Learning games for three year olds
7 Fun And Easy Learning Activities For 3-Year-Olds
Finding activities for 3-year-olds should be easy, but that’s not always the case.
Maybe you’ve planned a few fun games to keep your child entertained during the day. These were activities they loved last week, so surely they’ll still find them entertaining. Not today.
For some reason, these games no longer hit the sweet spot, and your child looks at you as if to say, “Is this all you’ve got?”
We’ve been there! So what can you do?
Fear not. We’ve compiled a list of creative and engaging activities to keep your three-year-old entertained (and learning!) at home.
Importance Of Learning Activities For 3-Year-Olds
Three-year-olds have a lot of energy, and they are often eager to try new experiences. This is great because, while engaging in activities, your child has the opportunity to develop many valuable skills.
For instance, hands-on activities — in which your child molds, cuts, sticks, sorts, or manipulates objects — help them develop motor skills. They also help your child learn to follow directions for precision and accuracy.
All of these skills can be used later in life with important, daily actions such as writing and tying shoelaces.
Similarly, activities like putting puzzles together and playing with building blocks help develop reasoning skills and creativity, to name just two benefits for your child..
Different learning activities for 3-year-olds can also help your child exercise patience, perseverance, and logical thinking. These are all important for a young child’s development.
The first six years of a child’s life are a critical period for brain development. When children engage in activities that incorporate multiple skills simultaneously (like listening, talking, and using their hands), it activates more areas of the brain and helps enhance learning.
How To Approach Activities For 3-Year-Olds
Keep It Simple
So often, parents assume they have to find the most elaborate activities and games for their children.
Of course, you’re free to do so, but it’s important to know that’s not always necessary.
Three year olds are fascinated by lots of simple things — different colors and shapes, how these colors change when you mix them (e.g., red and blue make purple), kicking a ball, storybooks about dinosaurs, baking cookies, and so on.
To create engaging learning activities for 3-year-olds, you don’t have to overwhelm yourself. Instead, you can use many everyday items you already have around the house.
Allow For Creativity
Life is full of rules, so, during these activities, why not just let your child be, well, a child? If they decide to paint a blue dog, that’s OK! And if they choose to create a 10-legged cat, what’s the big deal?
It’s essential to allow your child to do crafts in their own way and give them ownership over the experience.
That being said, always consider whether or not you’re up for a mess. Sure, the Pinterest images of children covered in colorful paint or glitter look like a blast, but we all know someone has to clean that up!
If you’ve had a long week at work, for instance, there’s nothing wrong with choosing activities for 3-year-olds that will not drain the little bit of energy you have left, and then leaving the messy ones for a less stressful time.
Be Flexible And Patient
While introducing different activities, it’s important to understand that your child might prefer some over others. That’s OK!
At this age, your child is learning who they are and what they’re comfortable with. Understanding their likes and dislikes is part of the learning process for us as parents.
7 Fun And Easy Learning Activities For 3-Year-Olds
1) Number Hunt
What You’ll Need:
- From teddy bears to building blocks to balls, any fun items can be used for this activity!
What To Do:
Ask your three-year-old to find an item or a group of items. For example, ask them to find one teddy, two socks, and three balls. To add a little more excitement to the mix, you can also time your child. Can they find the items in just one minute?
If recalling all this information is a little tricky for your child right now, that’s OK. You can start by asking them to search for one item at a time (e.g., one teddy, and then one sock, and then one ball) and progress from there.
This is a great activity for an active young child. It helps to get those mental juices flowing as they will need to remember what items they need to find and the number they need for each.
2) Pasta Necklaces
- What You’ll Need:
- Dry, uncooked pasta (the tubed ones, to be specific)
- Sealable plastic bags
- Food coloring
- A cotton thread or string (you can also use an old shoelace)
- Tray
- Paper towel
- Optional: rubbing alcohol and beads
What To Do:
Start by placing the pasta into your plastic bags, and then add a few drops of food coloring and some rubbing alcohol. Note that you don’t have to use rubbing alcohol, but it helps to dry the food coloring faster.
After adding the coloring, seal the bag properly and give it a good shake. Now pour the colored pasta out on your trays (which you’ve lined with paper towels) and allow them to dry.
While waiting for the pasta to dry, you can cut the desired necklace length for your child out of the thread and string and tie a knot on one of the ends.
Once the pasta is dry, your child can then string the pasta and the beads (optional) to make a necklace. When they reach the end of the string, remember to tie the two sides together.
This is a fun way to help your child practice counting (“How many pieces of pasta are you adding?”), continue developing their fine motor skills, and tap into their creativity.
3) Trace Yourself
What You’ll Need:
- Crayons
- Paper sheets
What To Do:
This activity requires the least amount of prep and can be great for an easy afternoon when you’re in the mood for low mess levels.
The simplest body part to start with is your child’s hands. Once your child has mastered tracing out their hands, they can progress to their feet.
(For even more fun, use a very large piece of paper and trace your child’s whole body. They can then color features and clothes.)
This is an excellent way to help your child practice their grip on items (fine motor skills, anyone?), as they will need to firmly hold onto the crayons throughout.
4) Make An Ocean
What You’ll Need:
- HOMER Sail The Ocean printable coloring page
- Crayons, markers, or colored pens
What To Do:
Help your child color in the printable and discover all the interesting creatures that live in our seas!
This is a great activity to help familiarize your child with ocean creatures. You can encourage them to give the fishies silly names and even make up stories about them.
This activity helps kids express their creativity and continue practicing their coloring.
5) Build A City
What You’ll Need:
- Building blocks
What To Do:
Help your child discover their inner architect by building their own city. The city can have high-rise buildings, a community park, and even a local candy store. There are no limitations!
This activity will help your child channel their creativity and problem-solving skills. They will also learn important life concepts, like understanding that for a building to be solid, they’ll need to create a firm foundation.
