Things to do with three year olds
75 Everyday Activities For 3 Year Olds
| 75 Comments
What are your favorite activities for 3 year olds? These simple activities aren’t just for 3 year olds, they are great activities and preschool learning games for older kids too! Don’t miss my new book Everyday Preschool, it’s the best book for parents who want to make sure their child is learning every day.
Finding the right activities for 3 year olds should be easy… but it isn’t. This summer my daughter and I have had a lot of time to play. Extra time in fact because she decided when she turned 3 to give up naps. With her brother home from school for the summer, my attempts at forcing the issue have been met with refusal. I am going to try again in a month when her brother returns to school but in the meantime, she has quiet time, earlier bedtimes and lots of simple activities like these peppered throughout the day. For more specific games for 3 year olds check out our post here with our favorites!
If you have a younger child check out our similar list of 75 TV Free Activities For Toddlers. These 3 year old activities have been the bulk of what we’ve done this summer. Big projects are fun but day in and day out this is what we do.
This post contains affiliate links.
Fun Activities for 3 year olds
- 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 awesome to let kids play alone. Let your 3 year old think up their own activities. We don’t need to entertain them 24/7 !
What is your family’s favorite everyday activity? Not listed? Add it in the comments and tell us why your kids love it!
Need more activities to do with 3 year olds?
A
Filed Under: 75 activities for 3 year olds, Age Preschool, Age: Toddlers, Preschool Activities | 75 Comments
Like this post? Share it with a friend!
Become an Email Subscriber
Sign up above and receive all new No Time for Flashcards posts directly in your email inbox.
You may also like these posts
Next Post: Dollar Store Salt Tray { Alphabet Activity }
Previous Post: Nature Cuttings – Outdoor Scissor Skills Activity
Trackbacks
50+ Easy Things To Do At Home with Your 3 Year Old
What To Do at Home with Your 3 Year Old
Being at home with a 3 year old can be hard when you are not prepared.
Most pediatric guidelines recommend less than 1 hour of screen time a day. So what on earth do you do the 4-5 hours you may have at home with them?!?
To help you get through your day I have come up with a list of 50+ fun and easy things you can do throughout the day with them.
Most of these items do not require any preparation and use items you already most likely have in your home. The clean up for most of these activities is nothing or very minimal.
How To Use This List
Obviously you aren’t going to do everything on this list. So go through the list, choose about 10-15 things you think your preschooler would like to do.
Chances are there will be a few they will like more than others. So it’s a good idea to go armed with several activities in case one falls through.
Ready? Let’s get started!
