Activity for 3 years old boy

75 Everyday Activities For 3 Year Olds

August 6, 2013 | 75 Comments

What are your favorite activities for 3 year olds? These simple activities aren’t just for 3 year olds, they are great activities and preschool learning games for older kids too! Don’t miss my new book Everyday Preschool, it’s the best book for parents who want to make sure their child is learning every day.

Finding the right activities for 3 year olds should be easy… but it isn’t. This summer my daughter and I have had a lot of time to play. Extra time in fact because she decided when she turned 3 to give up naps. With her brother home from school for the summer, my attempts at forcing the issue have been met with refusal. I am going to try again in a month when her brother returns to school but in the meantime, she has quiet time, earlier bedtimes and lots of simple activities like these peppered throughout the day. For more specific games for 3 year olds check out our post here with our favorites!

If you have a younger child check out our similar list of 75 TV Free Activities For Toddlers. These 3 year old activities have been the bulk of what we’ve done this summer. Big projects are fun but day in and day out this is what we do.

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Fun Activities for 3 year olds

1. Playdough sculptures with dry spaghetti.
2. Fill a table with books and read, read, read.
3. Doodle with smelly markers on cardboard from your recycle bin.
4. Play doctor with dolls.
5. Take a walk and hunt for colors.
6. Play with puzzles.
7. Look at family photos together.
8. Create with peel and stick jewels.
9. Read through catalogs.
10. Build a fort.

11. Play eye spy with a favorite book.
12. Eat lunch outside.
13. Play in a box.
14. Paint with watercolors.
15. Play with stickers.
16. Play sports in the yard.
17. Play-Doh and sequins.
18. Play The Cupcake Game.
19. Play Simon Says.
20. Make a balance beam out of painter’s tape and walk it!
21. Play in a kiddie pool.
22. Color with Color Wonder markers and coloring sheets.
23. Water some plants
24. Play with Magic Nuudles.
25. Play with Play-Doh and Duplo together.
    

    What are some easy things to do with a 3 year old? Keep reading!

26. Play with a light table ( easy DIY here ).
27. Play with cold cooked spaghetti.
28. Cook together.
29. Play with water, rice, beans, gravel, etc… in your water table .
30. Play with the hose.
31. Dress up some dolls.
32. Take silly pictures together.
33. Play hide and seek.
34. Cuddle.
35. Play with stamps.
36. Make some window clings .
37. Paint your toenails with kid-safe nail polish.
38. Run Through the sprinkler.
39. Write in a journal with markers, stamps, and crayons.
40. Go to the beach.
41. Learn about emotions with Mr. Potato Head.
42. Go to the library.
43. Read with a sibling.
44. Call Grandma ( or Aunty, Uncle… you get the picture. )
45. Help clean.
46. Play dentist with dolls.
47. Finger paint.
48. Draw with chalk on black construction paper.
49. Go to a local elementary school and play at the playground.
    

    What are the best activities for 3 year old ?

50. Play dress-up.
51. Take markers and paint onto the porch for art outside.
52. Duplo
53. Play School
54. Mix sidewalk chalk and other toys for pretend play outside.
55. Bubbles.
56. Scrap paper collages. All you need is some paper and glue!
57. Hunt for magnets with a magnetic wand in a bowl of uncooked oatmeal or rice.
58. Jump in puddles. I don’t know of a better activity for a 3 year old than this one!
59. Build a tower out of recycling.
60. Wash the car.
61. Backyard nature hunt. Tape painter’s tape sticky side out on a window or wall and have your child stick what they find on it.
62. Take some pictures.
63. Have a tea party.
64. Practice cutting with playdough!
65. Make a ramp with cardboard and drive matchbox cars down it.
66. Read books outside.
67. Play-Doh with pipe cleaners.
68. Wash push cars, scooters, and bikes.
69. Go for a hike.
70. Play with Play-doh and egg molds.
71. Play airplane or train with your kitchen chairs.
72. Wash windows with water and vinegar.
73. Turn snack bars into shapes and practice using a knife at the same time.
74. Play alone. Yes, it’s more than OK, it’s awesome to let kids play alone. Let your 3 year old think up their own activities. We don’t need to entertain them 24/7 !

What is your family’s favorite everyday activity? Not listed? Add it in the comments and tell us why your kids love it!

Need more activities to do with  3 year olds?

