Playing with 3 year olds
75 Everyday Activities For 3 Year Olds
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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
- Playdough sculptures with dry spaghetti.
- Fill a table with books and read, read, read.
- Doodle with smelly markers on cardboard from your recycle bin.
- Play doctor with dolls.
- Take a walk and hunt for colors.
- Play with puzzles.
- Look at family photos together.
- Create with peel and stick jewels.
- Read through catalogs.
- Build a fort.
- Play eye spy with a favorite book.
- Eat lunch outside.
- Play in a box.
- Paint with watercolors.
- Play with stickers.
- Play sports in the yard.
- Play-Doh and sequins.
- Play The Cupcake Game.
- Play Simon Says.
- Make a balance beam out of painter’s tape and walk it!
- Play in a kiddie pool.
- Color with Color Wonder markers and coloring sheets.
- Water some plants
- Play with Magic Nuudles.
- Play with Play-Doh and Duplo together.
What are some easy things to do with a 3 year old? Keep reading!
- Play with a light table ( easy DIY here ).
- Play with cold cooked spaghetti.
- Cook together.
- Play with water, rice, beans, gravel, etc… in your water table .
- Play with the hose.
- Dress up some dolls.
- Take silly pictures together.
- Play hide and seek.
- Cuddle.
- Play with stamps.
- Make some window clings .
- Paint your toenails with kid-safe nail polish.
- Run Through the sprinkler.
- Write in a journal with markers, stamps, and crayons.
- Go to the beach.
- Learn about emotions with Mr. Potato Head.
- Go to the library.
- Read with a sibling.
- Call Grandma ( or Aunty, Uncle… you get the picture.
) - Help clean.
- Play dentist with dolls.
- Finger paint.
- Draw with chalk on black construction paper.
- Go to a local elementary school and play at the playground.
What are the best activities for 3 year old ?
- Play dress-up.
- Take markers and paint onto the porch for art outside.
- Duplo
- Play School
- Mix sidewalk chalk and other toys for pretend play outside.
- Bubbles.
- Scrap paper collages. All you need is some paper and glue!
- Hunt for magnets with a magnetic wand in a bowl of uncooked oatmeal or rice.
- Jump in puddles. I don’t know of a better activity for a 3 year old than this one!
- Build a tower out of recycling.
- Wash the car.
- 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.
- Take some pictures.
- Have a tea party.
- Practice cutting with playdough!
- Make a ramp with cardboard and drive matchbox cars down it.
- Read books outside.
- Play-Doh with pipe cleaners.
- Wash push cars, scooters, and bikes.
- Go for a hike.
- Play with Play-doh and egg molds.
- Play airplane or train with your kitchen chairs.
- Wash windows with water and vinegar.
- Turn snack bars into shapes and practice using a knife at the same time.
- Play alone. Yes, it’s more than OK, it’s incredible 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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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!
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Educational games for children from 3 to 4 years old.
List of games with recommendations Children aged 3-4 have an enormous amount of energy. They don't seem to get tired at all and are always ready to play and have fun!
In order for the child's independent play not to take on a destructive character, he should be occupied in such a way that the game would be interesting and understandable for him.
No one discounts everyone's favorite games: hide and seek, hide and seek, and classics. But, in addition to all any games, there are many others, no less entertaining and developing, different for indoors or outdoors.
Outdoor games for children 3-4 years old
1. Sunshine
The game is perfect for a park or going out into nature, it is interesting for children of any age. For the first time, it is better for an adult to be the leader, after a few games the kid will understand the rules and can easily play the role of a leader. This game can be played from three players, but the more - the more fun.
The game consists of three stages. All participants and the facilitator gather together, the facilitator closes his eyes and starts counting to ten. During this time, players must find a place to hide. After the countdown, the host opens his eyes and looks for the players. The main difference from the game of "hide and seek" is that the leader can only turn around without leaving the place where he stands. If the leader is a child, then for ease of understanding it is better to indicate the place from which he is looking, and the framework that cannot be exceeded. When the facilitator notices the players, he calls them out loud by their names; if he doesn’t see anyone else, then he shouts “Sun”, after which the players must run to the leader.
