Are you perplexed as to what to get as a gift for a 3 year old girl? The choices can be overwhelming. How do you know which are the right gifts for girls this age?
I have spent the past 10 years working at a pre-school. Last year I was the lead teacher in a 3 year old classroom. I learned what toys keep their attention, what items are too complicated for them, what frustrates them, and what keeps them coming back again and again. I got to know their favorite characters, their favorite stories, and their favorite programs. I have put this guide together based on my observations and interactions during the past year. It includes fun educational toys for 3 year olds as well as toys to increase social and emotional development.
1. Flower Garden
Popular toys for 3 year olds
All 3 year olds love flowers and taking care of them. This STEM activity is an educational building toy that also fosters imaginative play. The bright colors will keep her playing for hours. She can actually make her flowers grow by adding more pieces.
While pinwheels are for a real garden, girls love watching them spin around and around. These make a nice extra gift for a 3 year old girl. You can top a present with one, or buy a pack for her to plant outside. Then she can watch them spin as the wind blows. If she likes to help in your garden, get her a Peppa Pig boot planter. She can paint it. Then you can plant flowers or herbs in it, and she can watch her real plants grow.
2. Play Jewelry Set
Christmas present ideas for 3 year old girl
What should I get my 3 year old daughter for her birthday? All little girls like to pretend to be mum. They like to get dolled up in fancy dress, wear lipstick, and pile on lots of necklaces. With a play jewelry set she can pretend she is going out for the evening in the town. Most sets come with both play makeup and jewels.
She will love additional dress up items such as high heels and tiaras. Then she won’t sneak yours out of the closet to attempt to wear around the house. You can also get her a set of snap beads to make her own jewelry. Snapping these little beads will improve fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.
3. Magnetic Fishing Puzzle
Educational toys for 3 year olds
Fishing puzzles are a big hit with the 3 year old crowd. They love casting the line and pretending to catch fish while they are improving hand–eye coordination. Just make sure they don’t get too wild flinging the fishing line around and hit their friends by mistake!
You could even get her some easy 24 piece floor puzzles. I’m not sure why, but children love crawling around on the floor to do these puzzles. For a personalised gift for a 3 year old girl, get her a wooden puzzle with her name.
4. Lottie Dolls
Popular dolls for 3 year olds
These dolls make great birthday presents for a 3 year old girl. Many of them have science themes such as fossil digger or astronomer to encourage girls in these fields.
To promote outdoor activities, get the Lottie Doll canoe playset. You can also get chef accessories for Lottie.
5. Hoppers
Best toys for 3 year olds to keep them active
Wondering what to buy a 3 year old? Children love bouncing. Get her a bouncer to help her use up her excess energy inside or out. The kids would always fight over these at the preschool, so make sure you have more than one if she is going to have a friend over to play with.
Maybe she would also like an indoor bowling game to keep her busy. Or maybe she would even like to take up golf. This set will help her practice hand eye coordination.
6. Drawing Water Mat
Best toys for 3 year old artists
This makes a great birthday present for a 3 year old girl. Most come with stencils, stamps, and water pens. Doodles fade after a few minutes so girls can keep drawing. The best thing is that there is no mess. The pens just use water and the colors magically appear. This is good for younger children too, so if you have toddlers they can have fun doodling with their big sister.
You could also get her a magnetic drawing pad to take with her on trips. Again, no mess. Or get her a Peppa Pig splash and reveal soft toy. She can use the water marker on Peppa Pig to reveal splotches of color that disappear once she dries.
7. Indoor Playhouse
Christmas present for a 3 year old girl
This indoor play house makes a special gift for a 3 year old girl. She can have her own playhouse but safely indoors where you can keep an eye on her. I had a cardboard playhouse as a child and had loads of fun playing in it.
Don’t forget the table and chairs. For a unique gift for a 3 year old, get a postal office play set so she will have her own mailbox to go with her house. Or she can use it separately to deliver mail to the rest of the family. My sister and I used to spend hours creating and delivering mail to each other as children.
