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KCT
Guest
Our oldest grandson turns 3 soon. What toys and games do your 3 yr olds like?
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grasscutter
Guest
How about the young version of Lego/MegaBlocks? (Bigger, but same.) I’ve never known a child who didn’t enjoy those.
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RoseMary131
Guest
Thomas the Train (Tank Engine) and other train friends and pieces
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RoseMary131
Guest
Duplo blocks
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Xantippe
Guest
All the really good kids’ toys are 3 and up, so there are lots of good choices.
Also, ask the parents for suggestions in order to avoid duplication–we somehow wound up with 3 or 4 farm sets at one point.
Also, ask the parents for suggestions in order to avoid duplication–we somehow wound up with 3 or 4 farm sets at one point.
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KendraDZ1902
Guest
What about puzzles? Age appropriate, of course. You don’t want to hand little Johnny a 100 piece puzzle. lol. They keep the kids entertained and also help with fine motor skills.
Play-Doh. Helps with fine motor skills and imagination.
An age appropriate arts and crafts set. It’s a good way for them to express themselves.
Pretend play sets like a doctor kit, tea set, tool kit, etc. It let’s them use their imagination and have pretend play.
Play-Doh. Helps with fine motor skills and imagination.
An age appropriate arts and crafts set. It’s a good way for them to express themselves.
Pretend play sets like a doctor kit, tea set, tool kit, etc. It let’s them use their imagination and have pretend play.
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annb
Guest
My youngest son is nearly 3 and really enjoys a toy called Magnatiles. They are magnetic blocks (the magnets are inside and they are riveted together in several places, ensuring the magnets cannot come out) and my son can build some really neat structures with them…castles, 3-D houses, all kinds of stuff. They are pricey but the only toy he plays with on a daily basis.
He plays with Lego Duplos on perhaps a weekly basis. He also enjoys stickers and drawing on plain paper.
My oldest son, at this age, loved wooden trains (Thomas the Tank Engine), and he played with them for hours on end. My youngest son enjoys trains, but on a much more limited basis.
He also enjoys pretend foods, board games (not actually playing the games, but playing with the pieces in the game, like Uno Moo), and playing outdoors (sand toys/chalk/bubbles/tricycle/balls).
He plays with Lego Duplos on perhaps a weekly basis. He also enjoys stickers and drawing on plain paper.
My oldest son, at this age, loved wooden trains (Thomas the Tank Engine), and he played with them for hours on end. My youngest son enjoys trains, but on a much more limited basis.
He also enjoys pretend foods, board games (not actually playing the games, but playing with the pieces in the game, like Uno Moo), and playing outdoors (sand toys/chalk/bubbles/tricycle/balls).
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EasterJoy
Guest
They like things that aren’t what they have at home. If they are still in the habit of putting stuff in their mouths, consider that small items might still need to be avoided.
A few of the Grandma and Grandpa toys I have seen be very popular are:
High quality wooden blocks and wooden train sets.
Interesting puzzles, like the kind you put water into and then push a button to make little things fly around in the water
Kitchen sets with dishes and foods (yes, for boys too). If you still have the little kitchen that their mom played with when she was little, so much the better.
Tonka and John Deere trucks and farm equipment…or International Harvester. The nice heavy stuff (see outbacktoystore.com/ for examples). Keep in mind that the stuff at Grandma and Grandpa’s is usually in much better shape than the stuff at home, because it gets played with less often and is far less likely to spend any nights out in the rain.
Farm sets with a barn and lots of different animals (like Fisher-Price Little People–I like the Little People sets because they have everything from Noah’s Ark to parking garages.) Again: the stuff stays in better condition at Grandma and Grandpa’s, so that makes it more fun.
Metal cookie tins full of crayons. All grandparents seem to have these. If you go to a restaurant, BTW, a 4 oz Coleman’s dry mustard can is exactly the right size for crayons. Much more durable than the boxes that crayons usually come in.
It is a good idea for each major toy type to have either a dedicated drawer or a lidded plastic storage bin. It is easy for them to help clean up that way, and they get excited when they get to choose the bin or bin(s) they’re going to play with that day. Always keep back something that they get to play with next time. Anticipation is part of the fun.