50+ Things To Do at Home with your 3 year old
1. Finger painting with water on cardboard.
2. Cut junk mail with scissors.
3. Foil Puzzle Presents.
4. Melt ice with warm water and eye dropper or turkey baster.
5. See how much water a diaper or pull-up can hold.
6. Use eye dropper to decorate a diaper or pull up with coloured water.
7. Tear a sheet into small squares. Draw on them. And then glue them together onto another sheet.
8. Play restaurant.
9. Place plastic wrap around a bowl using an elastic band and let them poke holes in it with their fingers.
10. Place a cardboard tube on their arm and use it to hit a balloon like a bat.
11. Fill sink with water and give them some large beads to put in the water.
12. Fill sink with water and add pom poms.
13. Fill sink with water and bubbles and add a few non-bath toys.
14. Have a dance party to their favourite Disney soundtrack.
15. Have a dance party to your favourite dance songs.
16. Build a pillow and blanket fort.
17. Take a bath with plastic balls.
18. Build a Book Rainbow.
19. Play dress up with your shoes.
20. Read a book lying down on the floor.
21. Play dress up with daddy’s old ties.
22. Teach them how to play rock, paper, scissors.
23. Stick some paper to the stairs and have them draw on the stairs.
24. Stick paper under a chair and have them colour a picture there.
25. Play in bath tub in swimsuit with toys.
26. Look at your child’s baby book.
27. Paint a colouring book with watercolours.
28. Have a toga party with swaddling blankets or towels.
29. Bake muffins together.
30. Make fruit kebabs and eat them.
31. Snuggle on the floor looking up at the ceiling pretending you see clouds shaped like different animals.
32. Play hide and go seek.
33. Have tickle fight.
34. Have a pretend wedding.
35. Cover rocks with shaving cream and have them clean them off.
36. Paint with a potato masher or spatula or other kitchen utensils.
37. Paint Lego or Megabloks.
38. Wash paint off Lego or Megabloks with soap and water.
39. Take a magnifying glass (pretend, real or handmade) and go looking for bugs.
40. Play with balloons.
41. Make faces on plate with their snack. (For instance cut up some fruit and have them make faces on their plate with the pieces of fruit.)
42. Play pretend telephone with 2 cups over your ears.
43. Make car ramps using books or cardboard on a couch or stairs.
44. Eat lunch on the floor picnic style.
45. Make funny faces in the mirror or smartphone.
46. Put several puzzles in a bin and then have your 3 year old search for pieces and put them all together.
47.
Play pretend firefighters.
48. Build a tower using toilet paper and tissue boxes.
49. Take mattress off their crib and use it as a tumbling mat. For added protection, arrange pillows all around and set safety ground rules.
50. Have them ‘read’ their favourite books to you.
51. Blow bubbles outside, no matter the weather.
52. Use a measuring tape to measure your body parts such as arms and legs.
53. Dress up for lunch.
WILL YOU TRY ANY OF THESE ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR 3 YEAR OLD? Pin it for later!
Top 15 ideas on how to entertain children aged 3-6 without leaving home
Sometimes you have to stay at home with your child for several days in a row: either high temperature, then chickenpox, then the weather is completely non-flying, then the mother herself is sick and take a walk with the baby there is simply no one on the street, then what kind of misfortune or natural anomaly. You never know what situations happen! But that's no reason to be sad! Our ideas on how to entertain children at home will help you.
rebenok.by
At home with a child of 3-6 years old, you can find a lot of ways to have fun, if there is no need to severely limit his activity:
- arrange a disco,
- jump into the hopscotch "drawn" on the floor with tape,
- play hide and seek,
- arrange an impromptu fashion show, etc.
light show with an ordinary flashlight,
- build a hammock or a house under the table,
- read a book, then stage it, etc.
Such ways to entertain a child at home do not cost a lot of money and will not take you much time. But such attention and love will not go unnoticed for the child. These are just those childhood impressions that become more and more valuable with age.
1. Fur seal rookery: hammocks for children
pp.userapi.com
lie in bed!) and get high a few centimeters above the ground, looking at books about the adventures of their favorite characters.
2. Cardboard fun for kids at home
www.bastisimo.com
If you want your little one to be quietly busy doing their own things, give them markers and a large cardboard box. For example, from the refrigerator. O! You can’t even imagine what imaginary city will appear before your eyes in just half an hour.
Rastishka's reference:
- Rusty's workshop: imaginary city
- Top 10: cardboard toys
www.passion.ru
Cardboard is a fairly durable material, which allows you to use crafts from it for a long time. Make a big house where a child will fit in full growth - you can’t imagine a better toy! To fasten the parts, use adhesive tape and Velcro - so the house can be folded and quickly removed so that it does not take up space. Decorate your new home with curtains, flower pots and other little things that will create coziness in the toy house. Let your child draw wallpapers, rugs and other decor to decorate the interior.
For your beloved Bobik, you can build a booth near the house - a friend will always be there, and property - under a reliable "alarm".
www.passion.ru
Not only mom and dad dream of their own country house. Masha's doll has exactly the same dream, and you can make her (the doll) happy, and the child happy and busy with useful things for a long time. Glue a room with partitions out of cardboard, without a roof, but with a floor-stand. Let the kid, along with his favorite doll, arrange and paint everything. Furniture can be made from designer parts, dishes can be fashioned from salt dough, rugs and curtains can be cut from unnecessary rags and shreds. Cultivate taste from childhood, you see, the young designer will show his abilities more than once.
