Gift Ideas for Three Year Olds!

Are you looking for a gift for a three-year-old? There are a lot of gift ideas here. I hope you find this list helpful!

1. Scooter (AU here) – three is a great time to start scootering if your child hasn’t already. This is the same scooter we have and still use at five years.
2. Screw Board – promotes fine motor skills, coordination, concentration and focus. 
3. Silk Streamer – I like this for playing outside with the wind; we’ve given it as a gift many times. 
4. Children’s Measuring Tape – for exploring length and math concepts at home. 
5. Children’s Stop Watch – this one gets used in our home all the time; the large buttons are easy for the young child to use. Helps children to develop a sense of time. 
6. Geosafari Microscope – a child’s microscope recommended from three years, it is very easy to use. It is a good magnifier for young children, perfect for the nature table. 
7. Schleich Animals – Schleich animals are realistic, and there are options to suit the child’s interests, like farm animals, sea animals or dinosaurs! 
8. Stand Magnifier – perfect for putting on the nature table and exploring rocks, insects and other found things. 
9. Pattern Stampers & Play-Doh – these stampers can be used from 18 months+, they are easy to grip, and while I love homemade play dough, store-bought is convenient and so easy. 
10. Children’s Kitchen Knives (AU here) – I love these starter knives. If you want to just get one, I recommend the serrated knife, we used it daily for years, and it is safe. If your child is experienced in the kitchen, you may want to go with something sharper like this knife. 
11. Children’s Chopsticks (AU here) – these chopsticks are our favourites, highly recommend!! 
12. Easy Child’s Kite – wow, this looks fabulous, we haven’t used a kite for years, but this one is inspiring me! 
13. Jumbo Model Insects 
14. Magnifier and Tweezers 
15. Small Watering Can – for indoor or outdoor use, the Haws brand is of great quality, and this size is good for children.
16. Child’s Broom – this broom is small and is suitable from 18 months.  
17. Realistic Stickers Bugs (AU here) & Farm Animals – these are also available for trucks, sea life, space, dinosaurs, Christmas, and so much more. 
18. Magnetic Tiles – these are a huge favourite in our family and are well worth the cost; get a big pack through, children like to build big, and as soon as we bought a small pack, we instantly wanted more. 
19. Scissors – three years is a good time to introduce scissors, you can see our child/toddler scissor review here. 
20. Jumbo Test Tubes – fun to use on the water table, for science experiments (think adding vinegar to baking soda), colour mixing or for fun bath play. 
21. Twisty Droppers (AU here) – Jumbo Droppers (AU here) are also a good option (we use both). 
22. Dot Markers – we love these; we always have them on our art shelves. Easy to use for toddlers too!
23. KidiZoom Camera – this is almost indestructible, my child loves this and we also give it as a gift. 
24. Child’s Dust Pan & Brush – dustpan and brush are essential if you have tiles or wooden floors, a small way a child can help to clean up. 
25. Geoboard – can be used in lots of different ways, good for developing fine motor skills. 
26. Pencils – I love to give art supplies as gifts; these pencils are perfect for three-year-olds; the pencils are thick, vibrant and go on smoothly. For three-year-olds, I also recommend these Lyra pencils. 
27. Butterfly Life Cycle Set – pair it with Caterpillar to Butterfly board book. 
28. Children’s Wheelbarrow – for outside work and play. 
29. Child’s Hand Shovel 
30. Children’s Gardening Tools 
31. Bath Cogs and Pipes (AU here) – good for bath play but also fantastic for the water table and for experimenting with water and physics. 
32. Bruder Fire Engine – my children love Bruder vehicles; they have cement mixers, excavators, huge cranes, tractors, and garbage trucks, all lifelike with good quality moving parts. 

You also need to look at the Lovevery Play Kits for Three-Year-Olds; they are practical and fun, we have all of these play kits and many of the items we are still using today and my child is now five. The plan ahead weather board, the playhouse (with car and lock), fort, squeeze and spray mop, the cooperative Turtle Hatch game, and the colour liquid lab are still very much favourites. 

