The Best Gifts & Toys for 3-Year-Old Girls

3-years-old is a fun and curious age. At this stage of development girls are more and more independent, have a ton of new vocabulary, and are making friends at preschool and daycare. Thrilled to dress-up in costumes for pretend play and use her imagination, she is also fiercely engaged when it comes to throwing and catching a ball and riding a tricycle. 3-year-old girls are rapidly developing both fine motor skills and gross motor skills, understanding emotions, and taking turns. As birthdays and holidays seem to always be right around the corner, here is a well-thought-through gift guide of the best toys for 3-year-old girls.

#1 Little Tikes TotSports T-Ball (for the girl showing serious batting skills)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Little-Tikes-TotSports-T-Ball-Set/10854098

The TotSports T-Ball toy set is an excellent intro toy to the game of softball. She will love practicing, learning to hit, and celebrating her first home run. This tee-ball set will help sharpen her hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills as she exercises making contact with the ball and swinging at it. The set includes an oversized bat, two oversized plastic baseballs, and a sturdy tee. 

The good: The tee offers an adjustable height feature, which makes it ideal for growing girls and her friends.

The not so good: If your family is rocking an apartment without a yard, this set may not work for you.

Is it for you? She is interested in balls and games, and excited by sports.

#2 Radio Flyer Classic Tricycle (for the girl who is ready to take off)

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/950466-radio-flyer-classic-tricycle.html

Radio Flyer, one of USA’s classic toy manufacturers since 1917, is known for its red tricycle which makes an on-point and wonderful gift for any 3-year-old. This toddler will ride it for many years as she improves her gross motor skills and grows more independent. Made of steel, the bike has sturdy handlebars for both stability and changing directions, which helps with her hand-eye coordination.

The good: This bike is constructed of durable metal and its fender is built to resist mud.

The not so good: Although it’s part of the nostalgic parenthood of teaching your child to ride a tricycle, parents may find themselves chasing their daughter as she speeds down the sidewalk.

Is it for you? She is ready to ride a bike and wants the independence of deciding this way or that way, which makes it one of the all-time gifts for 3-year-old girls.

#3 First Builders Mega Bloks by Fisher-Price (for your little builder)

https://www.target.com/p/mega-bloks-first-builders-big-building-bag-construction-set-pink/-/A-17482314?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df_free_online&CPNG=Toys&adgroup=204-7&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=bing_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Toys%2BShopping_Brand&adgroup=SC_Toys&LID=700000001230728pbs&network=s&device=c&querystring=fisher%20price%20mega%20bloks%2Ftarget&msclkid=a6979a84351819fb3e37c595e76d2f1a&gclid=CLeTjY7b1OoCFQNvfgod5EALjg&gclsrc=ds

A bag full of colorful stacking blocks is exciting for any 3-year-old girl. This Fisher-Price set will deliver many years of opportunities and skills to build homes and castles, horses and hearts, and any shape she desires. These types of toys are great little girls sharing on playdates. Fisher-Price packages it up in a zip-up storage bag for effortless clean-up. It also makes it easy to bring along for playtime on road trips.

The good: For an 80-piece block set, the price of $19.99 is right.

The not so good: They are easy to put together and pull apart, but a little on the flimsy side when stacking vertically which is always good practice for her fine motor skills.

Is it for you? The 3-year-old girl loves stacking, building, and starting all over again. 

#4 Little People Big Helpers Home Play set by Fisher-Price (for playing house)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Little-People-Big-Helpers-Interactive-Home-Play-Set-with-Emma-and-Jack/239307398

The Big Helpers Home Play set is one of the best toys for 3-year-old girls. It’s just the right size dollhouse. The set includes three figurines – 1 girl, 1 boy, and dog toy. The toddler will discover she can move the little people around the house into the playroom, bedroom, and kitchen. Each room is equipped with discovery buttons for songs and sounds and key phrases including “make the bed” and “put away” the toys. There is even a bathroom and tiny toilet (with a flush sound) which is terrific messaging for the toddler who is learning to potty train. 

The good: The discovery buttons (powered by the included 2 AA batteries) reinforce pretend play and good home habits such as lights on/lights off, cleaning up toys, and making your bed.

The not so good: There is very little downside to this toy except for the $40 price tag.

Is it for you? This little girl is keen on imitating what she sees and hears at home and is able to play out chores, everyday actions, and emotions with this toy.

#5 Melissa & Doug Ballerina costume play set (for the center stage ballerina)

https://www.boscovs.com/shop/prod/melissa-doug-ballerina-role-play-set/439565.htm

This Melissa & Doug ballerina costume speaks to any aspiring young dancer. An excellent addition to a three-year-old’s dress-up collection, the ballerina kit comes with a pink bodice, tulle tutu, velvet bloomers, ribbon slippers, and tiara. These items are simple for kids to dress and undress themselves, and perfect for sparking her imagination.

The good: The bloomers, top, and shoes are all machine washable.

The not so good: The dress-up kit is available as is, and isn’t offered in additional sizes.

Is it for you? It’s definitely a first-rate toy for little ones who are in dance class, or who love being center stage. The ballerina costume is certainly one of the best gifts for a 3-year-old girl.

#6 Take-Along Tea Set (for hosting a lavish tea party with her treasured dolls)

https://ustoy.com/take-along-tin-tea-set

A tea set is one of the most cherished and charming toys and gifts for 3-year-old girls. She can invite 4 friends for a pretend tea party, and this particular set includes a tray, lidded tea pot, napkins, and a tablecloth. All 20 pieces fit nicely in a carrying case. The set design is a bright yellow with pink flowers and polka-dots.