3. Home cooking: entertainment for children
justcoolidea.ru
. Make delicious chocolate creamers for cottage cheese or ice cream with your children.
Inflate balloons, wash with soap.
Melt the chocolate and dip the balls into the warm sweet mass. Wait for the chocolate to harden and carefully pop the balls.
all-thinks.ru
You can fill chocolate plates with your favorite treat! For example, yogurt or cottage cheese "Rastishka", or homemade ice cream with fresh berries and pieces of fruit.
Recommendations from Rastishka:
- Homemade ice cream for kids: recipes for making
- Salted ice cream. So it was possible?
- Cooking with Rastishka: Mint Chocolate Ice Cream
- 5 ice cream recipes you will never buy in the store
- Vitamin desserts from oranges and Rastishka products
- Popsicles - a treat on a stick
- Kitchen experiments for children: indicator products
- Cooking with "Rastishka": vitamin spring salad
- Omelette that 100% kids will love: three cool recipes
4. Snow fun
ourbestbites.com
Make snow with your child according to our recipes and play for fun!
Recommendations from Rastishka:
- Top 15: artificial snow for crafts with children
- Top 10 snow games at home
5.
Playing with light
www.matato.net
Forced sitting at home can be spent with useful entertainment. Many children are afraid of the dark. Let's make friends with her! Run for the lights!!! From thick paper, cut a circle to fit the glass in the flashlight. Any shape cut out of paper and superimposed on a light source will give a fancy shadow. Turn off the lights and experiment! There is nothing terrible in the dark, only miracles. To be afraid of ghosts drawn on paper - fi, we are not like that!
Recommendations from Rastishka:
- No fear: getting to know the dark
- Say "Yes" to the fight against night terrors
pinimg.com
Take a piece of thick paper. Mark the pattern with a pencil, and then poke holes with a needle. You will get cute flashlights that you can play with in a dark room. ATTENTION! Do not give your child matches and candles. All experiments are carried out only in the presence of adults!
alicdn.
com
If you have a shaped hole punch, you can cut the image directly on paper bags. Insert a tall glass with a burning candle inside.
tnn-hobby.ru
Such lanterns are not only an object for light games with children, but also an interior decoration.
6. Paraffin Islands
viene.ru
This exciting game must be played strictly in the presence of adults. Let's fantasize? Pour water into a deep saucer and tint it blue or green. Why not the sea?
Light the candle and wait for the paraffin to melt. Carefully pour the paraffin into the water - it will begin to cool, turning into bizarre shapes. If you change the height of the candle at the level of the "sea", you can get fancy "islands".
7. Checkmate!
How to teach a child to play chess and checkers we told HERE. Even a three-year-old can master the basics, and then it all depends on your patience and imagination.
8. Card games, solitaire, magic tricks
Gambling is not as scary as it might seem at first glance, especially since there are quite harmless tricks, solitaire games and children's decks with cartoon characters.
Recommendations from Rastishka:
- Fun breaks: learning how to do tricks
- Math magic tricks for kids who can count
- Magical liquids: magic tricks for children
- How to bring a paper flower to life: a trick for children
- Magic at home, or How to tear a child away from the computer
9. You and I are of the same blood — royal
zhenskoe-mnenie.ru
Making a crown will be interesting for both a boy and a girl. BUT! There is a risk that problems will arise: a crowned person of royal blood may refuse to take off her headdress even while sleeping and bathing.
10. Home fishing
www.wday.ru
Even a very busy dad will gladly join this innocent entertainment. With our ideas any fishing will be successful! Shall we look for fish spots in our apartment?
Recommendations from Rastishka:
- Fishing game for kids
11.
Make a fun face painting imperiya.by
Who said you can't play with your own hands, face and body? With the help of special paints, they can be turned into anyone! Minute business, and the child is busy for a long time.
