Activity for three year olds


75 Everyday Activities For 3 Year Olds

| 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.

This post contains affiliate links.

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?

 

 

 

A

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

Like this post? Share it with a friend!

Become an Email Subscriber

Sign up above and receive all new No Time for Flashcards posts directly in your email inbox.

You may also like these posts

Next Post: Dollar Store Salt Tray { Alphabet Activity }

Previous Post: Nature Cuttings – Outdoor Scissor Skills Activity

Trackbacks

50+ Easy Things To Do At Home with Your 3 Year Old

What To Do at Home with Your 3 Year Old

Being at home with a 3 year old can be hard when you are not prepared.

Most pediatric guidelines recommend less than 1 hour of screen time a day. So what on earth do you do the 4-5 hours you may have at home with them?!?

To help you get through your day I have come up with a list of 50+ fun and easy things you can do throughout the day with them.

Most of these items do not require any preparation and use items you already most likely have in your home. The clean up for most of these activities is nothing or very minimal.

How To Use This List

Obviously you aren’t going to do everything on this list. So go through the list, choose about 10-15 things you think your preschooler would like to do.

Chances are there will be a few they will like more than others. So it’s a good idea to go armed with several activities in case one falls through.

Ready? Let’s get started!

50+ Things To Do at Home with your 3 year old

1. Finger painting with water on cardboard.

2. Cut junk mail with scissors.

3. Foil Puzzle Presents.

4. Melt ice with warm water and eye dropper or turkey baster.

5. See how much water a diaper or pull-up can hold.

6. Use eye dropper to decorate a diaper or pull up with coloured water.

7. Tear a sheet into small squares. Draw on them. And then glue them together onto another sheet.

8. Play restaurant.

9. Place plastic wrap around a bowl using an elastic band and let them poke holes in it with their fingers.

10. Place a cardboard tube on their arm and use it to hit a balloon like a bat.

11. Fill sink with water and give them some large beads to put in the water.

12. Fill sink with water and add pom poms.

13. Fill sink with water and bubbles and add a few non-bath toys.

14. Have a dance party to their favourite Disney soundtrack.

15. Have a dance party to your favourite dance songs.

16. Build a pillow and blanket fort.

17. Take a bath with plastic balls.

18. Build a Book Rainbow.

19. Play dress up with your shoes.

20. Read a book lying down on the floor.

21. Play dress up with daddy’s old ties.

22. Teach them how to play rock, paper, scissors.

23. Stick some paper to the stairs and have them draw on the stairs.

24. Stick paper under a chair and have them colour a picture there.

25. Play in bath tub in swimsuit with toys.

26. Look at your child’s baby book.

27. Paint a colouring book with watercolours.

28. Have a toga party with swaddling blankets or towels.

29. Bake muffins together.

30. Make fruit kebabs and eat them.

31. Snuggle on the floor looking up at the ceiling pretending you see clouds shaped like different animals.

32. Play hide and go seek.

33. Have tickle fight.

34. Have a pretend wedding.

35. Cover rocks with shaving cream and have them clean them off.

36. Paint with a potato masher or spatula or other kitchen utensils.

37. Paint Lego or Megabloks.

38. Wash paint off Lego or Megabloks with soap and water.

39. Take a magnifying glass (pretend, real or handmade) and go looking for bugs.

40. Play with balloons.

41. Make faces on plate with their snack. (For instance cut up some fruit and have them make faces on their plate with the pieces of fruit.)

42. Play pretend telephone with 2 cups over your ears.

43. Make car ramps using books or cardboard on a couch or stairs.

44. Eat lunch on the floor picnic style.

45. Make funny faces in the mirror or smartphone.

46. Put several puzzles in a bin and then have your 3 year old search for pieces and put them all together.

47. Play pretend firefighters.

48. Build a tower using toilet paper and tissue boxes.

49. Take mattress off their crib and use it as a tumbling mat. For added protection, arrange pillows all around and set safety ground rules.

50. Have them ‘read’ their favourite books to you.

51. Blow bubbles outside, no matter the weather.

52. Use a measuring tape to measure your body parts such as arms and legs.

53. Dress up for lunch.

WILL YOU TRY ANY OF THESE ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR 3 YEAR OLD? Pin it for later!

What to do with a child at home at 3 years old

03/25/2022