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Filed Under: 75 activities for 3 year olds, Age Preschool, Age: Toddlers, Preschool Activities | 75 Comments

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22 Best Activities for 3-Year-Olds at Home (2022)

Table of Contents

Updated on June 24, 2022 by Lyric Fergusson

Do you have a 3-year-old that is looking for new things to do? Are you wanting to expand their choices so they can have fun and learn at home? This is the ultimate list for you! We know the best activities for preschoolers since our son is at Montessori and we see what works!
Our article covers everything, from educational toys and fun ideas to indoor and outdoor activities! These highly rated activities are budget friendly. Plus they are easy to do so your 3-year-old can play independently while you get other stuff done.

We also go over free activities for three-year-olds towards the end of the article that will keep your preschooler active without spending a dime.

22 Engaging Activities for 3-Year-Olds

• 1. Early Spelling and Reading Puzzle

  Jumpstart your little one’s literacy skills with this fantastic puzzle! Kids love putting puzzles together. This Melissa and Doug edition will teach your child how to match words up with the picture and spell the word with letter puzzle pieces. Kids will be proud of themselves for learning how to spell new words!

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 2. Learn To Write Letters

  Kids usually start to get proficient with holding crayons and pencils at age 3. This is the perfect time to work on basic writing skills! Your 3-year-old will learn letter recognition and how to write letters with this fun tablet! They will feel like a big kid with their own device as they work on their alphabet.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 3. Sort And Count Activity

  Keep your three-year-old busy with counting and sorting cute teddy bears! This kit offers so many choices. Use the bears to count, sort into color groups, or make patterns. You can also work on matching the bears to the color pots or play a game with the bear dice!

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 4. Letter Tracing

  Preschoolers need space to write their letters. This activity book helps them work on their letters with big lines to trace. The book also offers the option to simply use fingers to trace letters, which helps build pre-writing skills. Kids can also move on to using a pencil to make their letters.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 5. Practice Riding a Horsey or Unicorn

  A great indoor and outdoor option for high-energy kiddos, PonyCycle is a “kid-powered” riding toy that engages growing muscles and improves coordination. Simple steering and a functional handbrake make this toy easy to operate and safe to use. Between rides, PonyCycle serves as a sweet plush friend, perfect for cuddling and imaginative play. Available in multiple sizes and styles, this riding toy is a great activity for kids across a wide range of ages.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 6. Geoboards

  Build hand strength and fine motor skills with this fun activity! Kids love creating different shapes with the rubber bands and pegs. They will have to use their dexterity as they stretch the rubber bands and place them on the pegs. Every shape is a new creation!

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 7. Peg Board

  Your 3-year-old can work on hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as they stack their pegs. It takes full concentration to get the pegs into the little holes! Kids will be entertained seeing how many pegs they can stack along with building towers of different heights.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 8. Scissor Skills

  Kids will need to know how to cut with scissors when they reach school. 3 years old is the perfect age to start developing scissor skills. This activity book is great for young children! Your toddler will learn how to cut straight lines, shapes, and animals!

  View on Amazon. com ➜

• 9. Games

  Your little person is at the right age to start understanding turn-taking and rule following with fun games. Pancake Pile Up is fun for preschoolers. They can cook-up their own creations by picking a card in the pile and following the pancake stack pattern. This versatile game can be played alone or with others. Plus kids love to pretend to play with the pancakes.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 10. Play Doh

  This activity doesn’t need much introduction! 3-year-olds are the right age to start appreciating all the fun Play Doh has to offer. This basic set is wonderful for getting them started. Cut-out shapes, flatten and scoop tools will entertain your child for a long time!

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 11. I-Spy

  At this age children are observant and have a keen eye! This activity book is perfect for them to look for things that are hard to see. Every page focuses on a letter and takes kids along on a guessing game to find the hidden pictures!

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• On An Important Side Note… Asher and I (pictured) feel it’s necessary to highlight the value of life insurance for parents with young kids. After extensive research, we discovered that parents can get insured for as little as $10 per month. We use Ladder Life who offers coverage up to $3M per parent (without a medical exam, just a few health questions) and you can apply 100% online.

  Get a quote in less than 30 seconds at LadderLife.com ➜

• 12. Scooter

  Your child will feel like a big kid zipping around the neighborhood on their scooter! Some preschoolers outgrow the stroller but aren’t big enough for a bike. Scooters are a great solution for getting around! This excellent scooter lets your kids stand up or sit to get around. If your child isn’t quite ready for a scooter then a tricycle can be a perfect option too.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 13. Baseball T

  Introduce your toddler to baseball with this classic T-ball set! Comes with a T stand, bat and 5 balls. Your little one will be hitting home runs in the backyard for hours!

