Are you looking for toys that improve your little boy or girls counting skills and ability to recognize various colors, or ones that develop their coordination and motor skills? If so then finding the top educational toys for 3 year olds should be your priority.
However, when it comes to learning toys, it can be an overwhelming experience trying to find the right one for your childs development. There are so many different kinds available that all have their own educative and developmental benefits.
Well, we’ve researched what the top options are and reviewed them below to make your job a lot easier to keep reading for that help you need.
Our Top Picks
Our List of the Best Learning Toys for 3 Year Olds
Now that we’ve covered a bit about 3 year old educational toys all you need to do is have a read through the choices below and choose the one that stands out to you the most. You can also use our buyers guide section to help you feel more confident about making a final decision.
Educational Building Blocks
Summary
This block set comes with an instructional booklet that provides children with instructions on how to build a range of 12 different structures. They can also choose to make their own designs.
Therefore, they are able to be super imaginative, which is great for their creativity. Furthermore, there is a total of 101 pieces available in this set. So, there’s plenty of pieces to keep them entertained for a while.
Pros
- Inspires creative thinking
- Improves their attention span and ability to solve problems
Cons
- Some parts can be difficult to put together
What makes this stand out?
With this educational gift for a 3 year old, children are able to have a blast learning to follow instructions, while also being able to go off and make their own designs to be highly creative with.
Magnetic Blocks
Summary
Your child is able to build with a range of triangle and square magnetized blocks to be highly imaginative for hours on end. A booklet is also available that includes steps on how to make specific structures. The different shapes available is awesome for your little one’s ability to recognize shapes. Furthermore, they’ve been made with a colorful design.
Therefore, children are able to work on their color differentiation skills. Not to mention, the hands-on experience of playing with this is fantastic for developing their hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity.
Pros
- Improves color recognition
- Helps with shape differentiation
Cons
- Magnets could be stronger
What makes this stand out?
Children have been having fun building this magnetic set and becoming more familiar with different shapes and colors.
VTech Educational Toy Creativity Center
Summary
VTech’s toy provides children with an entertaining way of strengthening their writing abilities. We liked how there are demonstrations that show kids how to write in lowercase and uppercase letters.
Being able to see how letters are meant to be written is a highly effective way to teach your little one how to write, especially if they’re a visual learner.
In addition to this, kids are able to use this set to draw as well. As a result, they can let their creative abilities can run wild to have fun coming up with different drawings. A stencil is also available that gets them more familiar with different shapes.
Pros
- Teaches kids how to write
- Sparks imagination
Cons
- Batteries can easily fall out at times
What makes this stand out?
We liked how little children are encouraged to learn how to write by watching the demonstration that comes up on the screen. They’re also able to improve their shape recognition abilities due to the stencils.
AquaDoodle Drawing Mat
Summary
This drawing mat is a different kind of toy for kids to play with. It comes with magic pens, drawing mold, templates, and a booklet, which keeps your little one engaged for hours.
We liked how they can use the magic pens to learn how to write. These pens can also be used to draw different designs and be imaginative with, which is great for your little one’s creative thinking skills.
The magic pens disappear by themselves after around 10 minutes. The hands-on playing approach is excellent for your young childs motor skills and coordination as well. Not to mention, the mat is easily portable!
Pros
- Can help children learn how to write
- Easily portable
Cons
- Smaller than some were expecting
What makes this stand out?
If you’re after learning toys for 3 year olds this is a great drawing mat that can help your little one learn how to write, while also being able to be super creative and come up with different designs.
CubicFun Race Track
Summary
This race track is designed to provide children age 3 with hours of fun play while helping them improve their fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination and problem solving skills. This race track has 8 different challenges that are controlled by 6 buttons. The track comes with a police car, fire engine, and ambulance.
Pros
- Doesn’t require batteries
- Space saving design
Cons
- Not super sturdy
What makes this stand out?
This race track is fun and educatioal, helping children use logic to find their way around this race track.
LeapFrog Alphabet Backpack
Summary
This LeapFrog Toy backpack provides your little one with a remarkably interactive learning experience. Upon opening the backpack, you can find a range of learning activities, that include games, an erase board, and the ABCs of the alphabet.
These letters can be put into the correct spaces to ensure that children are able to have a hands-on learning experience to become more familiar with different letters.
The letters also come up on the LCD screen and are spoken to your child. This enables them to hear what certain letters sound like, which is fantastic if they’re auditory learners. In addition to this, kids are able to learn how to write by using the erase board.