6) Watch It Grow
What You’ll Need:
- HOMER printable field notes template
- Crayons or pencils
- A large jar (glass or clear plastic)
- Fast-growing seeds (e.g. peas or beans)
- Paper towels
- An old milk or juice carton
- A ruler or measuring tape
What To Do:
Start by asking your child to fill the jar with paper towels, and then pour water onto the paper towels until they are slightly damp.
Proceed to “plant” the seeds into the damp towels. Remember to position them near the edge so you can see them grow! You can then use the printable to decorate the watering can (the milk or juice carton) and add a tag with the plant’s name.
Over the following days, ask your child to note anything they observe from the seeds. They can also measure the growth and log field notes to track the changes. Remember to add some water if the paper towels dry out.
This is a great activity to help your child practice using a measuring tool.
They will also learn how plants grow, as well as the importance of water, sunlight, and patience!
7) Create Your Own Color Hunt
What You’ll Need:
- Crayons
- Five objects that match each color crayon in or around the house
- Optional: HOMER Make a Color Hunt printable
What To Do:
Draw a square in the center of a piece of paper (or use the optional Make a Color Hunt printable). After drawing the square, use just one color to color it in. Lastly, hand your child the paper and ask them to find five items in or around the house that have the same color.
For young kids who aren’t counting yet, you can place items into a bucket or box and ask them to find the items from inside that match the color in the box.
This is a great activity to help with sorting, learning colors, and counting.
Let The Adventures Continue!
There are lots of ways to help your child stay entertained, engaged, and learning while at home! Whether you choose all or some of the above activities for 3-year-olds, remember to incorporate a mixture to help your child continue developing different important skills.
If you’re searching for more learning activities for kids to try at home, check out THE HOMER Blog for inspiration!
Author
36 Fun And Interesting Learning Activities For 3-Year-Olds
Multiple outdoor and indoor activities from all genres for your adorable toddler.
Research-backed
MomJunction believes in providing reliable, research-backed information to you. As per our strong editorial policy requirements, we base our health articles on references (citations) taken from authority sites, international journals, and research studies. However, if you find any incongruencies, feel free to write to us.
Image: Shutterstock
Three-year-olds are very active and keep parents and other family members on their toes all the time. Interesting activities for three-year-olds can help parents channelize their energy in the right direction.
While their concentration span increases with age, they may be more restless to satiate their curiosity to explore new things. No number of toys or games can hold a three-year-old’s interest for very long. So to keep them engaged in a particular activity for more than just a few minutes, it is inevitable for parents and caregivers to come up with meaningful activities that would cater to their preferences and interests. Read this post where we bring some amusing and educational indoor as well as outdoor activities that keep your three-year-old engaged.
35+ Activities For Three-Year-Olds
Arts And Crafts To Improve Creativity
Art and craft activities are said to improve children’s cognitive abilities as they enable them to use multiple areas of the brain. Using both their hands and fingers also encourages the development of muscles in those areas and could improve their fine motor skills.
Here are a few art and craft activities for three-year-old kids.
1. Fabric painting
For a three-year-old child, fabric painting could be something basic to teach them a few painting techniques, shapes, and colors.
You will need
Old fabric or T-shirts, fabric colors, stencils or chart papers, small sponges
How to do
- Get ready-made stencils or take a thick chart paper and make some shapes like stars, hearts, drops, etc., in it to make your stencil.
- Tape the stencil on the fabric and ask your kids to fill it with color using the sponge.
- Once they are done, remove the tape and stencil to find surprisingly perfect shapes.
- Repeat the process in different parts of the fabric to get a beautifully painted fabric.
Image: iStock
2. Drawing or Painting
You cannot ask a three-year to draw a masterpiece. Instead, you can help them paint or draw something with easily available tools.
You will need
A paper or a drawing book, water colors or acrylic paints or crayons, pencil, fork, brushes, or sponges.
How to do
- Get them an appealing coloring book and ask them to fill the images in it with colors as in the reference image.
- You can also draw some simple geometric figures like squares, circles, or triangles and ask them to color them.
Image: iStock
3. Pot Painting
Get a plain terracotta or a clay pot from your garden and let your kids add color to it. Be open-ended so that your kids use their creativity to make it beautiful in their way, even if it is not perfect.
You will need
A small empty clay pot, bright colored acrylic paints, a wax paper, and a newspaper.
How to do
- Spread the newspaper on the floor, followed by the wax paper. Keep the clay pot upside down on the wax paper.
- Squeeze acrylic paints around the pot’s edge so that it drips down and colors the sides of the pot. Take one color at a time and do it one after the other.
- Don’t let the paints dry in between.
Once the pot is completely covered, let it dry for at least a day. - You can also keep the canvas clear with a base coat of white or black and ask your kids to paint whatever they wish.
Image: iStock
4. Stamp Painting
This is one of the easiest ways to make your kid paint different patterns without much effort. You can use a variety of objects to create beautiful patterns with this art form.
You will need
Potatoes, lady’s finger, onion, natural flowers, leaves, cookie-cutter, knife, paints, drawing paper, and brushes.
How to do
- This depends on the kind of object you choose. Let’s take a big potato, cut it into half, and with the help of a cookie cutter or a knife, make some shapes out of it. Remove the excess portion, and your stamp is ready.
- Hand it over to your little one along with some paints.
- Simply dip the stamp or paint the stamp with color and press it over a drawing paper or a fabric.
- Once they stamp at different places, you can simply join them with branches, add leaves and pot to make a flower pot or bouquet.
You can also use other objects like onions, ladyfingers, flowers, and leaves to make natural patterns.
Image: iStock
5. Cup Painting
You can paint the cups and also make different creatures using painted paper cups and everyday items.
You will need
White paper cups, paints, brushes or sponges, chart papers.
