Toys for 3 Yr Old Boy

My grand daughter is 3, she doesn't really play with anything that I can see, although my daughter says she does. She loves to pretend, so pretend play, dressup, a tent, a costume, figures, a kitchen, riding toy, a toolbench, anything that is interactive. He is young for a game, and young for legos, although they have a younger version of them. My granddaughter is getting calico critters for Christmas. What she does, and loves to do, is use the websites on my computer. She is amazing.

1 mom found this helpful

I always recomend educational stuff. Like flash cards, colors, numbers, alfabet, and pictures.

When my son was that age he got a small inexpensive electronic keyboard (not a baby-ish one). It's still one of his favorite toys to pull out now and then and his little brother loves it too.

We have a 3yo boy too, and he is CRAZY about Candy Land. We got it at a yard sale for about fifty cents, and I swear he asks to play it at least 2 or 3 times a day. I've been looking for Chutes & Ladders (another game I remember enjoying when I was little), and Heigh-Ho Cherry-o (or something like that). Have fun!

my son will be 3 this month so i know your feeling on age appropiate toys but my son goes to theapy and his thepist introduces things to him and one good thing she has introduced is wooden puzzles he loves and PLAYSKOOL CLIPOS he loves too ALSO HES GETTING THE PLAYSKOOL DANCE CAM BECAUSE HE LOVES TO DANCE TRY SOME PLAYDOH PAINTS OR JUST ANYTHING TO KEEP HIM BUSY MY SON LOVES TO PAINT AND HE LOVES PLAYDOH AND THIS IS ODD HE LIKES TO PUT MARBLES IN THE PLAYDOH AND DIG THEM OUT HOPE THIS HELPS

What I usually do is show them the papers that come in and have them circle what they like... in most cases, they will circle everthing.

The BIG lego blocks are good and not a chocking hazard.

Board games my be a waste, pieces may get lost quickly so choose wisely. Maybe candyland so they can learn about colors is a good one. Or even twister, learns about left right and colors.

Birthdays in my house are Nov (husband), 2 children in Sept, 1 in Dec., Anniversary in Jan, My birthday in Feb. and the last birthday in May... along with all the other holidays.

Here's something to consider: For Christmas, interactive toys
for birthday, dinner with the family... each family pays for their own. We don't always have to go over the top... keep balance and what works for mommy. Happy Holidays to you.

Hi S.,

One of the best gifts my oldest son received was on his second birthday - Thomas the Tank Engine trains and a little bit of track. He also got a book that introduced the different engines, and a video tape of Shining Town Station. He fell in love with the trains, ended up building incredible and intricate track mazes, and had endless hours of play creating his stories about the trains at the same time. He was 13 when he finally told the trains goodbye. My younger son participated fully in train-track building along with his older brother, but it was my first son who loved it the most. If I were you, I'd get enough wooden track to make an oval, with a few engines and some cars for them to pull. Introduce him to the Thomas the Tank Engine universe. It teaches lots of life lessons, in children's terms. After he learns to put that track together, get him a overpass bridge and a couple more specialty items for his track. You'll know if he just loves it, and that's when you "invest" in more track. If there is a Tuesday Morning in your area, you might see if they have wooden track that is less expensive than the Thomas series track (which is expensive).

You may find that his ability to put together Legos increases after working with train track. I kind of put puzzle working, track building and Lego building in the same category. It really helps develop their spacial skills!

Have fun!
D.

He's too young, IMHO, for standard Lego's. The pieces are often very small. However, there are Duplo blocks that would be great for him. Also they have Kids K'Nex, like this one http://www.knex.com/sesame-street-building-sets/ that he would most likely enjoy.

You can look at some board games like Chutes & Ladders and Candy Land. Candy Land helps with colors too. Hi Ho Cherry-O is a good game for coordination skills. http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-44703-Hi-Ho-Cherry-O/dp/B000... You can buy all 3 for a good price by going to that link if you desire.

Have fun with this little one, they grow up so quickly.

I have 2 boys, a 5 year old and almost 3 year old (in Dec), so I'm in the same boat except I have to come up with new ideas because my older son already has so much. Some toys that my older son got when he was younger that they both still play with are the Thomas trains and a table, duplo legos, Candy Land, floor puzzles, and a kitchen. The duplo legos will keep them busy for hours. We have a big board that they can build on and there are all kinds of cars, people, and animals that keep their imagination working. They also like tinker toys and lincoln logs. This year we are getting a tool bench by step2 which comes with several foam pieces to build things, an easel and the standard unit blocks both by melissa and doug, and the v-smile v-motion because he's very active. There are so many choices out there. I always go to amazon.com and search by age and gender. hope this helps!

