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27 best toys for three-year-olds
Unique, educational and —most importantly — entertaining gift ideas
Three is a momentous time in a child's life – it's at around this age that they start to show more interest in playing with their peers, instead of side by side. So, it's a great time to introduce easy games that encourage co-operation and turn-taking, such as simple board games or matching and memory games.
Their imagination is continuing to develop, so toys that encourage pretend and dramatic play such as mini-kitchens and dolls will also prove popular.
We've also rounded up the best toys for one-year-olds and best toys for two-year-olds.
Don't forget those pre-school energy levels, either! Three-year-olds have a high need for physical activity and movement, so give them something to pedal or jump on to encourage gross motor development, such as bikes, trikes and scooters.
With all that in mind, these are our favourite toys and gifts for three year olds to shop now.
Until recently, Lovevery's award-winning, Montessori-inspired play kits were only available on a subscription basis. However, you can now buy the individual kits via Amazon, making them an excellent gift for the little one in your life!
The Observer kit is aimed at 37, 38 and 39 month olds, with toys and a book that encourage them to take ownership of their routines, build emotional intelligence, and make sense of their world through open-ended play.
Highlights include the modular playhouse and wooden emotion dolls – which help de-escalate big emotions, surprisingly well. Ages 3+
Super strong and built to last, toddlers will cherish this chunky truck, complete with levers, realistic engine sounds and play characters.
Made with absolutely no BPA, PVC, toxic paint or risky small parts, it's cleverly designed with fun, engaging features that help encourage fine motor skills and role-play. Each toy is also compatible with the rest of the WOW Toys range, so you can build their imaginative play worlds. Ages 1-5
This magnetic tile pack is ideal for preschool level. It comes with 48 sturdy pieces that are easy to align and arrange into a track (including arches, intersections, quarter circles and ramps), and encourages imaginative play (is it a runway, skatepark, city or more?). Kids will love creating their own little worlds out of the pieces. Pair it with the Rainbow Car Pack for more fun. Ages 3+
With the fun of traditional paint, minus the mess, we were impressed by the way these semi-solid paints didn't drip, slosh or spill. This set makes tapping into their creative sides even easier with three primary paint colours, two brushes and a table top easel to paint on. Ages 3+
This audio player is designed for preschoolers to be able to use by themselves; they just put a card in to start a story, song or podcast, and take it out when they want it to stop. YOTO's mini version is great for three-year-old hands, and has a long battery life.
Explore the many cards available with Disney themes, bedtime music, and many more. Ages 3+
This is an inexpensive present, but one with big impact. The four cubes light up the second they come into contact with water, making boring bath times a thing of the past. The fun sensory experience is also calming, making them popular with SEN children – and they automatically turn off once dry. Ages 3+
Designed for two-to-four-year-olds, the Gingersnap is the perfect first bike for little ones. Handmade in a variety of gorgeous colours, it comes with the beautiful wicker basket and shiny silver bell. They'll be whizzing around on their own in no time. Ages 2+
Thanks to its striking design, this super realistic-looking mixer will look great in any (imaginary or real) kitchen. It has a two-speed motor that can actually mix real ingredients – such as butter and eggs – to create the likes of pancake batter and icing! Kids will love playing star baker with this fun and practical toy. Ages 3+
There are 25 activity sheets in this pack, which kids can use to practise their cutting, folding and sticking skills. The sheets gradually get more challenging, and our little one was utterly engrossed! Ages 3+
If you have a dino fan at home who wants a nightly bedtime story, these are the perfect length for "just one more story" time. Each one centres on the child's name, with personalised pages throughout. Ages 2+
This kit includes 10 faces, five wigs, and enough big building pieces to make different bodies. It inspires open-ended play that can encourage conversations about how people look different or have different emotions.
Duplo-loving kids will find the characters refreshing compared to the ones in other sets, which can't move their limbs or be repositioned. Ages 3+
The object of this simple family game is easy — match the correct farm animals to their babies and post them into the 3D barn. The 30 chunky, wipe-clean cards are perfect for little hands, and kids will love to get involved. Ages 2+
No, this camera doesn't take actual video. But they'll love pretending to film everything in sight like a little content creator. Who knows? You may even have the next Steven Spielberg on your hands. Ages 3+
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They can spread out their blanket and get ready for a picnic with this fun food set. Stacking the food on the plates will help their fine motor coordination, too.
There's a selection of items to play with (including fruit, juice cartons and biscuits, as well as wooden plates, knives and forks) to spark their imaginations, and when they're done, everything can be stored back inside the basket. Ages 2+
While colourful and cartoony cleaning toys are great, this one is hilarious because it looks so much like a real Dyson vacuum. Colourful balls swirl around, but that's not all – it even has enough real suction to pick up small pieces of paper, which they can empty through a removable dustbin in the back. Ages 3+
Little ones will be impressed by the sheer number of bubbles this machine created. Throw it on for three year olds, and it's an instant party! Ages 3+
This set gets their imaginations firing as they add their favourite toppings and pretend to cook the pizza in the oven. But they'll also practise sorting and counting — it comes with fake money — as they run their own pizza shop. Who needs Deliveroo? Ages 3+
Get them to work on their balance and co-ordination with this curved board, which kids can sit on or stand on and rock back and forth. The fun part is that the bottom is covered in suction cups, so it makes a popping sound. Ages 3+
This scooter was designed with preschoolers in mind. It has three wheels to help keep them balanced, and the handlebars are height adjustable to keep up with them as they grow, up to the age of five. Plus, it comes in three colours, so you can choose their favourite. Ages 2+
There are dinosaur toys, and there are train sets, but BRIO has combined both in this wonderful gift.
It comes with two Brachiosauruses figures (that can pick up dino eggs using the power of magnets), a pteranodon, a lava cave, a wagon and plenty of tracks to send them around. It's sure to become a new favourite toy. Ages 3+
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
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