Things to do with 3 year olds at home

75 Everyday Activities For 3 Year Olds

August 6, 2013 | 75 Comments

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

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

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

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?

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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!

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

Sizykh Anastasia

Published: 01/16/2023

Reading time:

238

At the age of three, a child develops independence. If parents continue to patronize the baby, most likely, he will grow up weak and insecure. But if you properly organize the child’s home activities, then you can simply direct him in the right direction, periodically looking at him. nine0003

Useful games for 3-year-olds

Role-playing games

Children aged 3 enjoy playing doctor, cook, cosmonaut, superhero. Choose the right props, knowing the interests of the child. Such games develop skills that will be useful to children in the future.

Movement games

Any activity where the child can move is useful. For example, a children's disco or gymnastics to music. Turn on a rhythmic melody and dance with your baby. You can use special children's microphones, where songs are already recorded. This develops the memory and creativity of the crumbs. nine0014 Exercises to the music are useful: clapping, jumping, squatting and tilting. Learn to walk back and forth and in a circle, raise and lower arms and legs. So the baby will learn to feel the rhythm and develop physical activity.

Children also like nursery rhymes. They develop memory and coordination. Do them together:

Fun exercise "Bunny":

Once upon a time there was a bunny,

Long ears (we put our hands to the head)

The bunny got frostbitten

Nose on the edge (covering the nose with your hand)

Nose frostbitten,

Cheeks frostbitten (covering cheeks)

And went to warm up (we hug ourselves)

Visit the kids.

Home Theater

Dolls can be purchased from the store or made by yourself. Finger characters or just toys that are at home are also great. To make the performance look real, make a curtain, prepare puppets and a plot. Children enjoy watching home theater and interacting with the characters. For them, it's all real. nine0003

Afterwards, invite the child to put on a performance for siblings or for mom and dad.

From personal experience

“When my oldest child was 3 years old, we invited friends over and put on a show for the whole company. The children especially liked it when we dimmed the lights and sounds during the performance. This added a special mystique to the performance. Children watched with bated breath and sincerely worried about each character. The youngest daughter is 1.5 years old and we are already watching Ryaba Hen and Teremok”

Sizykh Anastasia

Experienced mom, legal consultant.

Fashion show

Prepare a variety of outfits: skirts, caps and hats, t-shirts, scarves and tulle. A little fashionista will be happy to choose what she likes, dress up and look at herself in the mirror.

Useful activities for children 3 years old

Reading

Reading aloud is a very useful activity. Unlike cartoons, where everything is already drawn and invented, the book gives the child the opportunity to fantasize and think. Children who are read to regularly become more reasonable, their speech is clearer, and their vocabulary is richer. nine0003

Attention games

Take a book with large bright pictures and look at it with your child. Name all the objects and characters on the pages. Pay attention to small details: hats and clothes, flower petals, windows of the house, etc.
Now open the same book and ask the baby to show you everything that is there, down to the smallest items. Look together. Praise. Help if help is needed. After 2-3 lessons, you will notice that the baby has become more attentive and finds objects faster and faster. nine0003

Learning to help around the house

When cleaning, give the baby a cloth and show him what to wipe. While the baby carries a rag near the cabinet, mom will wash the whole room.
Load laundry together: carry clothes and start the washing machine. When baking, give a piece of dough to the baby - let him blind the figure at his discretion. Bake it with the main dish.

This is important!

During housework, constantly praise the baby, this will gradually accustom him to household chores. So the baby will not perceive homework as hard work. nine0003

Creative drawing

Drawing develops logic, imagination and thinking. To make it interesting for the baby, offer him different options for how to draw: paints, pencils, felt-tip pens or crayons. Next, try the following:

• Get some sheets of the largest piece of paper you can find in the store. Fasten with tape and lay on the floor. You will have a huge field for drawing. Draw roads, houses and buildings together. Get a whole city. Let toy cars drive along it and character toys go. The drawing can be reused many times, adding new elements all the time; nine0091
• Purchase an easel for painting. Let the baby come up and draw himself when he gets inspiration;
• Create drawings and invite your child to participate in them. Download on the Internet or draw templates that need to be supplemented. For example, draw grains for a chicken; smoke for the stove; bridge for the river.
• Give your child coloring books. For now, these should be simple large images, for example, a ball, a doll or a house. It is important to show the child how to decorate, to teach him this activity. nine0091

Flashcard lessons

Shop or make your own flashcards. It can be vegetables and fruits, equipment, characters, geometric shapes or plants. Give them to the baby, naming the subject, ask them to choose the right card from the total mass. Sort by category and color. Play "edible-not-edible"

Modeling

Modeling develops creative and spatial thinking, imagination and fine motor skills. The kid likes to create images - a bunny, a car, a little man. Blind with him a small city with houses, residents, cars, a river and a bridge. Play together - it will be just a pleasure to watch how the child fantasizes. nine0003

From personal experience

“For practice, I often use homemade dough for modeling: I mix 1 cup each of flour and salt, add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and a little water. It turns out soft, comfortable for children's fingers material for modeling. Finished figurines can be painted”

Sizykh Anastasia

Experienced mom, legal consultant.

