The 31 Best Gifts for 3-Year-Olds to Fuel Their Imaginations

Parents and kids alike will love the Crayola Color Wonder set with Magic Light Brush. It comes with Color Wonder painting paper, Color Wonder paint, and the Magic Light Brush that only colors paper (and nothing else) for a mess-free experience. When the magic paint brush touches furniture, there's no paint at all. Just keep in mind the paint brush will need batteries to light up, which are not included.

What a sweet way to send some holiday cheer to the 3-year-old snow angel in your life! This book play set comes with an illustrated guide to creating a family out of snow, plus 10 plush "snowballs" with embroidered snowmen faces for plenty of indoor winter fun, too. This great last-minute Christmas gift arrives wrapped in the loveliest hand-crafted wood crate with a lid and ribbon.

More than ever, children need to understand that not everyone looks the same, and baby dolls are no exception. Miniland dolls come with "very well-defined facial features that help children identify diverse looks," according to the product description. These diverse looks span from dolls with down syndrome, hearing aids, glasses, and more. Standing at 15 inches tall, each doll comes lightly scented with vanilla and is made of high-quality soft vinyl.

Representation matters, and seeing yourself (or other kids) represented with various professions expands their horizons. When you ask them, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" with the help of this mix-and-match puzzle, they'll be able to look beyond what they previously thought and dream bigger.

The brand Tasty, which you may know as one of the biggest social influencers in the recipe game, has created a chef set for kids. While three-year-olds won't actually be using it to make food, the make-believe collection from Red Toolbox comes with 16 pieces that resembles what the Tasty kitchen uses on their super-popular cooking videos.

As toy trends specialist Lynch says, "Pretend kitchens often have a lot of different interactive features and come with multiple accessories so kids can act out new storylines each time they play." In addition to using their imaginations, players of this Tasty-made kitchen will enjoy the sounds and lights that make it feel more realistic.

Toddlers don't usually love the bath. But, a bath toy like these building pipes can make the nighttime to-do a moment to look forward to. This set comes with five shapes that can be easily put together by a 3-year-old. BPA-free, they can be filled up with bath water for fun.

Since 3-year-olds are nowhere near ready for an iPad or Nintendo Switch, this Alcatel Joy Tab device is a great alternative until they're older. This tablet comes loaded with toddler and young-kid-appropriate interactive books, videos, and games featuring their favorite characters like Peppa Pig, My Little Pony, PJ Masks, and Gabby's Dollhouse. A parental control panel gives grown-ups the opportunity to limit use and content.

A fun puzzle minus the frustration, this Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Board includes several different designs showcasing flowers, shapes, animals and more for endless play. Improving children's spatial awareness, cognitive skills, and hand-eye-coordination, this set can occupy them for hours at a time. And when it's time to clean up, the included wooden box will help contain everything.

Kids will love the imaginative role play they'll get with this unique dollhouse toy. Parents will love that the figurines and accessories fit nicely inside for easy cleanup. It comes with five characters, as well as a food cart, trays, play food and drink.

Originally released in 1971, the Fisher Price Record Player is still playing sweet tunes for tots. It includes five playable records with 10 songs. Kids simply swap out discs and turn the knob to reveal new tunes. The songs are recognizable, classic lullabies the whole family will love.

This is no ordinary kids' seating. This set of cushions, which comes with 4 flat base cushions and 2 bolster rectangles, can be used to build everything from forts, to houses, to rocket ships. All you need is a little imagination. They're comfy and grip to one another, making it easy to stack and hold in place. The covers of the cushions are also machine washable; simply unzip to remove. Choose from several colors including moonbeam (pictured), ocean, rose, sky, pine, glacier, calamine, and sagebrush.

Following the traditional Montessori philosophy, this triangle climber provides small children independent, active play. Your three-year-old will have so much fun developing his or her motor skills with this award-winning toy — it earned a 2021 Parenting Award from our friends at Good Housekeeping. And, bonus, it ships fully assembled! Ramp slide and ladder additions can also be included for an additional cost, if you want to level up this structure to a mini playground.

The original magnetic building tiles, Magna-Tiles are perfect for 3-year-old budding engineers. The colorful pieces easily attach to each other using magnets so little ones can put together structures with ease. They're a lot simpler to work with than LEGO or LEGO DUPLO sets, which makes them perfect for toddlers who are still improving their motor skills.

Harnessing motor skills and their imagination, this ice cream set will give the 3-year-old the opportunity to pretend to run their own ice cream stand. Included are four magnetic ice cream scoops, two cones, two magnetic scoopers, and an ice cream box.

How special is this electric ride-on mail truck? It comes with three plastic envelopes and a mailbox, as well as an actual working FM radio/Mp3 player input, headlights, and horn. It's so realistic, it might give your postal service worker a run for their... well, mail. A rechargeable battery is provided that you'll have to plug in every so often to keep this ride going.

