Christmas for 3 Yr Old

At 3 I bought a lot of project stuff. Large beads to string on pipe cleaners, painting stuff and coloring books and crayons. There are all sorts of fun kits at the craft store and I have a budding artist to this day :-) I believe she also got a few dress up items ( frilly skirt, feather boa ect) Also look for a learning/education supply store and they might have some fun preschool games or toys. Good luck.

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At 3 I bought a lot of project stuff. Large beads to string on pipe cleaners, painting stuff and coloring books and crayons. There are all sorts of fun kits at the craft store and I have a budding artist to this day :-) I believe she also got a few dress up items ( frilly skirt, feather boa ect) Also look for a learning/education supply store and they might have some fun preschool games or toys. Good luck.

when my girls were that age, they *loved* pretend play things like toy dishes and play food and building things like wooden blocks. Magna-doodles and art supplies are also good stand-bys - maybe a toddler-size easel?

Subscription to a children's magazine like Highlights or NWF's Your Big Backyard can also be good choices, esp. since IME most young children *love* receiving mail with their name on it :-)

My DD is also above average, and is way into drawing, pretend play and role play. She loves her dollhouses, dress up, her magnadoodle, Melissa and Doug puzzles, measuring spoons (yeah, don't ask), and Alphie (the new robot toy). She also loves flashlights to make shadows with and play kitchen/food/utensils. Of course books and games like Candy Land, Hullabaloo, elephun, and hi ho cherrio are great options as well.

Here's what our son (3 in January) is getting for Christmas.
- A piggy bank from Mommy. He loves putting coins in, and even learned from his uncle how to fold dollars so they fit.
- New pajamas from his little brother.
- A Jessie doll (toy story) from Daddy.
- A wooden train set (no batteries anywhere) from Santa.
- Outdoor adventure gear we bought in Germany (a telescope, wind-up flashlight, measuring tape, whistle, and bug jar with tweezers).

As tempting as it can be to get the newest, hottest, battery powered toy out there, it seems like kids lose their interest in them very quickly. Classic toys (blocks, dress-up stuff, other role playing gear like kitchen, workbench, doctor, etc.) all last for much longer. Art stuff too.

My 3 year old is getting new clothes, puzzle, gaming system thing you hook up to the tv, books, elmo cleaning kit (soap, bath dots, etc).

Please take a look at my Discovery Toys website. There are so many great gifts for preschoolers. I have a 3.5 year old son and he loves the toys I sell. He is able to play all of the toys labeled for ages 4+ so I'm sure your daughter can too.

If you find some of my past posts, I have made specific recommendations. My son's favorites are Zingo, It's A Match, and Playful Patterns.

For xmas this year, I got him the Big Hungry Bear Beyond the Book Collection (book + CD and game), Short Vowel Fun (an Uno style game using words), and the Playtown Pet Hospital. Your daughter would probably love any of these, as well as the others from the Playtown Series and the "Princess and the Dragon" Beyond the Book collection.

Please check out these toys and more at http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao Everything is fun, educational, and comes with a lifetime warranty. They get great reviews and are really high quality, so I think you'll like them much more than what you've seen in the stores.

K.

Books.
Music.
Art supplies.