Legos are OK, the Duplos are great for three year olds, but stepping on the medium and smaller sizes hurts. I mean that it hurts Grandma and Grandpa…it’s all coming back to you, right? The kids don’t usually care. Let Mom and Dad have that feeling like they just stepped on a box of carpet tacks. IOW, remember the toys you hated having around when your kids had them–don’t get those. The toys ought to be something you think you’d have fun playing with, because the toys will be about 100 times more fun if you DO really play with them when you’re wanted. It is harder to pretend interest in a toy that doesn’t interest you.
Three year olds also like to spend time with grandparents, so helping to cook (baking and decorating cookies, etc.) and playing games like Candy Land are more fun at Grandma and Grandpa’s. Even if they have Candy Land or Chutes’n’Ladders at home, they don’t always have an adult with the time to play with them. They also like getting on the rubber boots and going out and getting to pick up bugs and mess around in the dirt. A bulb trowel is much appreciated for these outings; I mean the heavy-duty plastic ones. They’re sturdy and not so big that the child doesn’t have the wrist strength to get them to work.
Oh, and they like to have books read to them.
A few of the Grandma and Grandpa toys I have seen be very popular are:
High quality wooden blocks and wooden train sets.
Interesting puzzles, like the kind you put water into and then push a button to make little things fly around in the water
Kitchen sets with dishes and foods (yes, for boys too). If you still have the little kitchen that their mom played with when she was little, so much the better.
Tonka and John Deere trucks and farm equipment…or International Harvester. The nice heavy stuff (see outbacktoystore.com/ for examples). Keep in mind that the stuff at Grandma and Grandpa’s is usually in much better shape than the stuff at home, because it gets played with less often and is far less likely to spend any nights out in the rain.
Farm sets with a barn and lots of different animals (like Fisher-Price Little People–I like the Little People sets because they have everything from Noah’s Ark to parking garages.) Again: the stuff stays in better condition at Grandma and Grandpa’s, so that makes it more fun.
Metal cookie tins full of crayons. All grandparents seem to have these. If you go to a restaurant, BTW, a 4 oz Coleman’s dry mustard can is exactly the right size for crayons. Much more durable than the boxes that crayons usually come in.
It is a good idea for each major toy type to have either a dedicated drawer or a lidded plastic storage bin. It is easy for them to help clean up that way, and they get excited when they get to choose the bin or bin(s) they’re going to play with that day. Always keep back something that they get to play with next time. Anticipation is part of the fun.
Legos are OK, the Duplos are great for three year olds, but stepping on the medium and smaller sizes hurts. I mean that it hurts Grandma and Grandpa…it’s all coming back to you, right? The kids don’t usually care. Let Mom and Dad have that feeling like they just stepped on a box of carpet tacks. IOW, remember the toys you hated having around when your kids had them–don’t get those. The toys ought to be something you think you’d have fun playing with, because the toys will be about 100 times more fun if you DO really play with them when you’re wanted. It is harder to pretend interest in a toy that doesn’t interest you.
Three year olds also like to spend time with grandparents, so helping to cook (baking and decorating cookies, etc.) and playing games like Candy Land are more fun at Grandma and Grandpa’s. Even if they have Candy Land or Chutes’n’Ladders at home, they don’t always have an adult with the time to play with them. They also like getting on the rubber boots and going out and getting to pick up bugs and mess around in the dirt. A bulb trowel is much appreciated for these outings; I mean the heavy-duty plastic ones. They’re sturdy and not so big that the child doesn’t have the wrist strength to get them to work.
Oh, and they like to have books read to them.
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adrift
Guest
I bought my granddaughter a V.Reader. She plays with it constantly. It comes with one story with three free downloads. You can also purchase cartridges with other stories. It is divided into two sections. Bookshelf which has the stories plus writing which includes the alphabet and sight words.
At three my granddaughter is not much interested in this section which I hope she grows into.
What she loves is the playground. Which had a coloring book, art studio and photo album. It also contains a story to read.