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 14. Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

  Kids love going on scavenger hunts! Move the game outdoors and instill a love of nature in the process. Go Find It is a fun game that comes with a variety of things to find outdoors. Play a game of I-spy or hunt for things in your yard. Your toddler will love exploring and seeing what they can find!

  View on Amazon. com ➜

• 15. Sand Toys

  Pretend you’re at the beach in your sandbox or go to the beach! This tote-along sand toy kit has everything your three-year-old needs to build sand castles! Shovels, pails, rakes, and sand molds will help your child create tons of sand sculptures.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 16. Indoor Sport Set

  Conduct an indoor hockey or soccer camp! This indoor sports set comes with two goal nets, a soccer ball, and hockey sticks. All are made of lightweight materials and are the perfect size for your 3-year-old. They can work on their kicking or shooting skills no matter what the weather is like outside!

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 17. Bowling

  Can’t get to the bowling alley? Set one up at home! This fun bowling set comes with 10 brightly colored pins and 2 soft balls. Your child will love knocking down pins and setting them up again! You can set the game up to your liking by using all 10 pins or however many your child wants.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 18. Big Blocks

  Toddlers are into building things. Add some large building blocks to the mix for extra fun! Your child can make forts to hide in or build walls to knock down. This set comes in a variety of sizes and is made of cardboard so it’s great for indoor play.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 19. Water Beads

  A newer option in sensory play, water beads are a fun choice. Your little one will enjoy feeling the squishy wet beads as they scoop and pour them. They can also work on fine motor skills with the tweezers and tools that come with the set.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 20. Building With Gears

  Put a new spin on building things with this gear set! Your growing child can design different creations and watch the gears spin. Easy to put together and pull apart lets your child play without needing assistance.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 21. Wikki Stix

  This sticky yarn activity book offers hours of fun! Your toddler can mold and shape the Wikki Stixs into different shapes and lines using the templates in the book. The stix can also be used to make 3D creations too!

  View on Amazon.com ➜

• 22. Take Apart STEM Car

  STEM toys are a great way to learn about science, technology, engineering and math, even at an early age. This STEM toy is fun and age appropriate for 3 year olds. Your child can build and take apart different pieces of this cute bulldozer and get a sense of how machines work.

  View on Amazon.com ➜

7 Free Activities for Three-Year-Olds

• 1. Homemade Moon Dough

  Make your own sensory stuff with moon dough! Mix together 8 cups of all purpose flour with 1 cup of oil. The fun texture will be fun to dig fingers into!

• 2. Build Your Own Library

  Make a fun reading nook by building a fort and filling it with books and pillows. Your 3-year-old will be cozy as they snuggle in with a good book in a cool reading spot.

• 3. Decorate A Box

  Make coloring a 3D experience by giving your child an old box and some markers. It will be amazing to see what they draw. A house, robot or car or something else! Coloring a box offers them a different perspective with art.

• 4. Color Sorter

  Give your toddler some busy work by making your own color sorter. Simply take 3-4 containers and label with red, yellow, green, and blue paper. Then cut strips of the same colored paper. Mix them up and let your child sort the paper into the correct container.

• 5. Sock Puppet

  Turn an old sock into a puppet! Let your preschooler draw a face with markers. Add some yarn for hair or buttons for eyes! Your child can come up with a puppet show with their new friend.

• 6. Pasta Art

  There are so many things you can do with dried pasta! Your child can glue and paste pasta to make a picture. If you have some string on hand your child can make a pasta necklace!

• 7. Ice Excavation

  Let your child uncover what’s hidden in the iceberg! Simply fill a bowl of water and put a small figure in the water. Pop the bowl into the freezer. After the water freezes take it out of the bowl and let your 3-year-old excavate the ice! You can use spoons to scrape or a straw to drop warm water on top to help melt everything away.

Conclusion

3-year-olds are at a great age where they can play independently and start to do more big kid things. This complete list of activities gives you many options to offer your child! Check out some of these great ideas and your child will never be bored!

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Educational activities for children 2–3 years old

At the age of two or three years, a child actively explores the world around him, learns to talk and communicate with adults and peers. During this period, his personality begins to form. Therefore, parents need to pay special attention to the development of speech, thinking, social skills.

Contents of the article:

• Classes for the development of logical and mathematical thinking
• Lessons for the development of speech
• Gross and fine motor activities
• Classes on the study of the properties of objects
• Getting to know the outside world
• Output

Classes for the development of logical and mathematical thinking

The thinking of two and three year olds is clearly effective. The ability to think logically implies the ability to analyze, compare and generalize. You can develop logic and teach your little one basic math skills with the help of the following exercises.