Pros
- Teaches your child how to write
- Improves knowledge on the alphabet
- Incredibly interactive learning experience
Cons
- Some would prefer if the display was larger
What makes this stand out?
With this educational toys kids have been liking how they’re able to learn about the alphabet with such a hands-on experience. It’s an incredibly interactive toys for 3 yr olds that provides them with the chance to listen to how letters are pronounced.
Flower Garden Building Toys
Summary
This is a unique building set where children can build a flower garden rather than a building or vehicle. Toddlers enjoy creating various floral arrangements of different shapes and colors. This building set helps children explore their creativity, develop logical thinking skills, and improve their hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Pros
- This is a wonderful creative toy and allows children to learn the different parts of flowers
- Kids build their self esteem when they complete a flower garden
Cons
- A lot of small parts can pose choking hazards if child still put things in their mouths
What makes this stand out?
This flower garden is fun and allows for a lot of creativity for young children.
Activity Desk from VTech
Summary
This activity Desk from VTech is another very interactive toy that little boys and girls have been learning from while having fun with. It comes with a range of 5 pages that are filled with over 20 activities and songs.
One of the activities involves learning more about words and boosting their vocabulary knowledge. In addition to this, there are 20 songs available that allow kids to improve their auditory learning.
An LED display has been implemented which is excellent for showing them how to draw shapes. As a result, their shape recognition skills are able to develop tremendously.
Pros
- Improves shape recognition
- Teaches about words
- Improves auditory learning
Cons
- Some find the voice overs are a little annoying
What makes this stand out?
We liked how this activity desk enable kids to learn about shapes and vocabulary with a hands-on experience. It’s more exciting, which encourages them to want to continue learning more.
6 Pack of Wooden Toddler Puzzles
Summary
This cute puzzle set is the perfect educational toy for 3 year olds . There are 6 puzzles in this set covering such subjects as animals, letters, numbers, shapes, vehicles, and fruits. Each puzzle has pegs (knobs) which makes the pieces easy to remove and place back. The set also comes with a storage rack to keep all the puzzles neat and tidy when not in use as well as learning clock. This is great for familiarizing toddlers with the alphabet, numbers, shapes and much more.
Pros
- Bright appealing colors
- Pieces of these puzzles fit perfectly into the proper places
Cons
- Some puzzles come with missing pieces
What makes this stand out?
This puzzle set is a great gift for toddlers. Puzzles help children with logical thinking, and fine motor skills.
Shape Sorting Clock
Summary
This shape sorting set comes with a range of 12 blocks one for each time of day. They have also been designed with different shapes and colors allowing kids are able to improve their color and shape recognition abilities.
In addition to this, the hands-on experience of matching up the blocks with the correct time slots is fantastic for developing their finger dexterity and coordination. The clock puzzle is also a lot of fun for young kids.
It enables them to learn about how to tell the time by having a more interactive playing experience. Parents have been liking how all the materials used to make this are free from toxins too.
Pros
- Teaches kids how to tell the time
- Improves color & shape recognition
Cons
- Clock hands don’t stay in place as well as some were hoping for
What makes this stand out?
Children are able to have fun learning how to tell the time, while also improving their matching and sorting skills by arranging the block shapes.
Li’l Gen Dinosaur Set
Summary
This dinosaur toy set comes with a total of 12 dinosaur toys that are each 7″ in size. This is a great size for smaller hands and ensures that your little one is able to grasp them properly to develop their coordination and motor skills.
We were impressed with how there’s a sound book included that narrates a story. It enables them to learn about different colors and improve their auditory learning senses.
Not to mention, your little one is provided with an excellent opportunity to let their imaginative side run wild, which is great for their creativity.
Pros
- Improves creative thinking
- Teaches about colors
Cons
- The sound doesn’t work as well as some were anticipating
What makes this stand out?
This is a fun toy set that enables learning about colors from the sound book. They can also be super creative by role playing with the dinosaur toys.
Melissa & Doug Wooden Block Set
Summary
These wooden blocks come with a range of 120 pieces, which is plenty to keep your little one engaged for hours. We also liked how they’re available in different shapes and colors.
It’s an excellent way to get your little one more familiar with different shapes and colors.In addition to this, kids are able to use the pieces to count with. They also have fun sorting them into different color and shape groups.
Pros
- Improves knowledge on shapes & colors
- Can help with counting abilities
Cons
- Pieces don’t stay in place on the board as well as some were expecting
What makes this stand out?
Children have a blast using this educational toy to become more familiar with shapes and colors, while also improving their counting and sorting skills.
