Toys for 3 Year Old Baby Girl
The Only Toy Gift Guide for a 3-Year-Old You'll Ever Need
Photo-Illustration: Photo-Illustration: Stevie Remsberg; Photos: Courtesy of the retailers
You know aboutNew YorkMagazine's "Approval Matrix." Now, the Strategist has taken that model of what falls where on our taste hierarchies and applied it to toys. In this case, the four sides of the grid are "Educational" (say, a coding toy), "Brain Candy" (kinetic sand), "Reasonably Priced," and "Splurgy." Each toy in every quadrant comes highly recommended — click here to learn more about our sourcing process and the dozens of experts involved — and every age up to double digits is covered, all of which you can see by also clicking here.
Here we cover the 3-year-olds. "At this age, children begin to initiate conversation, produce simple sentences, and talk about things of interest," notes Dr. George Sachs, a child psychologist and the founder of the Sachs Center in Manhattan. That's why Erica Hill, a consultant at the early-childhood-education research foundation HighScope, says any toy you give should be one you (or another adult) can use with a kid too: "There's so much language development that's happening at this age, so talking and having conversations is so important." In other words, they're real people now — people who can, say, empathize with characters in a book or mess around with the alphabet at a pint-size standing desk; who can pretend they're pop stars singing into a microphone or build their own worlds (and much, much more).
You can jump directly to the section that interests you most — "Educational/Reasonably Priced," "Educational/Splurgy," "Brain Candy/Reasonably Priced," or "Brain Candy/Splurgy" — or read all the way through to get the full picture of what kids these days are into. Whether you're shopping for a birthday or the holidays or any other day, it's a list that keeps on giving. And if you want to check out even more toys, don't miss our list of the ones experts say will be the hottest toys to give this season.
Manipulatives — small items that children can grasp in their hands and move around — are an important part of development at this age because they help kids develop their imagination, according to Shannon Lockhart, a manager of early-childhood applied practices at HighScope. Manipulatives can be anything from farm-animal figurines to nuts and bolts to these wooden geometric shapes. If you want to encourage even more unstructured play, Lockhart says not to use the diagrammatic boards this set comes with, so "kids can put the shapes together in different ways."
While suitable for many 2-year-olds, a 3-year-old can play this game at its most advanced level and can also engage with it independently. "Bears in Pairs introduces young children to the concepts of turn-taking and following directions," says Helen Sadovsky, a pediatric occupational therapist who runs Toy-Ideas.com, a blog focused on helping parents find developmentally appropriate and educational toys for their kids. Meanwhile, Sadovsky adds, "it encourages sustained attention and cognitive skills, such as pattern recognition and matching."
This easy-to-learn game is ideal for 3-year-olds because it involves no reading and no dice with numbers to count — instead, there's a spinner to flick on a colored wheel and matching acorns to pick up — yet it still fosters learning in a quick-paced setup, teaching about colors and improving fine motor control. Games like this also "teach the skills of sharing, turn-taking, and handling frustration when losing," says Dr. Sachs.
"Plus-Plus pieces are designed in Denmark and can be used to create anything from simple towers to imaginative robots," says Stirling Kelso, founder of Half Pint Travel. In addition to the creativity and fine-motor development involved in using this, "a tube of these repetitive shapes are a lifesaving distraction, especially in public, on an airplane, or at a restaurant, because they're versatile and require some concentration to pull apart and put back together. In other words, they buy you at least 15 minutes of freedom."
The whopping 100 blocks in this set from Melissa & Doug can be used in a plethora of ways, from building tall 3-D structures to flat puzzlelike creations and anything in between. The nine different shapes included, made of smooth, vibrant wood, help kids lock in their knowledge of primary colors (plus green). And as one of the writers of this story (Steven John) has seen firsthand with his children, playing with the blocks helps with the development of spatial awareness, fine-motor control, and planning and executing.
This simple but remarkably effective STEM toy introduces the basics of block-based coding in the form of a kit that many 3-year-olds can use on their own (for the most part). If it looks familiar, the toy had a brush with fame when Danielle Busby of TLC's OutDaughtered talked about how she loved having the kids playing with their Coding Critters in the hall — "chasing the balls and the yarn, just like they do with our actual dog." Except with this, they're actually learning coding in the process.