My daughter is 3 and loves Little Einsteins. I got her the rocket and people for her as one of her gifts. I think that is a boy or girl item really. If he loves a particular tv show then sometimes something from that show is very exciting. I don't let my daughter watch much tv but know she is going to love it. The reviews online seem good as well. Have fun!

My 3 year old son loves anything dinosaurs, puzzles (Melissa and Doug have some great large floor puzzles), pirates, blocks (not tiny legos, but the bigger ones). Have fun!

Does your son like to help you with chores around the house? My 3 yo son loves to help with cooking. Because of that, we got him a play kitchen. He loves that! You can get all kinds of things for it - grocery items, little pots and pans, etc. I also watch kids, and they all really love to play with that. They are also (usually) ready for educational "computers" at that age - Leap Frog, V-Tech, that sort of thing. Of course cars, trucks, tractors are always good - as are board games and Legos (there are also "K'Nects" which are great). Hope you have a great Christmas! Blessings to you.

The V-tech V-smile is a great game for a 3 yr old. It's a game console that hooks to the TV. You'll also become hooked on the games by playing with your child. Very educational and fun.

My three year old daughter loves Kindermusik CDs and books. Or you might consider a semester of kindermusik.

Candy Land, Dora Memory Game and Hi Ho Cherry O. My daughter is 3 and likes all these. She's been playing Candy Land since she was 2.

If you shop online, such as Wal-Mart, they have age catagories that you can choose from for your little boys age. And if your looking for learning toys or games etc.. Good luck.

I too have a 3 year old little boy. Last Christmas we got him Candy Land and Shoots and ladders he just loves them. He also loves puzzles, when we go to wal-mart that is all he asks for are puzzles. This year we have purchased the Fisher-Price Smart Cycle for him and the Fisher Price digital camera. That I hope he will enjoy. He also has a Wii game that he loves to play with. Outside he has a JohnDeer Gator that he rides till the battery wears out. Hope this helps.

Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders are good board games.

legos and matchbox cars are good too. Tonka trucks, building blocks, Playschool/playskool (sp) little people are good. costumes to play dress up will start to be fun soon. Toys R Us has a Home Depot tool box so he can be just like daddy. They have several tools. A sports ball set....you can get a set with a football, soccer ball, mini basketball in it. A bike, or tricycle. arts and crafts things...crayons, water color paints, playdough, it all keeps them busy and concentrating. Books are always good.

W.

musical CDs, learning DVDs,

Will he be 3 or 4 in January, a lot of kids games say 3 and up like Chutes & Ladders, Candyland and more. A lot of it depends on your child. Both of my kids played games at 3, but weren't that focused. By 3 1/2, both were much more ready to play the games.

Floor puzzles. These are puzzles with huge pieces that you put together on the floor (or a large table). They usually have 15 to 25 pieces. Give a lot of help the first time you put it together--you will be mostly just showing him how it is done. After that, watch him for the joy of discovery--just keep helping in subtle ways. Since the rate of development can vary so much, if he isn't interested at all, just put it away for his 4th birthday. Another toy my guys liked a lot was a kid's tool bench--plastic hammers and screwdrivers, nuts and bolts. It's a boy thing--even if he's never seen a hammer before, he'll instinctively know what it's for! Remember with this whole issue of gifts, that it is your attention and approval that he wants and needs the most. Best wishes for a happy birthday and Christmas, Grandma Neena

My son's 4 1/2, birthday in Feb., so I remember that age well. Mine has been very into Thomas and Friends since he was 18 mths, the wooden track. The year he was 2 going on 3, Santa brought a train shed for his track and the original shake'n'go track with 2 cars. Last year, he was 3 going on 4, he got the crash'n'go track and the originaly moved to Nonna's house. If he doesn't have a tricycle yet that would be good. mine got his just before he turned 2 but couldn't pedal until he was 3. He's still not realy into board games but he loves puzzles. Last year he got the Leapfrog ClickStart and loves it. Megabloks are what's in our house, not regular legos. He has the Fast Tracks things that you can build roads onto the lid of the storage bin.

I have twin boys that are now 8 years old. I found that they really loved hot wheels. Small toys that they could hold in their hand or even learn to put in their pockets. They still play with them. They also liked little animals, the farm animals, and jungle, lions and tigers, etc. These are learning opportunities as well. I hope this helps.