How to do
- Give a base coat to the cups with the color of the creature. Let’s say you’re making a chicken. Paint the cup yellow.
- Draw its eyes with black and white, and nose red.
- Cut the red chart paper to make its crown and feet and paste them on the top and bottom of the cup, respectively.
Similarly, your kids can create different characters like Peppa pig, angry bird, frog, etc.
6. Paper Plate Crafts
Just like paper cup crafts, the paper plate painting is quite interesting to do.
You can make paper plate fans, paper plate turtles, and paper plate sunshine.
You will need
Disposable paper plates, paints, brushes, color charts, ice cream sticks, etc.
How to do
- Take a paper plate, flip it towards its bottom, and color it with your favorite color or multiple colors.
- Take the colored paper and cut it into six shapes: four feet, one head, and a tail.
- On the head, draw the turtle’s eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stick all six shapes to the turtle, and that’s it, your paper plate turtle is ready.
You can also make a ladybug in the same way.
Image: iStock
7. Bird Feeders
A nature craft idea for three-year-olds is bird feeders of different varieties, shapes, and sizes. A well-made one is sure to attract birds to your garden.
You will need
Empty tissue paper rolls, birdseed, twine thread, vegetable shortening, popsicle sticks, and a plate.
How to do
- Using the popsicle stick, ask your kid to spread the vegetable shortening on the empty tissue roll. This makes the paper roll water-resistant and helps it to hold the feed in place.
- Take the bird feed on a plate and roll the tissue roll over the feed. Make sure the feed gets stuck to the roll completely.
- Pass the twine through the tissue roll and tie it at one end, and your handmade bird feeder is ready.
- Hang the feeder to any tree in your garden.
You can also use pine cones or cardboard to make different feeders.
Image: iStock
Sensory Developmental Activities
Sensory activities for kids stimulate their senses like touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing, balance, and movement. The benefits of sensory activities could include language development, development of fine motor skills, and problem-solving. Listed below are a variety of sensory development activities that would stimulate your child’s senses differently.
8. Playdough Crafts
Playdough is a popular activity that encourages creativity in children. But if your three-year-old has the habit of putting everything in the mouth, you need to exercise some caution. In such cases, you can opt for homemade edible playdough.
You will need
Colorful play dough, cookie cutters, play scissors, popsicle sticks, etc.
How to do
Ask your kids to use the play dough to make a simple ball, roll into a snake shape, flatten it with hands or a rolling pin.
Once they master doing these simple things, they know how to use their hands to shape the dough. Then you can ask them to make shapes using a cookie cutter or play scissors and slowly progress into making some small animals and objects.
Image: iStock
9. Pasta Bin Activity
This activity can develop the senses of touch and sound in your preschoolers. With a few items available at home, you can try this activity.
You will need
Pasta noodles, a big basket, bottles with caps, measuring jars or cups, a blanket.
How to do
- Take a big basket and fill it with pasta or macaroni.
- Give the empty bottles to your kids.
- Ask them to fill the bottles with pasta using the measuring jars.
- Once they fill all the bottles, they need to empty them and refill them.
For the sense of sound, ask them to fill each bottle to the half, secure the lid and shake it. Ask them to observe how each bottle is sounding differently, quieter, or louder. Change the quantity of pasta and ask them to check the sound again. Albeit a bit noisy, this activity can be fun.
Image: iStock
10. Frozen Treasure
This sensory activity for three-year-olds requires pre-planning and execution by the parent. It is quite apt during the summer to beat the heat.
You will need
Fresh fruits or small toy figures, freezer-safe containers, a kid-friendly tool kit with a hammer, screwdriver, and pliers, and a big tub.
How to do
- A day before the activity, fill the freezer-safe containers with small fruits like berries, grapes, and cherries, add water, and freeze them. Fill four to five containers with different colored fruits and freeze them overnight.
- On the day of the activity, remove all the ice blocks from the containers and put them in a big tub.
- Hand over the tool kit to your toddlers and ask them to dig and find what’s hidden.
Image: iStock
11. Animal Sound Game
This activity of guessing the sound helps your child develop the hearing ability and also the ability to memorize things. It’s simple and does not require any crafting supplies.
You will need
A phone or a laptop.
How to do
Download some animal sounds, vehicle noises, bird chirpings. Play them for your children and ask them to guess the sound.
If they’re not familiar at first, tell them what the sound is.
When they can imitate the sounds and recognize them, you can play the guessing game.
12. Smell It and Tell It
This is similar to the Guess the Sound game; only here, kids have to smell different objects and identify them. They could be edible or non-edible items but must have a unique that makes it easier for them to guess.
You will need
Fresh fruits, flowers, soaps, perfumes, a cloth to blind old, etc.
How to do
- Blindfold your children with a soft cloth and keep various objects before them.
- Ask them to pick one at a time, smell it, and guess what it is.
- Score them for every correct guess and keep aside the incorrectly guessed objects.
- Once they remove the blindfold, show them what they missed.
13. Treasure Hunt in a Sandbox
Kids love playing in the sand. So why not create a sensory game out of it?
You will need
A sensory bin or a big container, sand, coins, jewelry, etc.
How to do
Hide the coins, jewelry, and other toys in the sand. Ask your little one to explore and find all the hidden treasure. To make it more exciting, ask them to find it within a time frame.
Image: iStock
14. Pasta Sorting
This is both a sensory and learning activity. If your kids are aware of colors, this activity helps improve their knowledge of different shades of colors.
You will need
Pasta, food color, color bowls, a big container.
How to do
A day before the activity, take four portions of pasta, add different food colors to it and dry it.
On the day of the activity, mix the pasta in a big bowl, and keep the colored bowls beside it. Ask your kids to sort the pasta based on color.
