Ideas for Gifts for a Three Year Old

Books. Kids have enough toys and @ 3 they will outgrow any toy they get in 5 mins.

Not a gift card to a book store either - most of the bookstores near me have toys.

You can also set up a book corner for them - special shelving/baskets for their fav books and a nice seating area - fluffy rug, beanbag chairs.

I make wishlists for the kids and keep them on Amazon. If someone asks I can look on the list to remind myself or share it with them.

3 year old girls --
dollhouse
craft stuff
My little Pony
games (pretty pretty princess)
tutus and dress-up princess stuff

Of all the gifts we have given to my son who is now 9, a drawing easel has been the best and gotten the most use out of .. We gave it to my son when he was about 3 or 4 .. sometime around that and to this day, he still uses it... just about every day.. he loves it....
It has one side for marking pens and the other for chalk.. it's been a great source of learning for my son. we've written the ABCs on it.. math formulas, art and currently, he loves maps, so he draws different maps on it.. again, it's been the best gift EVER...

Zingo is a FUN game for that age. Just like Bingo, but they can play alone or with up to 4-5 players. Our daughter received it for her 3rd b-day last year and LOVED it. Can take it to dinner or to a hotel or just place at home.

I think that Build a Bear Workshop is the best thing since sliced bread,maybe you can suggest some build a bear gift cards.

Hands down the BEST gift my boys (1 & 3 yo) have received is a Family Membership to our local Children's Museum. It was a Christmas gift from grandmom and we go about once a month to the main location - Garden State Discovery Museum (Cherry Hill, NJ). Since it is a family level membership we can bring our family of four plus up to four guests. We can also use reciprical benefits at museums throughout the country for our family of four. We are fortunate to have three different museums within a half hour drive of our house. We also plan to go to two others when we make a trip to New England later this Fall!!!
It has paid for itself many times over!

We also have a Family Deluxe membership to the Philadelphia Zoo as it is a five minute drive (or 45 minute walk) from our house!!! We just upgraded to the deluxe as it includes rides on the carousel, train, animals and zoo balloon. :)

Memberships can be pricy but if a couple family members go in on them for your whole family to enjoy for a year that would be awesome for you!

I also fully agree with BOOKS!!! Books for now and books to grow in to - - - no better gift than that of an appreciation of reading!

Happy Birthday to your girls!!!
- J. :)

Books! Ones they can read themselves (that is, books with great illustrations) and also ones Mama can read to them.

Crayons and tablets of BIG sized paper - or a roll of kraft paper. Also, washable paints if Mama is brave enough for this.

Baby dolls they can mother - with as few bells and whistles as possible - and wardrobes for said dolls.

Tricycles (or little tiny bikes).

Personalized comb/ brush sets. (My grans have loved things with their names on them at that age.)

Appropriate music CDs so they can dance in the living room.

I have twins as well (boy/girl) who will be 3 in a few weeks and I was thinking the same thing about gifts. I think we are going to get them each a fish. Just one each with a small "tank" (a fish bowl). I think they will enjoy having a fish, naming it, feeding it, etc. Its a pretty low-maintence, easy pet for us as parents too ;) Also, I don't know what your daughter's interests are but I was considering suggesting to my in-laws (for a gift) of a doll house. My daughter has been really into pretend play lately. They have some really great ones if you search them online. Happy Birthday to your daughter :)

My daughter just turned 5 and we went through this. When my mother-in-law asked for suggestions I suggested magna tiles. I had seen both my daughter (5) and my son (2.5) playing with these at daycare. She got them the 32 piece set here: http://www.amazon.com/Magna-Tiles-Clear-Colors-piece-set/...
Since my daughters birthday party both kids have played with these a lot and I still see them playing with them at daycare as well. They are a little pricey but definitely a great gift.

Also, we got our daughter an easel as her present when our sone was born. She was 2 and a half then. We got her this Melissa & Doug easel:
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Standing-Easel/...
Then I went to Discount School Supply: http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/
and got watercolor paints, smocks, brushes and the cups that are in the picture for the easel. The watercolors I got are Coloration and they wash up really easily. Basically any art supplies are great for my daughter since she was about 3 and the nice thing is that she actually uses them (and I discreetly discard things after a while), so the art supply gifts don't end up cluttering up my house for long. My sister has twin boys that just turned 3 and I got them pony beads, lanyard string, and long pipe cleaners as part of their gift. I find that at 3 stringing on beads is fun for the kids and I figure it is good for eye hand coordination too.

Good Luck,
D.

Books
Puzzles
Dress up/pretend play stuff
Preschool games

The toys that my guys played with the most at that age - and still do, at five - are the ones that let them pretend. Their wooden kitchen is still a big hit (and it's fun to continue to build their collection of foods and dishes), as is the workbench. If you are looking for items in lower price ranges, their favorite game was Cariboo by Carnium. As mentioned below, I also like the wish list feature on Amazon - helps me to remember and lists ideas for others who need them.

1. $$$ for college
2. books - Anna Dewdney's Lllama series are great for this age
3. Little people
4. Pretend Play toys - toy vacuum, Lawn Mower etc
5. Gator golf
6. Dress up- gowns, tutus etc
7. Hair Pretties
8. Gift cards to fun places: Chuck E Cheese, Baskin Robins, Micky D's, Barnes and Noble, movies, etc.

Clothes for the fall
Books
Strawberry Shortcake
Fancy Nancy

When my daughter turned 3y we changed her crib to a toddler bed and redid her room from Winnie the Pooh to Princess. Family members chipped in. One bought the lamp, one bought the curtains.