The good: Made from tin, this tea set is non-breakable.

The not-so-good: Made from tin, the cups, teapot, and tray dents easily.

Is it for you? Pretending is all she wants to do, and this tea set will fit right into her mode of playtime.

#7 Blink Owl Clock (for learning to count)

This Le Toy Van Blink Owl Clock is an adorable way to begin teaching little girls number recognition and the concept of time. Constructed of wood and painted in soft colors made of safe, watercolor non-toxic materials, the owl has easy to spin clock hands for time setting. And, when it’s bedtime, she can set the clock’s hands and close the owl’s eyes for a good night’s sleep.

The good: This owl clock encourages cognitive development – seeing the numbers correlate to different times of the day. She can play with owl and practice her numbers.

The not so good: This is not a working clock to train kids to stay in their beds until a designated time of the morning.

Is it for you? Understanding the world around her is blossoming. She is the kid who questions why it’s time to go to sleep or why it’s time to eat lunch.

#8 Frozen 2: Anna toddler costume (for making Frozen dreams and adventure come to life)

https://www.chicagocostume.com/frozen-2-anna-toddler-costume/
https://www.chicagocostume.com/frozen-2-anna-child-wig/

Disney’s Frozen characters have been imprinted on most pre-school girls. Putting the psychology of it all aside, girls want to play dress up and having an Anna costume in their dress-up wardrobe is essential. Anna represents real girl power and this costume includes a dress and cloak reminiscent of the one Anna wears in the Frozen 2 movie. If you’re looking to spend a bit more, there is also an Anna wig available to complete the look.

The good: Dress-up pretend play is an all year long activity and you’ll get your money’s worth if she plays with this costume post-Halloween.

The not so good: Wig and costume together will set you back $70.

Is it for you? If the little girl is princess and heroine obsessed, she will absolutely adore the Anna costume.

#9 Peppa Pig Super Sticker Book (for the Peppa fans)

Toddlers love their stickers. Peppa, superstar Pig from Nick Jr., has her very own activity sticker book that comes with over 1,000 stickers. The sticker book is a great traveling companion for long road trips, plane rides or while running errands with mom or dad. The little girl can dress up Peppa and her family members, and create play scenes of Peppa in a muddy puddle.

The good: An inexpensive toy (less than $9) that will provide a lot of entertainment.

The not so good: The sticker book is for 3 to 7-year-old kids so she may need help understanding the directions for some of the mazes and activities in the book.

Is it for you? Her comprehension and fine motor skills are getting stronger every day and soon she’ll be doing the activities in the sticker book all on her own.

#10 Pretend Play Kitchen Cook Toy (for whipping up her cooking skills)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Best-Choice-Products-Kids-Pretend-Play-Kitchen-Cook-Toy-Set-w-Sounds-4-Utensils-Sink-Fridge-Stovetop-Accessories/498790632

A play kitchen checks all of the boxes when it comes to choosing the best toy for a 3-year-old.  This one especially works for its realistic features including a pretend sink, refrigerator, freezer, stovetop, oven, clock, and ice maker. Sink and ice maker make sounds just like a real working kitchen as well as oven knobs that click like the real thing.

The good: The pretend kitchen is made of durable and coated wood and molded plastic, which gives this toy life for many years.

The not so good: It comes unassembled, and doesn’t include pretend food.

Is it for you? For the toddler who likes to play in the kitchen and wants her own cooking experience.

#11 Magnetic Shapes (for the abstract thinker)

https://ustoy.com/magnetic-shapes

This toy will challenge her abilities to create designs without any boundaries. The set comes with 156 colored (blue, green, orange, and yellow) shapes (triangles, semi-circles, rectangles, squares, and more) that stick upon the magnetic boards, which are included. It’s a quiet time activity she can play on her own and with a friend or family member.

The good: These magnetic pieces can be played upon any metal surface. And parents can bring this along to a restaurant to keep little fingers away from playing with the salt and pepper shakers.

The not so good: This set isn’t accompanied with a storage tray or bag.

Is it for you? She already has a sense of creativity and has a knack for manipulating shapes into recognizable objects.

#12 Crayola Creative Fun Easel (for cultivating the artist)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Crayola-Creative-Fun-Double-Easel/281619930

Most three-year-old kids can hold and control a fat crayon and stick of chalk. This ability opens up a treasure chest of art activities for her. The double-sided easel by Crayola gives kids one side to practice their fine motor skills by drawing with the included color chalk, and the other side to draw and write with dry-erase pens. In addition, she can play with the magnetic gears and colorful numbers and letters and store them all along in the easel’s tray. There are bonus dry erase stickers included to color and to decorate the easel.

The good: This easel can be efficiently stored by simply folding the legs together.

The not so good: This easel set comes with a dry erase side and dry erase stickers but does not include dry erase markers. 

Is it for you? Any little girl who is enthusiastic to play creatively and ready to explore her imaginative side using colorful tools.

Today’s toys for 3-year-old girls are designed to help girls explore their physical abilities, emotional bandwidth and their pretend play instincts. With that in mind, think about what might arouse her creativity and curiosity such as block building and chalk drawing, and introduce her to new activities like hitting a t-ball or riding a tricycle. Some girls have a knack for expressing emotions early on and pretend play like dressing up in costumes, playing with a dollhouse or toddler-size kitchen, is one way to nurture her vocabulary and develop empathy. Any of these types of toys will be well-received.

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