15. Transferring or Shifting Activity
Shifting objects from one container to another, or from one place to another, might be easy for adults. But for toddlers, it’s a challenging activity.
You will need
Two containers, small objects like toys, cushions, etc.
How to do
Keep two containers at different places and fill one with toys. Ask your child to transfer them from one container to the other.
Learning Activities
There is some learning in activities designed for children. However, certain activities are specifically targeted at teaching specific things like colors, letters, numbers, or names. Listed below are such learning activities that keep your three-year-old engaged and entertained.
16. Color and Shape Sorters
This is a fun activity to teach colors and shapes. Your toddlers would enjoy and also learn something new.
You will need
Objects in primary and secondary colors, readily available shape sorter set.
How to do
Place primary and secondary colored objects differently and teach your kids. Once they understand the differences, mix everything, and ask them to sort.
For teaching shapes, you can buy any shape sorter game readily available. Once they learn the shapes, you can take it to the next level by asking them to sort them.
Image: iStock
17. Learn Letters and Numbers
Teaching your preschooler letters and numbers at home is a good way to engage them.
You will need
Butter beans, marker, white chart.
How to do
Mark the butter beans with letters and numbers. On the chart, draw vertical and horizontal lines to form a checkered design. Write the letters and numbers randomly in the blocks. Place the beans in a basket with the letters and numbers facing upward.
Now ask your kid to match the letters and numbers on the beans to that on the chart.
Image: iStock
18. Play with Puzzles
Puzzles are readily available and solving them can improve your child’s motor skills and cognitive and reasoning skills. In older kids, it can also help improve their concentration ability.
You will need
A readability available puzzle set.
How to do
Start with a small puzzle that has fewer pieces. Once your toddler masters it, slowly increase the difficulty level. Changing the puzzles often makes them think differently and aids in improving problem-solving skills.
Image: iStock
19. Cook Together
Cooking does not necessarily involve using the stove or fire. Teach your kids something that doesn’t involve serious cooking and let them discover the joy of real cooking.
You will need
Utensils, cutlery, and cooking items.
How to do
Pick a dish and get the required items. Some ideas include sandwiches, baking cookies or cakes, and making a salad.
Give them a small task like mixing the dough – show them how to first and let them try it independently. You can also do it together. One added benefit of this cooking class is getting the kids to make something healthy and eat the food they prepared.
Image: iStock
Outdoor Activities
Playing outdoors is what makes the activity even more interesting and exciting for the kids. However, make sure you’re taking necessary safety precautions before planning any outdoor activities for your three-year-olds. Here are a few ideas for outdoor games and activities for three-year-olds.
20. Gardening
Gardening is a simple and interesting outdoor activity for a three-year-old. Teach them some basic gardening tasks like watering plants, pruning, planting, harvesting, etc.
You will need
A small watering can or a small bucket and a mug, kid-friendly scissors, etc.
How to do
Take your kids around your garden and tell them a little about the plants you have in there. If they’re already familiar with the plants, go straight to the activity by handing them the water can.
Show them how to do so that they won’t over water it. If the water can is empty, ask them to refill it and repeat watering to the rest of the plants.
You can also teach them pruning if they understand what it is. Ask them to use their play scissors to do it along with you.
Image: iStock
21. Backyard Obstacle Course
If you have three-year-old boys who are always on the go, this backyard obstacle set-up would excite them. As it involves physical activity, it helps develop muscles, improves endurance, and aids in developing gross motor skills.
You will need
Anything available from your kids’ toys like boxes, flags, frisbees, hula hoops, balls, cones, etc.
How to do
Design your obstacle course using the items you have. Ensure the path gets the kids to jump, crawl, run, walk, balance, skip, and slide.
Image: iStock
22. Building Sandcastles
You can plan this in your backyard or on a nearby beach. Just take the kids to sand, and they will know what to do. If they don’t, you can always show them.
You will need
Sandcastle set.
How to do
If you’re planning the activity in your backyard, gather some sand at one place, give the sandcastle kit to your kids, show them some sample pictures, and leave the rest to their imagination.
Image: iStock
Indoor Physical Activities
We cannot always plan physical activities outdoors. You must have some indoor physical activity that allows your kids to move around. Listed below are a few ideas that you can try.
23. Walk Like an Animal
You don’t need any items for this activity. Just show it to them and ask your kids to imitate you.
How to do
If your three-year-olds are familiar with animal sounds and behaviors, this would be an easy and interesting activity for them. Just say the name of an animal and ask your kids to imitate. If they don’t know, you can show them how and they can imitate you.
24. Scavenger Hunt
The regular scavenger hunt is a clue-based activity. But for the tiny tots, we modify the game a little to make it simple yet fun.
You will need
White papers, pens, baskets, etc.
How to do
Before starting the activity, prepare a list of items that your kids are familiar with in the house.
Once the kids are ready, read out one item from the list and get them to bring it and place it in a box. Once they find one, call out the next item, and the next until they find all the treasure.
25. Dance Party
If you’re running short of time and ideas, one instant thing you can plan is a dance party.
You will need
Music system, some snacks, drinks, flashy lights, etc.
How to do
Set up the dance floor with lights, music, snacks, and drinks, and let the party begin. Get them to move as they want to the music or teach them easy dance steps to try with you.
Image: iStock
26. Indoor Obstacle Course
You can also plan an obstacle course indoors with some household items and some toys from your kid’s collection.
You will need
Chairs, tables, hula hoop, balance board, basket, skipping rope, play mat, and cushions.
How to do
Just design a simple obstacle course with 5-6 activities. You can incorporate some of these ideas in the activity – crawling under the chairs, passing through the tunnel made using a playmat, skipping, balancing, throwing a ball into the target, somersault, etc.
You can place cushions on the floor to prevent injuries if the child misses a step and falls.
Image: iStock
27. Yoga Practice
Teaching good habits in childhood helps the kids become better adults. Yoga is one such activity that promotes overall well-being for all age groups.