✅Comparison

Take a handful of buttons or other small items and divide them into two unequal piles. The child must determine which pile has a lot of buttons, and which has few. If he does not see the difference between the concepts of "a lot and a little", explain to him what it is.

The second variation of this exercise is the value comparison. Take several objects or toys of different sizes. Ask the baby to show where the small objects are and where the large ones are.

✅Score

Children at the age of two or three are not yet familiar with numbers. It is better to master the counting skill on surrounding objects or on the fingers. Teach your child to show his age on his fingers, tell him how old he will be in a year, two, three.

It is convenient to use counting sticks or any other items for counting. Climbing the stairs with your child, count the steps, passing houses - windows, walking along the alley - trees or lampposts.

✅ Hidden Object

Hide the toy in the room and ask your baby to find it. Help him by suggesting places to search - under the sofa, behind the armchair, in the closet, etc. Then you can switch roles - the child hides the toy, and you are looking for it.

Speech development classes

Between the ages of two and three, children experience a significant leap in speech development. Their vocabulary is replenished very quickly. Having become acquainted with a new word, children bring it into their vocabulary and begin to actively use it. Simple exercises will help develop speech skills.

✅Reading

The best way to develop speech is reading. Buy picture books for 2-3 year olds. Choose poems, fairy tales, nursery rhymes. It is useful for a child to listen to both prose and poetry.

When reading a fairy tale, ask your child questions about the plot. If he finds it difficult to answer, help him. Explain the meaning of each unknown word. Look at the illustrations in the book and discuss with your child.

✅Singing

This fun activity encourages speech development and voice training. Sing with your baby children's songs with and without musical accompaniment. Children quickly memorize rhyming lines and a motive, and sing along with adults with pleasure.

✅Composing proposals

Think of the beginning of a sentence and ask your child to continue it. For example, "Mom bought today in the store ..." or "Black runs down the street ...".

✅ Discuss the events of the day

Discuss the events with your child every day. For example, “You and I went to the park today and fed the ducks in the pond. And in the evening, my grandmother came to visit and brought a delicious pie, ”etc. If the baby goes to kindergarten, ask him to tell you how the day went, what he did, what interesting things happened.

✅Describing objects

Take an object and ask the child to describe it, asking leading questions (What color is it? Is it big or small? What does it look like? What is it for? etc.).

At the age of 2–3, children still do not pronounce words well, many of them abbreviate and distort. Be sure to correct your child when they speak incorrectly. Of course, he still does not know how to pronounce all the sounds, so a clear pronunciation will not work. But still, try to teach the baby to speak as correctly as possible.

Classes for the development of attention

At such an early age, attention is involuntary. This means that the child does not yet know how to concentrate it by willpower. His attention is attracted by what is of interest (a bright toy, the sound of music, people around him). Attention, like other mental processes, can and should be developed.

✅Search for an object

Take a picture with a story and ask the child to find a certain object or character in it. The same exercise can be performed outdoors. Ask the baby to show a flower, a red car, a cat, a girl in a green jacket, etc.

✅Similar Detection

Take an object, such as a book, and ask the baby to look around the room for things similar in shape to her. It can be a phone, a tablet, a picture on the wall. You can search for objects that are similar not in shape, but in color, size and other features.

✅Finding the Missing Item

Take some toys, arrange them on the table and ask your child to look at them carefully and memorize them. Then he should turn away or leave the room, and at this time you remove one toy. The task of the child is to determine which toy has disappeared.

Classes for the development of gross and fine motor skills

Finger motor skills are directly related to cognitive processes - speech, memory, thinking. Therefore, it needs to be developed. There are many exercises for this.

✅ Games with small objects

Invite your child to sort the buttons by size, string large beads on a string, roll the balls in his hands. Be careful not to put a small object in your mouth, nose, or ear.

✅Construction set and jigsaw puzzle

Buy your child a construction kit or jigsaw puzzle for kids and build with him. This exciting activity strengthens the small muscles of the hand, makes the fingers more dexterous, trains attention and imagination.

✅Sculpting

Sculpt with your child various figures from clay, plasticine or salt dough. To make the lesson more interesting and exciting, read a fairy tale or watch a cartoon, and then try to make a character you like.

✅Finger games

Not only babies love to play finger games. Toddlers aged two or three love them too. Teach your baby to fold fingers into different shapes:

• fold your thumb and forefinger into a ring and bring it to your eyes - you get glasses, and if you use all your fingers - binoculars;
• clench the hand into a fist and stick out the index finger and little finger - these are the horns of a goat;
• "Step" with your index and middle fingers on the table, representing the legs.