Books are always a welcome (and foolproof) gift at any age. Children's fashion designer Grace Lim, a mom of two girls, says that her 3-year-old adores every book she encounters in the Little People, Big Dreams series. As Lim explains, the books help kids "learn about people's different stories and backgrounds and how each person went through such different adventures to become who they are." She adds that the content is particularly great for this age, telling us her daughter can relate to many of the books' scenarios: "She often says, 'Me, too!' while reading along." The books are available individually (Lim says her daughter's favorite subjects include David Bowie and Mahatma Gandhi) or in sets like this one that includes stories about Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks.
For another 3-year-old-approved book, mom Katie Starros recommends Matt Lamothe's story that provides a look into the lives of children in places like Iran, India, Uganda, and Peru. She says it contains "beautiful, detailed illustrations" that have sparked thoughtful conversations between her and her 3-year-old son. For instance, he asked her why one of the families in the book hangs their clothes up to dry. "He didn't understand why they didn't have a clothes dryer and I told him that they are really expensive and that we are lucky to have a washer and dryer," she says. "Then he said, 'We are lucky. We have a nice home.' It's nice because I feel like he kind of gets it."
Parents and kids alike adore the Toniebox, an audio-only entertainment system that keeps little ones occupied for hours — without a screen in sight. It's a smart speaker that plays stories and songs when you place a magnetized figurine, or Tonie, on top, and there are dozens of characters to choose from, including Paw Patrol, Frozen, Peppa Pig, LeVar Burton, and Peter Rabbit. John says it's "so easy to operate that my 2.5-year-old daughter can do it all by herself," and he's especially impressed with the production value. "Talented voice actors, rich sound effects — it makes the aural experience of the content every bit as rewarding as watching the movie." While the preloaded stories are fun, for Vulture features writer Kathryn VanArendonk, who has a 4-year-old and a 7-year-old, it's the blank "Creative-Tonies" that she swears by. "The real trick is that you can use their website interface to fill the empty figures with any MP3 file, so I rotate new kids' story podcasts and music on there constantly," she says. You can also record yourself, family members, and friends reading and telling stories onto the Tonie. "People talk about life-changing toys for their kids, and this one is it for our family, hands down. It has really helped my 4-year-old self-regulate when she needs to cool down but has dropped a nap, and both my kids looooove it for bedtime." A note: You have to buy the speaker (Toniebox) and Tonies ($12–$15 each) separately, but this starter kit includes a figurine that's preloaded with a compilation of popular children's songs. You can also buy bundles that come with two, three, or five Tonies and save a few bucks that way.
When toy historians look back at this era, Magna-Tiles will all but surely rank among the ten or 20 best toys of the time. And they'll probably still be popular a hundred years hence, when instead of erecting sprawling, multi-story shopping malls and parking garages, we'll be fashioning … whatever life looks like on some other inhabitable planet. Magna-Tiles improve fine motor skills, spatial reasoning, planning, and, when a structure collapses, resilience. Also they're just great entertainment, even for adults. Maybe especially for adults.
According to Hill, kids at this age love imaginary play and role-playing, especially when they can mimic the adults in their lives. That's why she recommends "having toys to support that play," because the closer a toy is to whatever real thing a child sees in their everyday life, the more engaging it is. For toys of this sort, she and Lockhart recommend products made by Kodo, a company that creates high-quality playthings to support early-childhood education. This set of 20 tins comes in four sizes and would be great for a number of activities, including pretend play, stacking, dumping, and sorting. The fact that they're metal and not plastic allows for an even more sensory experience.
While it doesn't project actual constellations, publicist and mom of two Sonya Li Casino says this LED star projector helps simulate the experience of a planetarium at home. Her son received it as a gift for his third birthday and it has been a hit since the day he unwrapped it. "We love turning it on before bed and just watching the light show," she says. "It's really mesmerizing and relaxing" (and better than a kid falling asleep to a screen). Even though it won't help them recognize the Big Dipper, the gadget produces an aurora-like field of green stars against a blue nebula cloud that may get them even more interested in learning about the cosmos.