Mosaic Peg board
Summary
This peg board provides you child with a fantastic opportunity to work on their matching abilities. They can achieve this by matching up the pattern cards to the correct picture.
Your little one’s ability to recognize patterns and sequences can be strengthened by playing with this. They’ve used a colorful design which makes it more fun and can improve their abilities to understand colors.
Pros
- Improves matching skills
- Develops sequence recognition
Cons
- A little flimsier than some were anticipating
What makes this stand out?
We liked how this enables children to have a hands-on experience with improving their sequence recognition and ability to solve problems.
My First Matchhing Puzzle
Summary
This puzzle set comes with some fantastic illustrations that are of animals and come in a colorful design. Therefore, children are able to learn more about animals, while improving their knowledge of lots of colors.
Furthermore, we liked how the jigsaw puzzle is a fun way for children to put their problem-solving skills to the test. They can start by matching up 2 pieces to begin with. However, they can then make it more challenging by using more pieces to put together.
When toddles have finished a puzzle, they’re able to feel a sense of accomplishment. This can be an excellent way to boost your little one’s confidence.
Pros
- Helps with understanding colors
- Teaches kids about animals
Cons
- Pieces don’t stay put together as well as some were hoping
What makes this stand out?
Little children are able to learn about different animals and colors, while also testing themselves and using their problem-solving abilities when completing the puzzles.
Dinosaur Toys by Kidtastic
Summary
Boys who have an interest in dinosaurs have been having a blast with this learning toy. It comes with a total of 106 pieces for kids to play around with. The toy comes pre-assembled, but kids can take it apart to rebuild it.
They can achieve this by following the instructions, which is awesome for improving their ability to follow instructions.
We also liked how this toy set is larger as it allows for kids and others to get involved with building and playing with them.
Pros
- Can improve a child’s ability to solve complex problems
- Helps with social skills
Cons
- Not as durable as some were expecting
What makes this stand out?
Your child is able to strengthen their reading abilities by following the instructions with this. If they use it to play with others, they can also work on their social skills.
Construction Worker Costume
Summary
If you’re looking for something that enables your little one to role play and have fun, while developing critical skills, this construction costume could be a great choice.
We liked how they’ve made it with a realistic design and included pretend tools. This encourages kids to pretend to be a construction worker by writing things down and playing with tons of imagination.
As a result, their creative abilities are able to develop This can also be a lot of fun for them to play with other children. If so, you can expect your little one’s social skills to improve greatly.
This costume is a great option as an outdoor toy for your toddler since they can play with it just about everywhere.
Pros
- Inspires creative play
- Realistic design
Cons
- Accessories could be more durable
What makes this stand out?
Little children have been having a blast wearing this costume and role playing for hours on end. It’s an excellent set that encourages them to play and think with more imagination.
Number Counting Bears by Gleeporte
Summary
This counting toy come with a range of toy bears that allow kids to work on their counting skills. We also liked how they’re available in various colors.
This is because it provides little boys and girls with an excellent opportunity to sort the bear pieces into certain groups. Therefore, it can develop your little one’s matching and sorting abilities.
Pros
- Improves counting abilities
- Helps with being able to understand many colors
Cons
- Some find pieces are missing upon delivery
What makes this stand out?
We liked how this has a fun and colorful design as it encourages learning how to count.
Educational Insights Squirrel Game
Summary
This ame comes with a spinner, instructions, logs, and a range of 20 acorns that are available in different colors. The various colors make the game more exciting. In addition to this, the game encourages kids to count, which improves their number knowledge.
It’s also a fun game for a three year old to play in groups.
Pros
- Improves counting abilities
- Strengthens social skills
- Helps with their ability to recognize colors
Cons
- Not as durable as some were hoping for
What makes this stand out?
The 20 colorful acorn pieces available in this are great for helping to learn more about colors and how to count by making it more exciting.
Toy Doctor Set
Summary
The doctor set has been made with materials that are free from toxins to ensure it’s safe for your child. We liked how they’ve designed the game with bright colors as well.
This makes it more exciting and helps to learn more about different colors. There is a range of 15 pieces available that include pretend doctor equipment, such as a reflex hammer, stethoscope, glasses, and more.
This is plenty to allow little kids to play with a lot of imagination. We were also impressed with how there are light and sound effects available. These make the set even more engaging and can help your child develop their visual and auditory learning senses.
Pros
- Sparks imaginative play
- Develops visual & auditory learning
Cons
- Some would prefer a larger storage case
What makes this stand out?