If a bear stepped on your brush or your child doesn't want to get dirty, offer your child an alternative option - paint dolls' faces! Can you imagine how happy he will be to feel like a makeup artist?!
Recommendations from Rastishka:
- Animal face painting: transforming into animals
- How to Draw a Dragonfly: Face Painting and Other Art Techniques
- Rastishka's Workshop. Fish on the palms
- Games from nothing: our hands are not for boredom
12. Play role-playing games
deti.mail.ru
If your child is sick, play doctor with him. Tell the basic principles of the functioning of the human body, teach how to carry out simple manipulations with toys.
Many other interesting ideas in our article “ Play role-playing games with your child.”.
13. Draw in unusual ways and objects
novostipmr.com
In fact, to get the buzz from drawing, it is not at all necessary to be able to draw. Fact! You can have fun and diversify your leisure time with your child:
Recommendations from Rastishka:
- You may not be an artist, but you must draw with children
- Say YES to fork painting
- Say "YES" to drawing fruits and vegetables
14. Make postcards
Together with your child, make postcards for those whom the child misses (friends, relatives), whom they have not seen for a long time.
15. Start modeling
xn--b1addmfe5aaikeid.xn--p1ai
Children are very fond of sculpting, but mothers are not always ready to remove the results of creativity from the carpet and furniture, so the choice of materials for modeling should be taken into account seriously: choose products from trusted manufacturers or make homemade clay yourself.
Recommendations from Rastishka:
- Sandbox at home all year round: kinetic sand for modeling
- How to make salt dough for different colors: experimenting together
- How to make DIY salt dough
- Home plasticine: recipes for modeling mass
If you have already tried all these ideas, and home quarantine has not ended, take a look at the article Top 10+ ideas on how to keep a child 3-6 years old at home.
Tell us in the comments what your child likes to do at home. What kind of joint entertainment do you come up with when you have to be locked up for various reasons (illness, bad weather, etc.) ?
40 ways to keep a child aged 3 to 6 busy, or how to make the most of your holidays?
Lessons for a 3 year old child at home. Consider what ways there are to keep a child aged 3 to 6 years old and thereby free up up to an hour of time for their personal affairs.
Today we will look at 40 ways to keep a child aged 3 to 6 busy. Usually at this age, our children begin to go to kindergarten, so they are less at home, but weekends or holidays come. And, of course, parents think about what to do with a child of this age and what games are suitable for him. Negative energy of unfinished business
From the age of 3 the following games are important for children:
- role playing;
- more serious classes based on the previous stages;
- "scientific" experiments.
From the age of 3, children begin to position themselves as a boy or a girl, compare themselves with their same-sex parent and copy their behavior towards the opposite sex. This is already a small immature personality with its own character, preferences and interests, which we, as good parents, must correct. He is already more independent than at the previous stage.
A three-year-old child, of course, is not a toddler and will not shove everything into his mouth, but still you can’t forget about safety precautions.
Especially if two or more children are involved in the game. Therefore, the space for games should be removed as much as possible from unnecessary things. Pay particular attention to toys, as they are at the top of the list of causes of injury to children. Elementary, a child can start running, stumble and fall on an abandoned car, for example. The secret of inspiration: how to enter the state of flow
The most traumatic age for children in this category are 5-6 years old, especially for boys. He already knows a lot, there are strengths, skills and a desire to know the limit of his abilities. Moreover, parental vigilance at this time is weakening - after all, great already. Electric shocks are also not uncommon at this age.
From the age of 5, discipline is important . Therefore, be firm, demanding and loving parents. Give your child more freedom, but always be on the lookout.
So let's get started.
We hand over the album and go. 
Then paste it in a notebook. 
There are many options here: you can arrange a trampoline for cars, your child can move out of it by himself (make sure that it is safe, for example, cover it with pillows), etc. 
Then glue on pieces of wallpaper. And we play "Islands of the cold among the hot." 
Let's go on an amazing journey into the closet, for example. 
