group Activities for Boys & Girls - Kids Gifts

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This Laser Tag Set Works Up To 150ft Away In Solo/Team Mode

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Customer Review: Best family activity ever

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Customer Review: Good way to get exercise

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Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the quality, fun, and charging of the toy gun. For example, they mention it works well, is sturdy, and is fun for the whole family. Some appreciate the rechargeable aspect, saying it's better than replacing batteries. They also like the ease of use, saying the guns are easy to figure out and use. Customers also appreciate the value, saying its well worth the money.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers like the quality of the toy gun. They say it works well, is sturdy, and lasts through plenty of rough play. Some customers also say it's easy to use and works well with kids and adults. They also mention that the sensors work well and the range is great.

"...lasts, and it’s truly an easy to use set of laser tag guns that work great !..." Read more

"...Everything is well-made, works well , and I don't have any concerns about longevity...." Read more

"We had trouble with this, because one of the guns didn’t work ...." Read more

"... Everything works great , no technical issues or anything with the set we bought...." Read more

Customers find the toy gun to be fun for the whole family. They say it keeps the kids busy for hours and is suitable for use inside or outside.

"...Love that these all have separate chargers. Easy to use. Super fun " Read more

"They fit kids and adults. Easy to use and FUN !! The only negative so far is that one gun would not reload...." Read more

"...I’m glad I did too because it’s a whole lot of fun , and at this point I would have already spent close to the same amount if I had to replace the..." Read more

"...The light on these are very bright. Enjoying and will buy a second set soon" Read more

Customers like that the toy guns are rechargeable. They say it's great that they can charge the set instead of replacing batteries. Some customers also mention that the guns were already charged when they opened the box.

"...This set is very easy to charge, the charge lasts , and it’s truly an easy to use set of laser tag guns that work great!..." Read more

"...Love that these all have separate chargers . Easy to use. Super fun" Read more

"...We’re Building memories!They came fully charged and ready to use.They also hold the charge for a good while.Well worth every penny!" Read more

"My son really love the game! No need to add a battery , just recharge it, it saves a lot" Read more

Customers find the laser tag guns easy to use and setup. They say the material is rugged but convenient enough to put on and play with. Customers also mention that they figure out all of the features quickly and easily. They mention that the guns are ready to use, and that there are no technical issues.

"...very easy to charge, the charge lasts, and it’s truly an easy to use set of laser tag guns that work great!..." Read more

"...Love that these all have separate chargers. Easy to use . Super fun" Read more

"They fit kids and adults. Easy to use and FUN!! The only negative so far is that one gun would not reload...." Read more

"...We’re Building memories!They came fully charged and ready to use .They also hold the charge for a good while.Well worth every penny!" Read more

Customers find the toy gun well worth the money, affordable, and fun for the whole family. They also say it's rechargeable, so there's no extra cost on replacement batteries.

"...They also hold the charge for a good while. Well worth every penny !" Read more

"this laser tag is worth the price and is awesome in the dark!!!!..." Read more

"...I would definitely recommend this product , so far so good and worth every penny !" Read more

"This set is so worth the buy . We had so much fun. My nephew loved it... my 60yearold mom even played. Easy to use...." Read more

Customers find the toy gun a perfect birthday gift and for a 12 year old.

"...at birthday parties and just for fun when were all bored, its a great family gift !" Read more

"These make awesome birthday gifts ! They always turn out to be the kids favorite and other parent ask about them...." Read more

"... Great gift !! Even the parents get involved in the fun!" Read more

"... Great gift ! Wondering if a second set would link to the first." Read more

Customers find the toy gun great for all ages. They say it's comfortable for fun for all.

"They fit kids and adults . Easy to use and FUN!! The only negative so far is that one gun would not reload...." Read more

"This is a great game for all ages . Fun inside or outside. Family or friends will have fun !" Read more

"...Sensors work well & the range is great. Great item for kids & adult kids." Read more

"Great value no battery needed, comfortable for fun for all ages " Read more

Customers like the team selection feature of the toy gun. They say it's easy to set up teams or have everyone play at once. Customers also say it fits everyone and is great for all ages.

"... Four people can play at one time and it is easy to setup teams or have everyone a different color." Read more

"...Guns are sturdy, little vest has adjustable straps so it fits everyone . Couldn't be happier...." Read more

"...It is easy to select your teams and play two versus two. It fits my 6 year old and my husband so it is adjustable...." Read more

"...The ability to merge with other LT kits, the ability to select teams or play free for all, and pretty accurate. Thanks." Read more

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