You will need
A yoga mat, some reference yoga videos.
How to do
If you’re not aware of safe yoga for kids, search some asanas that can be done by the kids. Play them on the TV and ask your kids to follow them.
Try to do along with them so that they find the activity interesting. You can make it part of their daily routine so that they become habituated to it.
Montessori Activities
Montessori activities are designed to encourage children to learn through play. These activities are designed to promote independent thinking, fine motor skills, critical analysis right from childhood. As they’re tailored around a child’s areas of interest, they help the kids to learn quickly and easily. Listed below are some fun activities inspired by Montessori techniques.
28. Toy Cleaning
Simple but an interesting activity for kids as it involves water. It also teaches them some day to day activities that we do at home.
You will need
All the washable toys of your kids (preferably plastic and silicone toys), two water tubs, dish soap, a towel.
How to do
- Ask your toddlers to collect toys from all the rooms, sort them, and separate all the washable toys.
- Fill both the containers with water, maybe two-inches deep.
- Add dish wash soap to one container and make some water bubbles.
- Ask your kids to wash each toy at a time in the soap-filled container and then rinse it in plain water.
- Then keep them on a towel spread on the floor. Once all the toys are washed, they can wipe them with the towel.
29. Float and Sink Experiment
Let’s add some science to the fun. Teach the kids about sinking and floating with this simple water experiment.
You will need
A water tub, some natural items like leaves, twigs, flowers, stones, shells, etc., some water toys.
How to do
- Before starting the water play, get some items like leaves, flowers, stones, sticks, shells, buds, etc., from your garden.
- Place them next to the water tub along with the water toys.
- Now ask your kid to sit there and drop each item at a time. Tell him to observe which item is floating and which is sinking.
- Explain to them why some objects are floating and some and sinking.
- Now remove everything from the water, ask questions, and then check their answers by dropping the objects.
30. Fruit Cutting
Fruits and vegetable cutting is one of the Montessori food prep activities. This enables them to use both their hands and also teaches them some practical life skills.
You will need
An apron, water, kid-friendly peeler, knife, chopping board, etc.
How to do
Ask the toddlers to clean all the veggies with water first. Each fruit needs to be cut in a certain way. Show them how to do it and ask them to do it as is.
For their safety, choose soft veggies and fruits and a blunt or kid-friendly knife that they can use for cutting.
Image: iStock
31. Hammering
Your three-year-old might be more interested in real tools than his regular toys. Well, why not let them explore the same with a kid-friendly tool set and activity.
You will need
You can purchase a readily available Nail game set that comes with all the necessary tools, including a corkboard, a wooden hammer, tack nails, some color cards, etc.
How to do
You can simply ask your kids to hammer the nails into the board by placing a plain paper in between. Once they master it, you can ask them to form shapes using some colored cards, pictures cut into pieces, etc.
A variety of activities can be created using the hammering tool kit.
Image: iStock
32. Writing on a Chalkboard
Every preschooler needs to get a good grip on pencils, chalks, or markers to develop writing skills. To avoid wasting paper, you can set up a chalkboard and offer them a clean canvas.
You will need
A blackboard, chalk pieces, board eraser, etc.
How to do
Set up the blackboard in your kid’s playing corner and give them chalk to scribble on it however they wish.
If they are not comfortable standing and writing, you can place the board on the floor for a few days and let them practice.
Image: iStock
33. Moving Puzzle Game
This activity gives a new twist to puzzles, making it even more helpful for further skill development.
You will need
Any puzzle game (preferably the one your kid is familiar with)
How to do
Unlike in a regular puzzle game, keep the pieces of the puzzle in a different room. Ask your kid to solve the puzzle in the play area by bringing one puzzle piece at a time. This not only keeps them moving but also encourages them to remember which puzzle piece is required.
Image: iStock
34. Window Cleaning
Another popular Montessori activity is window cleaning. While spraying water on the windows is a thrilling sensory activity for kids, cleaning the windows improves their gross motor skills.
You will need
An empty spray bottle, white vinegar, water, a piece of cloth, or a sponge.
How to do
Just mix vinegar and water in the required proportion and fill the mixture in the spray bottle. Hand over the bottle and the cleaning material to the child, show them how to do it, and let them imitate you.
Image: iStock
35. Touch and Tell
This is a sensory Montessori activity that encourages your kids to use their sense of touch to guess the things.
You will need
Small toys that your kids are familiar with, a big bag with a drawstring or a zip closure.
How to do
Gather all the small toys your kids usually play with and keep them in the bag. Blindfold your kids and ask them to pick one toy from the bag and name it just by touching it.
36. Match the Socks
Matching colorful things is one of the best Montessori activities to improve visual coordination in your kids.
You will need
Multiple pairs of socks.
How to do
Mix all the socks pairs and ask your kid to pick each one and find its pair.
Introducing toddlers to learning activities for 3-year-olds will help keep them engrossed and entertained and enhance their creativity, focus, and cognitive abilities. Ensure you pick the right activity for your toddler as per their interest and abilities. Sensory developmental activities such as playdough crafts, frozen treasure, and smell it and tell it will help improve their motor skills. You may also try the various learning activities and outdoor and indoor activities mentioned above to aid your child’s physical and psychological development.
Key Pointers
- Art and craft activities can improve creativity and cognition in three-year-olds.
- Sensory activities, such as playdough crafts benefit a child’s brain growth.
- Games such as color and shape sorters can help three-year-olds learn new colors and shapes.
The following two tabs change content below.
- Reviewer
- Author
Nisha Bharatan is a freelance writer with experience in writing health and finance content for various Indian and international clients.
After completing her engineering from Savitribai Phule Pune University, she did content marketing courses to complement her interest in writing. Nisha writes articles centered around kids’ development, their activities, crafts, games, and fun elements that keep children and families entertained....