8. Pet Salon
Great girl toys 3 years
Whether pet salon or pet vet, either one is a great present idea for a 3 year old girl because they all love animals. Plus caring for pets teaches empathy.
For a Christmas present for a 3 year old girl, you could get her some extra soft animals to place in a hamper to surprise her. Does she like Doc McStuffins? Get her a Doc McStuffins pet carrier.
9. Bubble Popper Toy
Stress relieving toy for 3 year olds
Children are often under as much stress as adults, whether from starting a new school, having a new baby in the family, or due to environmental factors. Many new toys are aimed at helping relieve stress in children.These poppers are becoming very popular toys for 3 year olds as well as adults. They are a therapeutic calming toy that helps relieve stress and are a really great gift for a 3 year old with special needs such as autism or ADHD.
Meditation Barbie is a stress relieving doll for a 3 year old. Barbie’s necklace is programmed with 5 meditation exercises that children can do with her while she does yoga. Another doll for anxious children is Disney’s Raya doll. When you lift her arm, Raya plays soothing music.
10. Toy Animals
Fun toys for 3 year olds
Toy animals can be lots of fun. Most kits come with a set of animals and a play mat. Themes include jungle, safari, farm, or dinosaurs. You can also buy the animals separately without the play mat. If she has books about animals, now would be a great time to read them to her. Her play will then reinforce what she learns.
As an additional gift for a 3 year old girl, get her a Melissa & Doug latchable barn. Using the latches to open doors and windows improves fine motor skills. You could also get her an animal torch light to project animal images onto a wall.
11. Her Own Car
Luxury gifts for 3 year olds
This Christmas gift for a 3 year old is for a child who has everything. These electric cars use rechargeable batteries so your child can drive around outdoors in a safe environment.
Alright, I know that one is pricey. If you want to get her outdoors, but with a less expensive gift, get her a tricycle. If she is a Disney Cars fan, you can get her a Cars 3 Toolbox so she can pretend to fix her car or trike.
12. Peppa Pig Playset
Best presents for a 3 year old girl
What girl doesn’t like Peppa Pig? These cute playsets are popular toys for 3 year olds. Collect them all. Peppa goes camping, sells ice cream, and acts on stage.
Maybe she would like to make her own Peppa Pig figures with a soft dough kit. It comes with moulds and dough so she can make fun characters. The Peppa Pig wooden house is a great Christmas present for a 3 year old girl. Then she will have a place for Peppa and friends to live.
13. Personalised Plush Toy
Birthday idea for a 3 year old daughter
For a special birthday present for a 3 year old girl get her a cuddly toy with her name and age. Even when she outgrows stuffed toys this will always hold fond memories for her.
For the Disney fan, get her a Disney stuffed toy with her name. Or get her a life size animal from Melissa & Doug. I had a giant elephant as a child that I won at the fair. It was one of my favorite toys.
14. Kindi Kids
Shopkins dolls for 3 year olds
These dolls come with classic Shopkins accessories. I remember my child collecting Shopkins before they came out with the dolls.
You can always get her some Kindi Kids Minis or Kindi Kids Scented Sisters as well. Scented Sisters all have sweet smelling scents. Minis fit in a stocking so they make nice Christmas gifts for 3 year old girls.
15. Interactive Water Table
Best outdoor gifts for 3 year olds
An interactive water table is a great gift for 3 year olds to explore their senses while keeping the mess outside.
Make sure to get some sand toys as an additional gift. These toys can be used in sand, dirt, water and other mediums. You can also get her some mermaid dolls that are made for water play.
16. Lego Duplo
Christmas gift for a 3 year old
While these beginner Legos are also for younger children, 3 year olds can still get an introduction to how to connect Legos. They can have fun playing with the toys without the frustration of the small pieces in the sets for older children.
Traditional bristle blocks also make good building toys for 3 year olds and are often used in preschools. A cool construction set also makes a great gift for 3 year old girls because it enhances STEM abilities and gets girls used to using tools.