You can also make homemade snow. Mix 2 cups cornstarch and 1/2 cup sunflower oil in a bowl. Grind the mass in your hands until it begins to sculpt. Make snowballs, a snowman or a whole snow castle. nine0003

Making handicrafts

Handicrafts are useful for developing imagination, logic and knowledge about the properties of objects. You can make them from any material at hand: plasticine and cones, cardboard and colored paper, herbarium leaves and toothpicks.
Felt crafts are very good. The material is comfortable and easy to use: you can cut anything, does not require edge processing and sticks to itself perfectly. Cut out, for example, a house, windows and inhabitants in it. Ask the kid to resettle the tenants. nine0003

This is important!

If you regularly engage your child in such games, he will begin to succeed and develop an interest in developmental activities. Subsequently, he will play with pleasure and for a long time. All this develops concentration and perseverance.
Constructor, cubes, puzzles and mosaics

At the age of three, a child is very interested in construction and creation. While doing should be large and easy to assemble. So the baby will be able to perform most of the actions himself with pleasure. nine0003

Lotto

Lay out the cards with the drawn objects, then take out the pictures one by one and cover them with the images on the cards. In parallel, you can learn the names, colors and properties of objects drawn on the cards. Such classes train attention and logic.

What a 3-year-old child can play alone

Scooter

You can ride a scooter not only on the street. For this age, a stable model with three wheels and a height-adjustable handle is suitable. Children are happy to ride at home for a long time, especially if it is not the season. nine0003

Dry Ball Pool

Take an inflatable baby pool and fill it with 4-5 cm diameter plastic balls.
Show your little one how to hide in balloons, sort them by color, put them in a basket and have fun pouring them out. In such a pool, the baby trains muscles and endurance without being overloaded.

Drawing in a box

Take a cardboard box without a lid. Size 1x1 meter or more. Put a child in it and give pencils or crayons. Let him draw without restriction on the walls or on the bottom of the box.

Story games

Doll house, parking lot or railroad. Engage your little one with play. Show how to seat dolls, park cars, or connect railroad elements. Add characters and suggest options.

This is important!

At this age, you can create entire game worlds: build a house out of blocks, put a parking lot nearby, a house for animals and a railway. And also build a tent from a bedspread and chairs. Do not be afraid to experiment and get carried away with the game with your baby! The game is a whole world where a child can express himself, dream up, create something of his own. nine0014

Magnet games

Give your child a magnet, show how it is attached to the refrigerator. Let the baby walk around the house and check which things are attracted and which are not.

Bowling

Teach your little one to set up pins and knock them down with the ball. An alternative to skittles can be cubes or empty plastic bottles.

Dishwashing and Laundry

Fill a basin with water, unbreakable baby dishes and a sponge. Have your child wash the dishes. nine0014 Another option is to wash handkerchiefs, clothes for dolls or small rags in the basin.

Let's summarize:

• At the age of three, the baby shows the first signs of independence. He is often ready to play and act himself. It is important to show him various activities so that he does not get bored and can find useful activities for himself.
  
• Topics for children's activities can be role-playing and outdoor games, home theater and fashion shows.
  
nine0090 Teach your baby to useful and developing activities: reading together, attention games, housework with an adult. Teach your little one to draw, sculpt and make crafts. Play loto and developing cards. Offer a constructor, cubes and puzzles.

• For the development of independence, do not be afraid to leave the child to himself. Suggest games that he can play himself: riding a scooter around the house, a dry ball pool, drawing in a box, and story games. Magnets, bowling, as well as washing handkerchiefs or washing toy dishes in a basin will also captivate the baby. Independent children are more successful in the future, they know more and are not afraid of difficulties. nine0014

Entertaining a three-year-old child with home games is not at all difficult. It is only important to understand what he is interested in and choose the appropriate entertainment.

Author of article

Sizykh Anastasia

Experienced mom, legal consultant.

About the author

Share on Vkontakte Share on Odnoklassniki nine0003

Contents of the article

• Useful games for 3 year olds
• Useful activities for children 3 years old
• What can a 3-year-old child play alone

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Games with children of three or four years old - what are games with a three-year-old child aimed at?

22 September 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 3-year-old child. 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? nine0013

Game #1. Hospitable host

What you need:

• dolls or animals;
• beads, assorted colors;
• doll utensils.

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?

Toddler learns to distinguish colors, pick up small objects, and arrange them neatly 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 for your little one's comfort.

How to play? nine0260