View Profile ›
Dr. Maymunah Yusuf Kadiri, popularly referred to as ‘The Celebrity Shrink,’ is an award-winning neuro-psychiatrist and mental health advocate with over 15 years experience. She is the medical director and psychiatrist-in-chief at Pinnacle Medical Services. She has created the innovative mental health app in Africa, HOW BODI. Dr. Kadiri is a Goldman Sachs Scholar on Entrepreneurial Management of Pan Atlantic...
View Profile ›
Educational games for 3-4 year olds with parents at home
For a 3-4 year old child, play is the main way to interact with the world. In the game process, the child develops logic and thinking, trains memory, expands communication skills, and strengthens physically.
We have collected games that will appeal to both the baby and his parents, because they will be not only fun and interesting, but also useful.
Article content:
- Outdoor games
- Educational games
- Educational games
- Tips for parents
- Terminals
Outdoor games
Active games are aimed primarily at physical development. The kid improves coordination, attention, endurance. Regular activity strengthens the immune system and is the best prevention of diseases. Find out what you can play with your child at home or on the street.
-
Keeping balance. The parent lays out a rope or a long rope (such as a linen rope) on the floor. The child should walk along it, spreading his arms to the sides. The game can be made more difficult. For example, a child can carry a glass of water in his hands (of course, plastic) or hold a small book on his head.
-
Collecting flowers. For this game, you will need several squares of colored paper, as well as a path, which can also be made from paper or, for example, a long scarf. The track is placed on the floor, pieces of multi-colored paper are scattered around it. We imagine that we are walking along a path, on both sides of which flowers grow. The facilitator (parent) periodically says how many and what flowers need to be collected. For example, 3 yellow or 5 red. The child stops and collects the right flowers. This game not only teaches coordination, but also distinguishes colors and recognizes numbers.
-
Sly fox. A mobile game that children love very much. It is more interesting to play it when there are many participants, but you can also play it together. The participants stand in a line, and the leader moves a few meters away and turns his back. The task of the player is to reach the leader. But you can only go when he is not looking! And when the leader turned, the participant must freeze, or they will have to go to the start.
-
Traffic light. For this game, you need to prepare red, yellow and green circles that can be made from colored paper. Each color represents a specific action. For example, the host shows a green circle - the child is running, yellow - jumping on 1 leg, red - crouching, etc. The game can be started with three signals, but when the baby remembers them, complicate and add new ones.
Educational games
All games are educational for a child. But adults by developing games usually mean those that are aimed at studying any objects, phenomena. Such games develop intelligence, broaden horizons, improve memory, attention and speech.
On the development of motor skills
The development of fine motor skills directly affects the formation of speech, self-service skills, thinking, memory. At home, you can use various household items for games: buttons, clothespins, colored pasta, pencils, etc. On the street you can take cones, chestnuts, sticks.
Consider several options for games for the development of motor skills.
- Piggy bank. Let's take 2 cans. Pour beans into one of them, and leave the other empty. A cover with a small slot is put on the second. The task of the child is to shift the beans from one jar to another. Alternatively, you can use the steam container from the multicooker (with small round holes). You can put pasta in them.
- Groats drawing. PVA glue is applied to a sheet of paper, cereals are poured on top in a certain order. You can use semolina, wheat groats, buckwheat to create multi-colored patterns.
- Beads. The child is given a fishing line on which objects must be strung. It can be beads, buttons and even drying. Objects should not be too small, otherwise it will be difficult for the child to cope with them.
- Flower. Cut out a circle from paper - this will be the base of the flower. We will give the child colorful clothespins.
He should attach them in a circle as if they were flower petals. In parallel, you can memorize colors and lay them out in a certain sequence.
For the development of logic
Logical connections are a very important part in the development of a child's thinking. To understand why and why, simple and exciting tasks will help.
- Find the extra. For this educational game, you will need special cards or sheets that can be found on the Internet and printed. The task for this age usually contains four simple subjects, one of which does not fit into the group for a certain reason. These can be color, shape, skills (for example, flies - does not fly), the purpose of the object (clothes, dishes, etc.) and other signs. It is important to allow the child to think independently.
- Divide into groups. A similar task, but here you need to select from the abundance of objects those that belong to a certain group. For example, vegetables, fruits, pets, toys, etc.
- Say the opposite. A child at 4 years old already understands what antonyms are, that is, words with the opposite meaning. The parent says "hot" - the child answers "cold", etc. Use understandable words: quiet-loud, white-black, sad-cheerful, deep-shallow, wet-dry.
- Who needs what. This game requires a ball. The facilitator says the profession, for example, "doctor", and throws the ball to the child. He must answer what the doctor may need (thermometer, syringe, white coat) and throw the ball back.
For the development of speech
It is important to develop speech from birth. Talking even with a baby who is still silent seems strange, but in fact it is an investment in his future. Often, already studying at school, children cannot connect several sentences into a logical text, retell what they read, or talk about some event. To prevent this from happening, at 3-4 years old you can offer such home games with children.
- Describe the item. For this game, you need to collect several toys and put them in a box. The child takes out a toy and describes it. For example, the girl took out a doll. She can tell what size the doll is, what color her eyes and hair are, what clothes she is wearing, and come up with a name for the doll.
- Tell me from the picture. For this game, you will need an illustration of some popular fairy tale (again, you can find it on the Internet and print it out, or just show it on the screen). The child must tell what he sees in the picture, what happened first and what happened later, how the story ended.
- Everything is messed up. For this game, you can take the plot of a fairy tale that the child knows well. In telling it, you need to make mistakes. For example, the animals did not let the fox into Teremok, or Little Red Riding Hood went not to her grandmother, but to her friend. The kid must understand what is wrong in the fairy tale.