Are you looking for a bigger gift, something for gross motor play?

1. Tuff Table (AU) (most similar US)- this has been such a winner for us I couldn’t not mention it. A water table or sand table is just so so useful. I set up a fresh scene with kinetic sand, some trucks and stones and my child is entertained for hours. 
2. Sensory Swing – for reading on or just hanging around. 
3. Wobble/Balance Board – a fun way to promote movement and develop balance inside. 
4. Climbing Dome – I haven’t tried this one, but it looks fantastic. 
5. Activity Table – a child-size table is a must at this age. 
6. Play House – for play and lots of gross motor skill development. Use the code HOWWEMONTESSORI at the checkout for 10% discount. 
7. Children’s Hammock – for relaxing, reading or enjoying the outdoors. This hammock is suitable for children up to 11yrs. 
8. Bookshelf – having a child-size bookshelf is a good way to allow the child to have ownership over their space and books. 
9. Adjustable Easel – we like an adjustable easel so it’s always at the right height. 
10. Balance Beam
11. Table and Stools – I love these for a work table or in the kitchen for a food prep and meal area. 

Three years is a good time to consider introducing cooperative games and logic games. These are some of our favourites.

1. Hoot Owl Hoot (UK here) – this is our number one favourite. It’s good for children learning to count. 
2. Snail’s Pace Race (UK here) (AU here) 
3. Count Your Chickens (UK here) (AU here)
4. Trucky 3 (UK here) (AU here)
5. Day & Night – I love this for developing visual discrimination skills. 
6. Bunny Boo (UK here) (AU here) – recommended from two years. 
7. Castle Logix (UK here) (AU here) – another one good for visual discrimination skills and cognitive development. 
8. Color Code (UK here) (AU here) – my children used this when they were close to four years old. I recommend for advanced or older three-year-olds; the manufacturer recommends from five years.  
9. Pattern Play (UK here) – this is a classic and can be enjoyed for many years. 
10. Smart Car – my children also played Smart Car when they were close to four years old, so I recommend it for advanced or older three-year-olds. 

Our other favourite games at three years include Hungry Hippos, Pop Up Pirate and Elefun!

Books are always a good option for gift-giving. I’ve tried to give ideas here for language books, animal and nature books, art books and books about music. 

1. Montessori Letter Work (UK here) / Montessori Number Work (UK here) / Montessori Shape Work (UK here) – (worldwide here). Each one of these has a tactile component. 
2. Montessori abc’s (UK here) – cursive version also available (UK here) – (AU here).
3. Caterpillar to Butterfly (UK here) / Tadpole to Frog (UK here) – hands down the best child’s lifecycle books for butterflies and frogs!! (worldwide here).
4. The Egg (UK here) / The Moon (UK here) / The Body (UK here) – I love the whole series of First Discovery books. They are easier to find in the UK, and much harder to find in Australia. (worldwide here).
5. The Tickle Fingers Cookbook (UK here) (AU here) (worldwide here) – suitable for children 1 to 4 years. Our most used cookbook for three-year-olds. 
6. Polar (UK here) / Safari (UK here) / Ocean (UK here) – (AU here). These photicular books are spectacular. 
7. The Photo Ark (UK here) – this isn’t a child-specific book, but the photography is amazing. 
8. Whose Bones? (UK here) (AU here)
9. Let’s Play (UK here) / Mix It Up (UK here) / Beautiful Oops! (UK here) – fun art books to explore. 
10. The Backyard Bug Book for Kids (UK here)
11. My First Book of Planets (UK here)
12. Children Just Like Me – a good book to introduce children to different cultures and people around the world. 
13. Bodies are Cool (UK here) (AU here) – good for body acceptance. 
14. Welcome to the Symphony (UK here) (worldwide here) – our favourite music book. 
15. First Book About the Orchestra (UK here) (worldwide here)

Please use this gift list for ideas; we shop local as much as possible. If you have an older child, you may like to read Gift Ideas for Five-Year-Olds.  

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