Three is a tremendous year, and when it comes time to get gifts for kids this age, you might start looking beyond the toddler toys and into the next phase. “Around age 3, children start showing more interest in playing with others, instead of just playing next to each other,” says Jacque Bogdanov, PsyD, child psychologist and founder of ChildBehaviorClinic.com. “It’s a great time to introduce easy games that encourage cooperation and turn-taking, like simple board games or matching and memory games. Their imagination is also growing, so they tend to enjoy toys that encourage pretend and dramatic play like play food and kitchens, dolls, and so on.”
Don’t forget those preschool energy levels, either! “Three-year-olds have a high need for physical activity and movement too,” Dr. Bogdanov says. “Give them something to pedal or jump on that encourages gross motor development like bikes, trikes and scooters.” With all that factored in, these were our favorite toys and gifts for 3-year-olds in 2024, whether you’re looking for a present for 3-year-old boys, 3-year-old girls or any other threenager in your life.
Promotes Independence
Yoto Player (3rd Generation)
This audio player is designed for preschoolers to be able to use by themselves; they just have to put a card in to start a story, song or podcast, and take it out when they want it to stop. Good Housekeeping testers appreciated its long battery life and ease of use. This comes with a make-your-own audio card, but then you can explore cards with Disney themes, bedtime music, and many more. Ages 3+
Best Toy Award Winner
VTech Storytime With Sunny
Testers were taken in by the expression on this light’s face, which moves when it talks and tells stories. It comes with four disks that are packed with stories, songs, games, jokes, tongue twisters and more. It also works as a nightlight and an alarm clock, so testers appreciated that they could use it for bedtime and wake-up routines. It also comes in pink. Ages 3+
Nearly 18,000 5-Star Ratings on Amazon
Little Tikes T-Ball Set
Batter up! This height-adjustable T-ball set is designed to grow with kids until they’re about 6 years old, and you’ll be amazed at how much their strength, skill and coordination improve in that time. If you have a real sports star on your hand, you can also get the basketball hoop and golf set to go with it. Ages 18 months+
Best Artsy Gift
Crayola Spill-Proof Paint Set
Good Housekeeping testers were amazed at the way these semi-solid paints didn’t drip, slosh or spill (though they did notice that if kids got the paint on their hands, they could make smudges that way). This set makes tapping into their creative sides even easier with eight paint colors, three brushes and activity sheets to paint on. Ages 3+
Best Toy Award Winner
LeapFrog Rainbow Learning Lights Mixer
Kids really got into the pretend play with this one. “My son loved pulling apart the pretend butter and eggs and adding stuff to the bowl,” one parent tester said. But in addition to pretend baking, kids can use this to follow a recipe card, listen to instructions, press the buttons to make the paddle spin, practice counting (pressing the buttons from one to five) or practice colors (the mixer lights up in different ones). Ages 2+
A Doll With “Wow!” Factor
Disney Junior Splash & Glow Ariel
Mermaid fans will thrill to this toy, which sings and has color-changing lights on her tail, which also acts like a fountain to make a ballgown-skirt-like cascade of water. One tester even said Ariel held up well at the beach, despite the sand and salt water. “The battery and singing continues to function great, and shows no signs of wear,” the tester said. Ages 3+
Active Toy
Fat Brain Toys Teeter Popper
Get them to work on their balance and coordination with this curved board, which kids can sit on or stand on and rock back and forth. The fun part is that the bottom is covered in suction cups, so it makes a popping sound. It comes in pink, green and blue. Ages 3+
STEM Toy
GraviTrax Junior Starter Set
Marble runs are often the domains of older kids, but this set brings it down to preschool level. It comes with 100 sturdy pieces that are easy to align and arrange into a track, plus jungle-themed elements they can use just to make the design a little splashy. (You can also get sets with desert, polar and ocean themes, plus expansion packs.) Testers said that 3-year-old did need some help with the setup, but kids loved creating their own little worlds out of the pieces. Ages 3+
Fun Outdoor Toy
Step2 Waterfall Discovery Wall
What set this water table apart from all the others was its space-saving design: Most of the features are aligned vertically to keep it to a smaller footprint. Kids can scoop and pour water and watch it cascade through the different features. It’s also two-sided, so siblings can use it at the same time. Ages 18 months+
For Families That Love Music
Fisher-Price Rockin’ Record Player
Music-loving kids and their vinyl-collecting parents will both get a kick out of this one. It comes with five records in different musical styles, and it’s designed so kids can choose a record, remove it from its sleeve, place it on the turntable and put the arm into the grove all by themselves. Testers confirmed that the kids indeed played the records themselves — sometimes over and over again! Ages 3+