You can dream up and compose your own fairy tale, in which the end will be different.
Educational games
At the age of 3, you can introduce your child to letters and numbers. The number is average, sometimes more developed children show interest in letters even at 2 years old. But there is no need to rush and force the baby to study - this will only discourage the desire to learn new things.
For learning to read and write
A popular technique for learning letters is to hang cards in different places in the apartment/room. And you can do this without even waiting for the age of three. Cards with letters should be bright, arouse the interest of the child. If the baby does not ask what kind of letter it is, you should sometimes pronounce them on your own. You can hang a card with a letter on an object that begins with it. For example, hang the letter L on a chandelier, and the letter T on a TV. Periodically, cards need to be changed, outweighed in other places.
The following ideas are useful for learning about letters.
- Application. Cut out large letters from paper. For decoration, you can use cereals (motor development!), Cotton wool, fabric, beads, sparkles - whatever you like. When decorating a letter, be sure to pronounce it many times so that the baby remembers what it is called.
- Find the letter. Print the letter in several copies. Keep one for yourself, hide the rest in the children's room. Show the child a picture with a letter: "This is the letter O. Find 3 more such letters." At the same time, the letters should be hidden so that they are not difficult to find, you can give the baby hints.
- What's in common? Place items (or images of items) that begin with the same letter in a bag. The child must take them out and pronounce the names aloud, and then guess which letter was guessed.
When the child knows all the letters of the alphabet, you can move on to the study of syllables and words.
To do this, write syllables or simple words of 3 letters on cardboard squares. These will be houses. Then take small toys, for example, from kinder surprises, and find a house for each toy. At the same time, pronounce: the horse lives in the “MA” house, the squirrel lives in the “CO” house, the bunny’s house is called “KY”, etc.
For teaching math
Educational games with numbers are the basis for learning mathematics for a child of 3-4 years old. They teach not only to memorize numbers, but also to compare, solve simple problems.
- Construction site. This game is suitable for both boys and girls. Build a brick house with your child. In this case, you need to determine how many floors there will be in the house, and how many apartments (cubes) on each floor. For example, on the 1st floor - 4 cubes, on the second - 3. To complicate it, you can take cubes of different colors and give tasks not only with numbers, but also with color (2 yellow cubes for the third floor).
- Train. Make cards with numbers from 1 to 10 and invite your child to make a train out of them. Only for this you need to arrange all the cards in order, from 1 to 10. If everything is done correctly, the train will go on a journey.
- Count the candies. Take two dolls (bears) and put them at the table to drink tea with sweets. Give one doll 2 candies, and the other 3. You can ask: "who has more candies", "how many candies do two dolls have in total." Then more dolls can come to visit, while the hostess will have to share the sweets equally among everyone. This game teaches not only to count, but also to think logically.
- One-many. Play a mindfulness game. You can ask the child: “What items are many in the room? And what subject is one? For example, in the kitchen there are many plates, but there is only one table.
Tips for parents
In conclusion of the article, we will give some important recommendations.
- For a baby, the game process itself, the action, and not the final result, is important. You should not be upset and even more so scold the child if the elephant you made looks more like a snowman.
- The rules of the game must be simple and clear. At the same time, it is necessary to leave room for creative improvisation. It develops imagination and initiative.
- Not all games may appeal to a child. You need to feel the mood of the crumbs and, if necessary, stop the game.
- Exercise regularly with your child. Try to set aside at least 15 minutes a day for joint activities.
Conclusions
Games at home with children are interesting and cool, but there is not always time and ideas for this. In order not to deprive the child of the opportunity to fully develop, you can take him to a specialized children's center or kindergarten "Baby Club", where the child will receive the necessary skills in a playful way and will develop all types of intelligence.
Specially equipped and safe rooms for classes are suitable for children of different ages: from 8 months to 7 years. Professional educators support the natural curiosity of children, directing it in the right direction.
Playing with 3-4 year olds - what is the purpose of playing with a 3 year old?
September 22, 2021
Games with children 3-4 years old at home allow you to spend time with your child in a fun and interesting way and at the same time develop the necessary skills. A wide variety of games should be selected, using toys, dolls, boxes, beads, etc.
What is the purpose of playing with a three-year-old at home?
Children of this age need to develop:
- Attention and memory.
- Color perception.
- Movement coordination.
- Fine motor skills of hands.
We have selected the most interesting and exciting activities for you.
Games with inexpensive toys
A mosaic with colored carnations and a plastic base where the elements are inserted, cubes and any board game will do.
Minimal adult involvement
This is a game with cutlery, pots, food containers and other safe items.
Educational games for children 3 years old at home
There are a huge number of educational games created by specialists specifically for playing with a child of 3 years old. There are classes for every age group. The main condition is that the child was interested.
Mobile, active games
The most beneficial activities for health and general physical development.
Children love to play ball, catch up, arrange group sports competitions.
Games with children 3-4 years old. What to do with the baby at home?
Game #1. Hospitable host
What you need:
- dolls or animals;
- beads, assorted colors;
- doll crockery.
How to play?
Put the beads in the box. Invite the baby to treat the "guests" with sweets. Put raspberries (red beads) in a plate for your favorite bear, grapes (green and blue beads) for a chanterelle, sweets for a doll - orange candy beads, etc.
What does the game give?
The kid learns to distinguish colors, pick up small objects, carefully arrange them on plates. Games with a child of 3 years old should benefit the baby and practice regularly, and not from time to time.
Game #2.
Magician
What you need:
- small box;
- ropes and cords;
- table and chair to make your baby comfortable.
How to play?
Put ropes and strings of different lengths, thicknesses and colors into the magician's box. Show how, with the help of ropes and laces, it is possible to lay out various figures and objects on the surface of the table. For example, an orange string closed in a ring is the sun, a green string is an apple, a blue string is the sea, etc.