After that, the second end begins. Everything is the same, only the leader counts to seven, and not to ten.
In the third horse, the leader counts to three. If the leader did not see everyone in the last horse and shouted “Sun”, then the players win, but if the leader found everyone, then he wins.
The game is dynamic and very fun, it promotes the development of mindfulness, orientation in space and a quick search for solutions.
2. I can't see - I can't hear
An excellent game for a parent and a child of 3-4 years, the number of players from two to infinity. The rules are as follows: when the host says “I don’t see”, players can run around, jump and jump, but in absolute silence. If someone utters a sound - lost. When the presenter says “I don’t hear,” you can and should make noise, sing, laugh, but at the same time stand still. The one who left his seat or moved (not counting his mouth) lost. The game will cause a storm of delight, the children will run in plenty, scream, and later you can use the game as a lifesaver if you need to ask the child to keep silence or stillness for a while.
Such games help to develop patience and the ability to listen to adults in a child.
3. Touch my shadow
Modified catch-up game, only you need to touch not the player, but his shadow.
In this game, there can be from two participants. It is much easier for children of three years to play this game than adults, since it is in this game that a small stature is an undeniable advantage, since there is no need to bend over.
The rules can be changed: for example, touching the shadow with your foot or hand.
4. Traffic light
A great game to help kids as young as four learn colors. You can play from three people.
There are two variants of the game.
The first version of , which is familiar to all of us since childhood. Two lines are drawn at a distance of 3-4 meters from each other, on one line - the participants, on the other - the leader. The host turns away from the players, calls the color and turns back. Those who have this color on their clothes calmly pass behind the leader's line. Those who do not have this color must run across, and the one whom the leader grabs first takes his place. If the leader did not grab anyone or everyone found the color on their clothes, he continues to play the game.
The second version of the game . All participants gather together, the host sings the following song:
“I see something, I see somewhere,
I see something ( here any color is called ) colors,
And now for one or two -three
Find the right color as soon as possible»
After that, the participants must find the hidden color and touch it with their hand as quickly as possible. It can be on clothes, on objects around, on the host. The one who found the color last becomes the leader. If a child at the age of three finds it difficult to sing a song, he can simply name a color.
Games for children 3-4 years old in the apartment
1. Obstacle course
This game will require a little preparation and imagination. In order to turn the game into an incredible adventure, a legend is needed: depending on the interests of a child of 3-4 years old, you need to come up with names for obstacles. For example, if the baby is interested in dinosaurs, then the pillow tunnel will be called "Dinosaur Fang".
You can come up with a small reward for passing the lane.
Tasks on the runway can be absolutely anything, depending on the equipment of the room. Here are a few examples:
- A broom can be used as a jump barrier or to crawl under.
- You can build a tunnel out of pillows and chairs.
- Any rope or tape can be placed on the floor. The task of the baby is to walk along it, like on a tightrope.
- One of the stages can be throwing the ball into the basket, target or bowl.
- Collecting toys for speed is also great as a stage.
At the very beginning of the game, the kid should announce how many trials and obstacles he will have to overcome and when he will be rewarded.
2. Cold-hot
Game for two people. One of the participants leaves the room, while the other hides the object. The second returns and must find the hidden. The first participant can prompt using only two words: “cold” - if the player moves away from the object; "hot" - if approaching him.
After finding the subject, the roles change. The game promotes the development of logical thinking and mindfulness.
3. Trap
For this game you will need a skein of non-sewing items. thread (preferably stronger) An adult, together with a child in the room, begins to build a “trap” - stretch and fasten the thread so that a “web” is formed.
Once the structure is ready, you can start to get through the trap without touching the threads.
4. Parking lot
Only paper masking tape is needed from the inventory, as it does not leave marks, and it is necessary to stick it on the floor. With its help, a whole city is “built” on the floor, with roads and houses. The kid advises what should be in the city, discusses together with the adult where, what and how it will be located.
When the map on the floor is ready, a huge number of possible games open up. You can drive cars on the roads, you can learn professions and, for example, take toys to the hospital or school along the roads.