Invite your child to show their imagination by inventing and putting together unusual shapes from their fingers.

Gross motor skills are developed by ball games, cycling, jumping, wall bars and any physical activity. Teach your child to fasten and unfasten buttons, Velcro, hooks on clothes, put on and take off things on their own.

Classes for the development of intellectual abilities

Reading, music, creative work, solving logical and mathematical problems contribute to the development of the baby's intellect.

✅Drawing

Invite your child to draw a house, himself, mother. Set a theme for the picture, tell the child what details can be added to it. For example, a house can be surrounded by trees, the sun and clouds can be depicted in the sky.

✅ Role-playing games

Make up a story, choose the right toys and play it out with your baby. For example, a doll is sick: you need to put her to bed, take her temperature, give her medicine in a spoon.

✅Music

Listening to classical music has a positive effect on the mental development of children, and also brings up a sense of beauty in them. It is useful not only to listen to music, but also to dance to it. This has a positive effect on both mental and physical development.

✅Puzzles

Collecting puzzles trains attention, thinking, memory. Buy your child large puzzles with a small amount of detail and a clear image. First collect them together with the baby, and then invite him to do it on his own.

✅Sorting items

Shuffle the cards with different items and ask the child to sort them into categories, eg vegetables, fruits, clothes, furniture.

✅Riddles

Riddles are good for training the intellect. The main thing is to select tasks that are age-appropriate and understandable to the child.

✅Sunny bunny

On a clear day you can play with sun bunnies. Take a mirror and start letting bunnies on the ceiling, floor, walls. Then give the mirror to the child and let him try it himself. Coordinate his movements, suggesting how to catch a ray of the sun and direct it in the right direction.

Classes to study the properties of objects

Learning the properties of various objects develops the thinking of the baby, helping him to understand how and for what this or that thing can be used.

Teach your child to compare objects according to the following criteria:

• size - big, small, tall, low, long, short;
• state - hard, soft, liquid, warm, cold;
• shape - round, square, rectangular, etc. ;
• color.

Anything can be used as a "learning tool".

• Pour cold water into one glass and warm tea into another and ask your child how they differ (color, temperature, taste).
• Sew a few fabric bags (you can use old socks) and fill them with sand, beans, small stones, balls, etc. Let the child try to feel what is in each bag.
• Buy a sorter - a special container with slots in the form of different geometric shapes and a set of matching inserts. The task of the child is to choose the right figure for each hole.
• Invite the baby to feel different materials - leather, fur, silicone, wood. Let him tell you how they differ (fluffy fur, smooth skin, etc.).

Getting to know the outside world

The scope for exploring the outside world is very wide:

• Animals. Tell your child which animals are domestic and which are wild, in what conditions they live, what their cubs are called. If you have the opportunity to visit the zoo, be sure to do so.
• Plants. On a walk, pay your baby's attention to the trees, flowers, shrubs growing around. Tell us what they are called, which ones are fruit. Collect the leaves and look at them with your baby.
• Natural phenomena. Tell your child about different natural phenomena, the change of seasons and the weather. By the age of three, the baby should already know the name of the seasons and their main features.
• Materials. Tell your child about the materials from which various things are made (wood, metals, fabrics, paper, plastic).

At the age of two or three years, learning takes place in the form of a game. The main thing is to interest the child, and then he will be happy to study. Try to spend as much time as possible with the baby, do not dismiss his questions, but always answer them.

Invite the baby to help with the housework, give him small tasks (bring bread to the table, pour food for the cat, put away toys). Daily activities contribute to the development of independence and discipline.

Withdrawal

Child development centers and kindergartens "Baby Club" conduct classes for children of younger and older preschool age. Experienced teachers will help to reveal the abilities of your baby and teach him useful skills. We have general and individual development programs. Sign up for a consultation and come to a trial lesson. We look forward to seeing you and your child!

Developmental activities with a child 2-3 years old

Contents

A child at 2 years old: what is he like
Fundamentals of development
Logical and mathematical thinking
Oral speech
Attention
General and fine motor skills
Intellectual abilities
Acquaintance with the outside world

When the baby is two years old, he begins to actively explore the world around him, so parents ask themselves: how to develop the child 2 years old right? Various tasks for children of this age develop many children's abilities, including speech, social, tactile, creative skills, etc.

A child at 2 years old: what is he like