The colorful design is great for helping children to become more familiar with colors. They’re also able to develop their auditory and visual learning senses due to the light and sound effects that are available. This toy doctor set is among the best learning gifts for a 3 year old.
Bulldozer & Dump Truck Construction Set
Summary
With a total of 55 pieces available, your child is provided with plenty of play options to keep themselves occupied for hours. They can pretend to build things while using the pieces, which encourages imaginative play.
As a result, their creative abilities are able to improve. In addition to this, the hands-on playing experience is excellent for your child’s motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Assembling the various pieces can be a great exercise that strengthens your childs problem-solving abilities. Parents have also been liking how the materials used are free from toxins.
Pros
- Sparks creativity
- Very imaginative
Cons
- Screws can loosen over time
What makes this stand out?
Children have been having a blast using the pieces in this to play creatively, while also improving their attention with taking the time to assemble the different parts.
Globe Puzzle
Summary
This puzzle toy has a base that has been made with a sturdy design. As a result, you can rotate the globe and not have to worry about knocking it over. We were impressed with how there’s a puzzle that’s challenging.
In addition to this, they are able to become more familiar with the different countries that are around the world. This is awesome for giving your boy or girl a head-start with learning more about geography.
Pros
- Teaches about geography
- Sturdy design
Cons
- Some find the stickers peel off over time
What makes this stand out?
We liked how this provides kids with challenges that strengthen their problem-solving abilities, while also teaching them more about geography.
Our Top Picks
Buyers Guide to Fun & Educational 3 Yr Old Learning Toys
Now that you’ve read through the best educational toys for a 3 year old, you can be sure to pick the one that you think your child would enjoy and benefit from the most.
However, if you’re still not feeling completely sure on which one to pick, you may want to check out our buyers guide below. We’ve included some more information surrounding the main benefits that these kinds of toys have to offer.
You can use the information to help you select a toy that helps your child develop and learn in a specific way.
Benefits of the Top 3 Year Old Interactive Toys
While reading about the top learning toys for 3 yr old that are currently available, you will have noticed that they all have some kind of educational and developmental benefit. To learn more about these benefits, have a quick read below.
Fun Learning
One of the reasons as to why educational toys for age 3 are so effective at helping toddler boys and girls of toddler age to develop critical skills and learn about new topics is because of how much fun they are.
If a toy set is largely set on the educational features, and neglects the aspects that are exciting, young minds aren’t going to respond to it as well.
Therefore, it’s crucial that you find a toy that has a good blend of excitement and beneficial features. This will ensure that your child is having fun which encourages them to want to learn more.
Numbers, Letters & Animals
Many of the awesome toys for girls age 3 and toys for boys age 3that are in this review include features that help them to learn about letters, numbers and animals.
This is usually in the form of the design of the toy or the pieces that are available in the set. It provides children with a visual way of learning more about different letters and animals, as well as how to count.
On the other hand, there are also toys that provide this information in the form of phrases and songs. This can be a super exciting way for your child to learn and work on their auditory learning senses.
These kinds of toys are also used as a way of introducing your child to animals, letters, and numbers. Therefore, their basic counting skills and ability to differentiate between animals and letters can be improved.
Colors & Shapes
Colors and shapes are key things for children to start becoming more familiar with and they love bright colors too! That’s why many of the most fun educative toys for a 3 year old have been designed with bright colors and have various shapes available.
It provides your child with a hands-on way to learn about colors and shapes. The bright colors are excellent for making the toys more exciting and visually stimulating to play with, which encourages kids to improve their color recognition skills.
The educational gifts for three year old boys and girls that involve shapes allow little children to hold onto them and even sort them, which is a fun way to develop their shape differentiation abilities, as well as their sorting and matching skills.
Creativity
Your son or daughters ability to play and think with imagination is crucial for developing their creative thinking skills. It can have a big impact on their ability to think of more creative solutions to problems later on in life.
The costume gift that’s available in this review is a fantastic option. It allows for hours of role play, which is an excellent way to encourage them to let their imaginative side run wild.
Final Thoughts on Popular Educational Toys for 3 Year Olds
So, that concludes our review on the top educational and developmental toys. It’s important to consider the main features, pros, cons, and the aspects that make each toy stand out.
That’s what will enable you to have the best overall picture of the one that you think would be best for your toddlers educational development. Hopefully, all of the information throughout our review has helped to make you feel more assured about the kind of learning toys for 3 year old girls and boys that you want to decide on for your child.
Popular Picks
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