These toys, recommended by singer Sarah Gregory, a mom to twin boys and a girl, are basically magnetized manipulatives. As she explains, Clixo's open-ended play system combines magnets, origami, and building blocks to let kids "get creative by turning the pieces into creatures or using them to play games, like seeing how many different ways they can stack or shape them." Because they are magnetized, Gregory notes the pieces can conveniently "live on a fridge, so kids can just pass by and fiddle with them." She says they're "a good sit-in-the-kitchen-and-make-something-cool-while-I-cook toy," noting that "they don't look terrible on the fridge and don't take up much space."
Photo: duck
A beautifully non-gender-specific dollhouse with much for grown-ups to admire: a solar panel, a wind turbine, and mini recycling bins, all made of sustainable wood. As for the kids: It fosters hours of open-ended imaginative play, whether solo or with others, parallel or collaborative. One Amazon reviewer who gifted this for a 2-and-a-half-year-old wrote that "when she saw this house on Christmas morning, all of her other presents didn't exist anymore." And: "It's also fun to point out and talk about the solar panel and windpower parts." And: "It's a great size, and she will get many years of play out of it."
Leigh Plessner, the co-creative director of jewelry brand Catbird, told us she got this little family of tuxedo cats for her 3-year-old — and herself. "We play with them together," she says, supporting the idea that talking — whether that's pretend conversations between toys or with each other — is key to a 3-year-old's language development. The set of four figurines includes a mother cat named Natalie, a father called Mason, and two sisters who go by Lily and Rose. Each has its own distinct (removable) outfit and moveable arms and legs and heads. There's also a whole world of Calico Critter accessories, including houses, that you could add in with the figurines if you want to splurge. (The dollhouse on this list would also make for a fitting home, we think.)
If you have an aspiring pop singer on your hands, Casino recommends this wireless mic that her son loves to perform with. "He saw the Weeknd's Super Bowl half-time show and ever since then, he's been obsessed with being a performer," she says. When he asked for a real microphone, she got him this Bluetooth one that can connect to other devices. While fun, Casino does have a word of warning. "It's also slightly obnoxious," she says.
For the tot who'd rather be in the band than its lead singer, Casino recommends this toy violin. "It's so fun if you have a kid who is obsessed with music," she promises. The toy is programmed with seven demo songs that only "play" when your child moves the bow across its "strings," she explains. "The violin is realistic-looking, the sound is good, and it even teaches my son how to hold a violin properly" — so it'll help aspiring musicians perfect their form before moving on to the real thing.
"Between the building, rolling, and scraping, my whole family plays with [kinetic sand] for hours," says Susie Allison, former teacher, mom, and creator of BusyToddler.com. "It moves and molds, bends and cuts in a way that is completely different from other sensory bases. It has a velvety smooth texture — it isn't gritty like sand. This isn't going to get in your toddler's eye like traditional sand will." TL;DR: "It makes for one insanely quick and easy kids' activity." Put another way by Zahra Kassam, founder of the at-home Montessori program Monti Kids: "It's like bringing the beach to your home — it's very sensory, creative, and peaceful. And less messy." This set includes two pounds of red and blue sand along with ten tools and molds that kids can use to mix, marble, layer, or shape in endless ways.
If the idea of sand makes you nervous, here's an artistic toy that's mess-free: a set of reusable coloring books and included paintbrush-like pen that, when filled with water, magically makes colors appear on the page. As pages dry, the colors disappear, so kids can paint them all over again. Gregory calls them "so good" and explains that kids learn to "feel a mastery over them, which they hardly ever feel with anything else in their life." Perhaps more importantly, she adds there is "instant quiet in our house when they get going on them."
"My kids loved Transformers" says Dr. Roberta Golinkoff, a professor of child psychology at the University of Delaware and co-author of Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children. While the action figures of our 1980s dreams still hold up in their own right, this VTech version modernizes the concept a bit — pictured as a velociraptor that chomps and roars, it transforms into a rocket-launching rescue helicopter with a spinning propeller, searchlight, and an LCD screen. "Dinosaurs are good for girls and boys and great for make-believe," notes Golinkoff.