What does the game give?
Games with a three-year-old child improve the perception of color shades, develop imagination, teach accuracy and perseverance, introduce the shape of objects.
Important! Such games require the organization of a workplace for classes. In order not to spoil the posture of the child, take care of the presence of a comfortable chair. The most optimal option is a “growing” chair with a set of settings according to the baby’s parameters.
Game #3. Little gardener
What you need:
- colored cardboard;
- buttons;
- scissors.
How to play?
An adult will cut out “apples” from cardboard and a tree. Loops need to be sewn to the fruits, buttons to the twigs. Let the little gardener make his own apple garden by attaching fruits to the branches.
What does the game give?
The child collects trees with different colors of fruits - red, green, yellow. Games for children 3 years old at home, the result: the fingers are trained, coordination and fine motor skills develop, the ability to classify objects.
Game #4. Artist
What you need:
- tray;
- semolina.
How to play?
Spread semolina thinly on a tray. Draw figurines on the semolina with your finger.
What does the game give?
Develops fantasy and imagination, artistic skills and fine motor skills.
Game No. 5. Lacing
What you need:
- Ready-made lacing game according to the method of M. Montessori.
How to play?
There is a wide variety of lacing games available in toy stores. Instructions are included with them.
What does the game give?
This is a very effective exercise that develops the eye, fine motor skills of the hands and sensorimotor coordination, creativity, spatial orientation, the concept of "up - down", "right - left".
Game No. 6. Embroiderer
What do you need?
- large sheet of cardboard;
- colored laces or extra thick threads.
How to play?
Make holes in the cardboard. Show your child how to thread threads or laces through them, creating patterns and patterns.
What does the game give?
Develops imagination, accuracy, perseverance and eye, helps to train fingers and creativity.
Game 7. Tailor
What do you need?
- cardboard sheet;
- sheets of paper;
- thick colored threads.
How to play?
Draw pants or a skirt on a sheet of cardboard. Make a hole in the clothes. Invite the child to “fix” the clothes. To do this, cut out a circle of paper of a suitable size, and then attach it, closing the torn one. The patch can be applied using threads and a wooden safety needle.
What does the game give?
Develops fine motor skills and the eye.
Game No. 8. New Year
What do you need?
- sheets of colored cardboard;
- threads.
How to play?
Draw a Christmas tree silhouette on the paper. Cut wood with scissors. Draw and cut toys of different sizes, shapes and colors. Let your little one decorate the Christmas tree by attaching the toys to the branches with thread and a wooden needle.
What does the game give?
Develops fantasy, imagination, motor skills.
Game number 9. Guess it!
What do you need?
- Miscellaneous small items that can be held in the hand.
How to play?
Ask the child to close their eyes. In turn, put different objects into his palm - cubes, balls, etc. Ask them to describe what it is.
What does the game give?
Develops imagination and logic.
Game No. 10. Guess the walk
What do you need?
- pail;
- a wide variety of items that you will find on a walk - leaves, sticks, pebbles, etc.
How to play?
On a walk, enthusiastically put things in a bucket. Then ask the child to close their eyes. Let him take turns taking out objects from the bucket and say - what is it. Tries to compare a leaf and a pebble, a stick and an acorn, etc.
What does the game give?
General development, the ability to memorize and analyze, guess based on tactile sensations.
Game #11. Little sculptor
What you need:
- colored children's plasticine;
- modeling board.
How to play?
You can use a ready-made set for children's creativity. An adult shows how to sculpt different figures.
What does the game give?
The child trains the fingers and develops fantasy and imagination.
Game #12. Find circles
What you need:
- colored cardboard;
- velvet paper;
- landscape sheets.
How to play?
Cut shapes out of different textures. Let the child, without looking, by touch, identify objects.
Game #13. Builder
What you need:
- wooden cubes;
- mat.
How to play?
Invite the child to build a turret first, then a more complex structure. During the game, sing songs and read poems about builders and construction.
Game #14. Little fingers
An adult touches the baby's fingers, massages them and reads a rhyme, for example, about a magpie-crow or "our fingers are tired."
Game #15. Gossamer
What you need:
- box;
- thick threads.
How to play?
Cut holes in the box. Let the baby thread the threads through the holes. These are very useful games with a three year old child.
Game #16. Rain
What you need:
- blue and gray thread;
- blue grey;
How to play?
Make holes in the cardboard.
Let the kid draw clouds on the cardboard, and put threads-streams of rain through the holes. Despite the seeming simplicity of the game, children love it very much and are ready to play it literally for hours.
Game #17. Little singer
An adult sings a song cheerfully. The kid sings and dances. On the Internet you can find a lot of children's songs and learn them.
Game #18. Cheerful reader
An adult starts counting a rhyme and suddenly stops. The kid continues, and so - in turn.
Playing at home with children aged 3-4 must necessarily include reading books and memorizing poems. Read with children of this age the poems of Marshak, Korney Chukovsky and Agnia Barto. Buy beautifully illustrated books. They will become your baby's best friends.
Game #19. With water
Babies just love to pour water from one container to another, catch different objects from them and splash around.
Game #20. Choosing clothes for a walk
An adult offers to choose clothes for a walk on his own. Let the baby look out the window, tell what time of year it is and what other children wear. And then he will pick up panties, tights, panties, etc. according to the season. You can do it by touch with your eyes closed. Thus, the gathering for a walk will take place in the form of a game and will not end in hysteria and whims.
What to play with a child of 3 years. Conclusion
Don't be afraid to be imaginative. It is not necessary to use only examples from the network. Remember your own childhood! Show your child your favorite games you played when you were that age. Pay attention to the baby and do not leave it to yourself. Of course, kids should be able to keep themselves busy, but when it becomes a system, there are always problems.
Playing with a 3-4 year old child at home helps to establish an emotional connection between parents and babies.