Give kids the opportunity to work with their hands using this fun mermaid-themed sensory bin. "Sensory bins are a great mindful activity and [Creativity for Kids] has a wide range of themed
versions to choose from," explains Lynch, who recommended this brand. "Three-year-olds often like to play independently, too, so this is a good solo activity to keep their minds and hands busy as they explore the different elements and textures inside their bin."

This one in particular comes complete with a water beads (which are fun, squishy, and slippery), three foam mermaids, two squeaky jellyfish, a scoop, shells, plastic seahorses, gems, a treasure chest, and a fake aquarium plant. Don't worry too much about mess. This sensory bin comes contained in its own bin. Just make sure your tot knows not to eat the beads.

This bubble wand with its super bubble solution makes the ultimate bubbles. Three-year-olds will lose their minds, because this kit creates giant bubbles using a 2-handle design that is also responsible for setting world records. The set comes with two pouches of WOWmazing's bubble concentrate, and a booklet with tips.

For parents who want to keep their kids off screens but also have a limit of storytelling, the Toniesbox will be a welcomed addition to the bedtime routine. This huggable speaker (soft enough to keep in the bed) plays different characters, called Tonies. Each Tonies character (sold separately) provides about an hour of storytelling or music. There are popular characters like Elsa, Mulan, and Peppa Pig to use. The child or parent can simply put the character on top of the box, pinch the ear, and listen. Choose from different box colors like pink (pictured), gray, light blue, red, and green.

The three-year-old can build three lovable dinosaurs — a T-rex, triceratops, and stegosaurus — with this kit. It comes with molds, clay, paint, molding tools, and wiggly eyes to complete the dinosaur creations. This item, which is made of non-toxic materials, was also a 2018 ASTRA Best Toys for Kids winner, so it's a standout for sure!

You can give the three-year-old a handy play toolbox, but if you personalize it with their name, even better. They can pretend to create their next DIY project with this charming toolbox, which comes with 24 pieces. Opting to have their name carved into the side will truly make this gift their own.

What do you give the kid who has every type of matchbox car already? A handy storage case shaped like a tire, of course. If the child is not yours, his or her parents will thank you. This retro-style container can fit up to 30 Hot Wheels inside.

As 3-year-olds get ready to start reading, create a little more joy in storytime by gifting them a reading buddy along with a complementary book. This Narwhal, for starters, can teach kids how to identify, imagine, and navigate their emotions while reading with a grownup. A board book is also included, which has daily affirmation that inspire kids to change the world. Other creatures (like unicorns, dragons, and bears) are also available.

As soft as can be, the Miniso soccer plush toy will be the 3-year-old's best huggable companion. Snuggly and adorable, we love this plush that comes in different animal varieties, like penguins, bunnies, dinosaurs, and more.

The ultimate Play-Doh set, this box comes with over 30 tools to make countless shapes. Six Play-Doh colors are also included, as well as a roller and cutter to enhance creations. The three-year-old will love this timeless classic.

This rainbow stacking toy, made of natural beech wood with soft edges, will bring toddlers endless fun. They can assemble it in size order to improve problem solving skills and hand-eye-coordination. When not being played with, this tactical toy can sit on a shelf or bedside table as decor. We especially love its center piece that looks like a pig snout or eyes on an egg-shaped face.

Another gift that is not just for kids, but for parents too, this innovative Stokke ride-on doubles as a suitcase to make the travel experience easy for the family. Classified as a carry-on, this ride-on can be pulled along by parents, or pulled along by the kids themselves (when not riding it). Its wheels swivel for easy maneuvering around an airport or during your commute.

As the lesson directed at 3-year-olds goes, families come in many different forms. This fun collection of people will help them understand that. This set comes with 33 pieces that can be put together to build people, and 12 activity cards for fun educational and social play.

Toddlers love to build. This set of cardboard blocks that stack and nest will give them the opportunity to create a city of their own using pieces that look like a train station, fire department, hospital, school, and police station. Wooden cars and a train with working wheels are also provided to be able to get around their pretend city.

Made in Ukraine, this balancing toy that features a dolphin holding a bunch of rings will delight and excite. If the players are not successful, the structure comes down. Kids get the chance to exercise their fine motor skills, focus, and logic in the process.

When on-the-go or even at home, this reusable placemat featuring the map of the United States makes for a great diversion for the little one waiting for their meal. It can be colored with washable markers or pens, and wiped off clean when done. Non-toxic and eco-friendly, it's made of silicone so it'll adhere to tabletops while being able to remove for easy clean-up.

Transform any standard-sized door in a home into a food truck and kitchen. Perfect for pretend play, this entryway (made of heavyweight, machine washable fabric) easily rolls down for use. It's printed on both sides, and comes with a drawstring storage bag. A removable hanging strip keeps it in place.