"Bouncing engages almost every muscle group in a child's body, especially the legs and core," says Lily Balsen, a New York City–based yoga teacher whose clients range in age from newborn to 80. "It aids in vestibular development (spatial orientation and balance). In addition, rhythmic movement is organizing for the nervous system, so it's a great self-soothing and self-regulating mechanism. Also, it's just plain fun! I'm a big fan of the bouncy horse."
These plucky little RC cars are perfect for 3-year-olds for two reasons. First, they couldn't be much easier to drive, what with their mere two functions, which are forward motion and left turns (good prep for a NASCAR career, as it happens). The second reason is their construction: The cars are sturdy enough to take plenty of damage and keep working, yet lightweight enough not to do damage as they inevitably smash into furniture all around the house. This two-car set comes with vehicles that run on different radio frequencies, so both cars can be used at the same time, making them perfect for siblings. (Although a Strategist editor who also owns the cars has found that using them individually is great solo entertainment, considering how they've amused her 3-year-old on a daily basis throughout quarantine).
Lockhart says the train tracks at the preschool where she works are one of the most popular toys among 3-year-olds. Unlike so many STEM or STEM-adjacent toys, BRIO's Smart Tech line is really is age appropriate; 3-year-olds can figure out how to play with this smart engine in a matter of minutes and might be inclined to integrate it with their other train sets. What stands out more than its educational value, though, is the sheer entertainment kids get out of setting up a train track where the engine will complete a route, turn around, and stop at the child's prearranged transmitter arches.
PlasmaCars promote plenty of outdoor fun (and this thing is sleek enough to navigate small space, too), getting kids excited and getting them moving — without any batteries or even pedals needed. They are great for exercise and let youngsters burn off some of that famous/infamous energy. "We have carried this toy for years, and they always sell," says Holly Magelof of the Dolphin Bookshop. And: "They're durable enough to make great hand-me-downs." As an Amazon reviewer who purchased one for a 3-year-old wrote, after giving the gift a personal pretest, "Super-smooth ride, easy to operate, and loads of fun for a 40-year-old woman! I can't wait for my son to open this on Christmas morning so I can play with it again!"
This amazingly adaptable desk isn't a single toy at all; it's more like a dozen-plus toys in one, as it can transform into an easel and chalkboard with storage. Kids can use it as an art center for chalk, crayons, paints, and more. They can interact with any of the five included interchangeable mats that feature varied topics like music, the human body, or the alphabet. And little ones can also just play around with buttons, lights, and sounds — not every minute of every day has to be about learning.
"This bounce house is a near permanent fixture in our backyard," says Jamie Banks, a North Shore–based mother of three, who has hundreds upon hundreds of fellow fans in the Amazon reviews. "It is so easy to set up, and it gets kids excited to be active and to play out in the fresh air. The bouncing area is fairly big, and when they're done jumping, it folds up quickly and easily. Also, it pays for itself after two uses compared to the cost of renting one for a party."
If you're looking for the ultimate big-ticket gift, consider this John Deere ride-on tractor toy that's (almost) as good as the real thing. Casino got this for her 3-year-old, and while she admits adults might get an even bigger kick out of it than children, she says that her kid loves riding it around the backyard, and can imagine "almost every 3-year-old going nuts over this." The tractor — complete with detachable trailer — has two speeds and even reverses, while its oversize wheels provide traction on grass, dirt, gravel, and pavement. It comes with automatic brakes, and parents can also control the speed if they want. Perhaps the best part is that it has a functioning FM radio, allowing your would-be farmer to cruise (or plow) to their favorite tunes.
With additional reporting by Lauren Levy.
The Strategist is a new site designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best notebook , black T-shirts , fashion-editor-approved jeans , toothbrush, and apartment décor . Note that all prices are subject to change.
If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.
Source: https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-toys-gifts-for-3-year-olds.html
0 Response to "Toys for 3 Year Old Baby Girl"
Post a Comment