17. Fancy Duvet Cover
Birthday present for a 3 year old daughter
This unusual bedding makes a perfect birthday gift for a 3 year old for their first big girl bed.
Get her a pillow case that she can color herself to go with it. Just make sure she doesn’t color it on her new bedding! You can even get her a personalised throw pillow with custom photos or with her name printed on it.
18. Puppets
Creative toys for a 3 year old
Puppets are good toys for 3 year old girls. They promote creative play and can often be used to help identify and process feelings.
Don’t forget a puppet theater so she has a place to put on her productions. Get her some finger puppets as well. They make great stocking stuffers and are small enough to take with her on the go.
19. Sparkly Trainers
Fancy gifts for 3 year old girls
These might seem like a frivolous gift for a 3 year old girl, but they are so cute! Sometimes you just have to get her that special luxury gift.
If you want something fancy but on a lower budget, try cute shoe clips. Bling that she can attach to shoes she already has. Don’t forget the frilly socks as well to complete her outfit.
20. Ravensburger Board Games
Toys for girls age 3 that she can share with her family
These beginning board games are a great way to teach 3 year olds about taking turns and playing fairly. It is also important for them to learn that the fun of playing a game with family members is more important than winning.
A Peppa Pig memory game is fun but is also an educational toy for a 3 year old. It helps improve concentration skills. She may also like a box of Frozen II 6 games in 1.
21. Toniebox
Popular gifts for 3 year olds in the UK
Tonieboxes are speakers that tell stories and play music when a tonie character is placed on top. It is easy enough for a 3 year old to operate by herself. They come in a variety of colors.
Choose a character from some of children’s favorites such as music and stories from Frozen, Paw Patrol, and Toy Story. Or for a personalised gift for a 3 year old in the UK, you can make a creative tonie of your own and upload up to 90 minutes of music and stories of your own content. This is a great idea when you are unable to read to your child, but you still want her to hear a bedtime story. It also is a great way to cut down on screen time.
22. Designer Marc Jacobs Jacket
Luxury present for a 3 year old daughter
Even little girls like fancy clothes. A designer gift for a 3 year old girl will make her feel special. Every little girl needs a bit of luxury in her life.
For spring, get her a stylish rain jacket from Billie Blush. Billie Blush also makes fancy puffer jackets for winter so she can be fashionable even when the temperature dips real low.
23. Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Dolls
Dolls for a 3 year old
These magnetic dress–up dolls are one of the best presents for a 3 year old girl. At 3 they want to be independent, but don’t have the fine motor skills to dress dolls by themselves. With these magnetic dolls, the clothes just cling to them. There are many sets to choose from so she can create a whole network of friends. My child had a set of these sturdy dolls at our house and one at Gran’s.
Another fun toy for a 3 year old is a Peppa Pig and Friends Magnet book. She can have Peppa and friends act out the stories while they magnetically stick to the book. Or get some old fashioned paper dolls from the flower fairies collection.
24. Potato Head and Friends
Classic toys for 3 year old girls
We all grew up with the Potato Heads. They are still fun toys for kids today since they joined the crew of Toy Story. The Potato Head Family is one of the best toys for 3 year olds because they improve fine motor skills while they are engaging in imaginative play. Now they come with different Disney character accessories and as electronic interactive talking toys.
If she is a Toy Story fan, you may want to get her a set of 4 puzzles from Pixar Toy Story 4. You could also get her an interactive Jesse doll from Toy Story 4 to play with the potato head family.
25. Playfoam
Fun gift for a 3 year old
Unlike traditional dough, Playfoam never dries out. Kids can sculpt it into anything they want. It also helps to develop sensory perception and fine motor skills making a great educational toy for a 3 year old girl.
However, if you want a whole creative play set, go with the traditional playdoh. They have everything from various kitchen sets to dinosaurs. Or get her an air dry modeling clay kit if she wants to make more permanent masterpieces.
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