She spends hours with it.
At three my granddaughter is not much interested in this section which I hope she grows into.
What she loves is the playground. Which had a coloring book, art studio and photo album. It also contains a story to read.
She spends hours with it.
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Inquiringperson
Guest
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Enough said. (Yes, I’m joking).
As others said, blocks would be good for your grandson. There is also this:amazon.com/McFarlane-Toys-NFL-Series-31/dp/B008PFQWLS/ref=sr_1_3?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1378618669&sr=1-3&keywords=tim+tebow
As others said, blocks would be good for your grandson. There is also this:amazon.com/McFarlane-Toys-NFL-Series-31/dp/B008PFQWLS/ref=sr_1_3?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1378618669&sr=1-3&keywords=tim+tebow
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Viki63
Guest
My 3 year old grandson loves being read to. We read a lot of Max the bunny books, and Harold and the Purple Crayon, and tales like Three Billy Goats Gruff.
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bben15
Guest
When I was 3 years old, I had an electric train set that I loved to play with.
God bless your grandson on his birthday.
God bless your grandson on his birthday.
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EasterJoy
Guest
This is one of those great at-Grandma-and-Grandpa toys, because it is something a three-year-old would enjoy with one of the grandparents. Kids can have much more advanced toys when it is in a more supervised environment, and the toys hold up better when it is something they don’t get to play with often, too. That gives the grandparents a great advantage!When I was 3 years old, I had an electric train set that I loved to play with.
God bless your grandson on his birthday.
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KCT
Guest
Thank you for the good ideas! 
Mary_Gail_36
New member
Woody and Buzz from Toy Story. Both my sons loved them at that age.
My youngest had never seen the film, but still loved Woody and Buzz. One day it was on TV and he saw it. “Mommy!!! Woody and Buzz are on TV!”
My youngest had never seen the film, but still loved Woody and Buzz. One day it was on TV and he saw it. “Mommy!!! Woody and Buzz are on TV!”
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Em_in_FL
Guest
Trains, cars, boats, planes… and all the accessories that come along with them… floor-play mats, tracks, a good set of wood blocks to make a “town”…
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Inquiringperson
Guest
Pokemon dolls are good too.
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EasterJoy
Guest
Floor mats with roads and such for running around Hot Wheels-sized cars are really fun for the kids, although for older grandparents I think they’re a hazard. It’s hard to see the cars on the busy background, and those little cars and trucks can be sharp to step on. That and the general added danger of throw rugs makes them a hazard for causing a grandparent to have a fall. It’s easier to see the cars on a solid background, with little parking garages and such to play with the cars on.
Hot Wheels are considered OK for most 3 year olds, though. They’re a good size for little hands and they’re cheap as dirt, about a dollar a car or truck, more or less.
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Giggly_Giraffe
Guest
Unique catholic idea. Make a book of Saint Prayer Cards; or make a key ring with Saint Prayer Cards. We have done this, & our girls cherish them. Also, the other kids in the cry room like 'em too.
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PaulGH
Guest
We have four boys, and the youngest one is about to turn 3. Here are a few ideas based on our experience with our boys:
- Lego Duplo blocks. (Don’t get the smaller Legos for bigger kids until he turns at least 4. They are a choking hazard for little kids. But the Duplos should be safe, because the blocks are bigger.)
- Thomas and Friends toys. We especially like the wood trains and tracks, and you can get off-brand track sets that are compatible with the Thomas and Friends wood trains and tracks. (Find out if he already has some kind of train set, and then buy the same kind so that he can add the new set to what he already has.)
- Imaginext toys (They have a huge variety of toys, with several different themes, like pirates, superheros, etc.)
- Puzzles (This depends on the child. Our oldest three had no interest in puzzles at age 2 or 3, but our youngest absolutely loves them. He especially likes the Ravensberger brand Thomas & Friends puzzles.)
- Hot Wheels cars, or really any kind of toy vehicles of any size
- Toy dinosaurs – the bigger the better!
- Good childrens’ books, especially classics like Dr. Seuss
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