The holiday season seems like it is on everyone’s mind, myself included. Here is my holiday 2022 3 year old gift guide. This guide is geared to the 3 going on 4 crew and even more specifically to full-time at home preschooler so it also has plenty of fun learning at home items!
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My 3 year old gift guide takes longer than you would think to compile
I always keep a running list of ideas that I add to as I think of things over the year, but I inevitably end up searching to see if there are any gems I may be missing or things that I want to pick up for us to grow into. This is especially the case now that we are embarking on homeschooling and I have to try and think of the materials or resources we may want to have on hand!
I created my 3 year old gift guide to cover all the basics I could think of for a young preschooler who spends the majority of their time at home. I am in no way suggesting you NEED all of the items I list below I am nearly listing our favorites or our wish list items. Hopefully, this sparks some ideas for your own 3 year old’s wish list!
Looking for other ages?
I list what I know and I have only ever known shopping for a little girl…
My list may be a little geared towards traditionally girl items, but lots of the things on my 3-year-old gift guide are just open-ended, loved by all toys, or at the very least come in other colors if llamas and glitter aren’t your kid’s thing!
FREE PLAY TOYS
You could make the argument that nearly my whole list is “free play toys” as I am a huge fan of letting the play lead the learning and letting my kid lead the way as I best I am I able. BUT the following toys are here as they don’t really fit into any of my other categories but I felt they were still very much worth the mention.
- Build a Bouquet
- Toddler Camera
- Wooden Train Set
- Rainbow Music Bells
- Magnetic Maze
- Dress Up magnets – there are tons of different characters available from princesses, to athletes, and a career person
- Yoto speaker
- Magnatab drawing board
- Wooden Loose Parts
ROLE PLAY
Pretend play or Dramatic play takes a HUGE leap around the 3 year old mark. I find that Bitty always has a story and is coming up with more and more creative play and it’s such a delight to watch the items in this section of my 3 year old gift guide are all about fostering that role play and storytelling!
- Dress up outfits – These nightgowns make the BEST dress-up dresses
- Doctors kit
- Tool Set – don’t be afraid to give them real tools, but do so under supervision. if you want more of a free play set try this wooden one
- Tea Set
- 18 inch doll
- Animal figures – we use every holiday to add a few new ones to our collection
- Character figures – Calico Critters, superheroes, Club Chelsea – follow your kiddos lead. Who and what are they into?
BUILDING
What 3 year old gift guide would be complete with without some magnetic tiles and some Lego Duplos!? These are without a doubt the most used toy in our house. Even better is that these blocks grow with your little!
- Picasso tile right angles – I don’t know about you but it always seems like we need more of the right angles…
- Picasso tile marble run – hands down the BEST toy we have in my opinion. Sturdy enough for younger kids easy to build and create their own runs. Just the BEST
- Lego Duplo creative box
- Themed Duplo set – Farm, Carnival, Animals whatever your little is into
- Wooden stepped pyramid blocks
- Pyramid Stacking Blocks
- Squigs – great for the bath!
GROSS MOTOR
Every day I look at my preschooler and I think to myself…”where does all that energy come from?!” It’s amazing and so good for their development but with winter looming I am always on the lookout for something to help burn some of that energy in a way that doesn’t leave me drained as well!
- Scooter
- Stepping stones
- Tumbling mat
- Swing – hang this up inside for year-round fun!
- Wobble board
- Bilibo Seat
STOCKING STUFFERS
For me personally Santa filled my stocking and maybe a couple of other gifts, This is something I plan on doing for my girls long after they catch me in the act. I just love filling a stocking! That said I am always on the lookout for some new ideas! Share your favorite thing to stuff in a stocking down below!
- Fingernail polish
- Hair accessories
- Fun Bandaids
- Toothbrush
- Animals
- Playsilks
- Ball Maze
- Mini Erasers – great for loose parts play and as manipulatives in homeschool
- Fidgets – Monkey Noodles, pop tubes, doughballs
BOARD GAMES
The day we have been anxiously awaiting has finally arrived. We can play board games with our preschoolers. We LOVE board games in this house. Ask me to prove it. Our board game closet is epic! I couldn’t create a 3 year old gift guide without including our favorite board games for young kids as well as a few that we are itching to add to the collection!
- Sneaky Snacky Squirrel
- Smart Farmer
- Count your Chickens
- Never Forget a Face
- Shopping List Game
- Sequence for kids
- ABC Bingo
CREATIVE
It’s no secret that I am a crafty person. I love all things rainbow and colorful. Art supplies make the perfect addition to a 3 year old gift guide because they are the one thing that your preschooler is likely burning through at home and you would likely be picking up anyway!
- Ooly Art Supplies – neon watercolors, & sparkle gel crayons, really anything from Ooly makes me drool…
- Tempra paint sticks – if you aren’t using these you are missing out man!
- Stabilo woody pencils – work on glass!
- Table Top Easel
- Perler Biggie Beads – I used to play with Perler beads for HOURS, did you know they make a larger version for littles to use!?
- Boogie board
- Buddha Board
- Snap Beads
SENSORY
Sensory play is super important for the preschool-age crowd as they are still learning about the world around them and I love introducing various sensory bases. Of course, you can still use the classics of rice, beans, and playdough (by the way make your own it’s SO much better!) but the Holidays are a great time to add a new filler to the rotation.
EARLY LEARNING
Kids are always learning. Don’t ever forget that. Why not provide them with a few materials that will help them learn with a little more purpose and intention! This year we are doing a little bit of preschool at home and I have found that a few things are super handy to use for manipulatives or to help get a point across. Your preschooler may not to through the roof with excitement over these but YOU will find them super useful!
- ABC Stamps
- Geography puzzles
- Search and Find Puzzles
- Layer Puzzle – seasons
- Pattern Blocks
- MathLink Cubes
- Magnetic letters/moveable alphabet
PRACTICAL LIFE
I wanted to make sure and include some non-toy items in my 3-year-old gift guide. So many kids already have more toys than they could ever play with and I totally get that and parents and loved ones are looking for other ideas of ways to still have presents under the tree. These items are where you are really going to want to customize your picks to your kids’ preferred colors, characters, and needs.
BOOKS
We will never have too many books. It’s just a fact. We may need to install a proper library in the basement but You won’t hear me complaining. This is another section of the 3 year old gift guide that you are going to want to customize to your kid’s interests and needs. (enter again that homeschool life, we read a lot)
- The Isle of You – topical books that relate to things your kid might be dealing with in real life
- Mr. Tiger Goes Wild – Books with a moral or a lesson to be absorbed but aren’t hitting you over the head with it
- Bitty Bot – Pure fun to read picture books
- A Little Prairie House – Nonfictional picture books that can be used as a jumping point in homeschool lessons but are more fun to read than non fiction books
- Seek and Find Books – Hidden in the Jungle – these are great for the car or quiet time as there isn’t reading so much as just looking
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