Good Christmas Gifts for a Three-Year-Old

At this age I started a charm bracelet for my grand daughter. Star Beads in Vienna will help you choose a small chain with a lobster claw (this allows for growth of the wrist). They helped me choose a few Swarovski crystals in her birthstone as beginning charms, and other family members have added to the bracelet over the years. I travel a lot and I always bring her a charm from my travels.

I would tell them to get clothes! Kids always grow out of clothes so fast and they always need new pj's, underwear, pants, shirts, etc...then have them buy one or two things for the 3 year old to open that would be exciting like a stuffed animal with a book...in one book i have it says three year olds are really interested in learning new things, especially building and language - and they can start riding a tricycle...so if you have room for that, that is a great option....or building blocks or possibly a book that has a voice - like Leap Frog books that help with language....hope this helps!

B.,
I bought my son the Leap Frog 1st computer. He loved it and it taught him to identify his colors, numbers, matching skills, etc. They have several different games you can buy that teaches them different skills.

Mine just turned 3 too.
- Clothes!!
- Bathrobe (maybe personalized - see LillianVernon.com)
- Dress up clothes, purses, shoes
- Play figurines (not alot of little pieces like shoes!)
- Legos
- Dolls
- Room decor (we just changed her bedroom theme from Winnie Pooh to Princesses/Ballerinas)
- A child's table/chair playset

My daughter is 3 too and loves the Leap Frog DVD's and she is really learning from them. Her favorite is The Letter Factory!!!. You can find them all on Amazon. Also because of the DVD's she is really enjoying her books more and looking at the letters.

My daughter is now 13, but I have fond memories of her dancing and singing along to tapes that she played in a very sturdy tape player/recorder with microphone attached. It may have been a fisher price - I can't remember, but she played it often. She listened to books on tape too that I borrowed from the library. It was wonderful and was used for many years until I upgraded to a less sturdy version that had headphones. ("Happiness Cake" was one of my favorite tapes that she listened to.)

In general, nothing with lots of small parts and nothing that makes noise (if it does, it must have an OFF or MUTE button). Stuffed animals are great. A few Dr Seuss cardboard books that you can read to her for story time.

doll, baby usually at this age
doll house if she is not too young
mag subscription we get your big backyard from grandparents
puzzles
beads
books, books, books

My daughter will be 3 in Feb, and this Christmas we are buying her an easel. She loves to paint and draw, and I found one that folds flat when not in use. Also, puzzles, Melissa and Doug makes a beading kit (with really large wood beads, not a choking hazard) that I'm going to get her for her birthday. A child's laptop (I think v-tech makes them). Doll and accessories (stroller, etc.). We have a very small house too, so I prefer toys that can be used in many different ways, last long and are good for different stages of development.

The fisher price grand dollhouse.

My son who just turned 4 received the memory game by melissa and doug for his birthday. It is awesome! It is so compact, it could be a travel toy too. I got my son the original memory game when he turned 3 and was amazed at how quick he took to it.
Also, one of my favorite toys for my kids (2 & 4) these days is the Candy Land Castle Game. It is a great first game and teaches shapes and colors. We play it all the time.

I would say a play kitchen if you don't already have one. When we lived in a little rancher before my other 2 kids came along, my oldest had a little kitchen from walmart that fit in her bedroom. I think it was little tikes or step 2, but it was an awesome gift. She played with it for hours on end.

My son has really been into the Leap Frog DVD's and puzzles for the last couple months. The puzzles are great because it keeps them quietly entertained for a little while!

Books are an excellent gift for a three year old. Reading to your child is an accepted way to foster future reading, and it forms a bond between you. A quality book lasts forever, and having books that they purchased and can read to their beloved grandchild will make the gifts extra special!

Leap Frog "Letter Factory" and "Talking Word Factory" DVD. As a matter of fact any Leap Frog Product because then you can add new books or cartridges. Leap Frog make learning fun.

Maybe request outdoor toys. When we lived in a small house with our two kids we got them things like their trampoline and Power wheels for their big gifts. Even though they can't be used much in the winter time, they are great when it is warmer outside. Or a bike, scooter, etc. You could also do a big basket full of chalk, jump ropes, and other outdoor toys. If she is in to arts and crafts, get a big tub and just fill it with stuff she likes to do (stickers, paint, crayons, paper, glitter, glue, stamps, etc...) My son will be 3 in March, but he uses his sister's DS all the time, so both of my boys (2 and 4) are getting their own DS' for Christmas this year. I don't like that it has them sitting down, so we are also making them a Lego table. We got a really large square table from a local Habitat for Humanity store for almost nothing and are super gluing the flat pieces of Lego's all over it. If she likes those, you can do it on a smaller scale. Get her coupons to go get her nails done with you, or coffee dates, "happy hour" (which we do with Shirley Temples and an appetizer), etc...hope these help!

We are going for the Tag reading system this year, a shopping cart with play food for imagination and an art easel from IKEA that is awesome and only 15.00 and has a white board, chalk board and an optional roll of paper. Then we got Melissa and Doug paint brushes and non toxic paint. So far the chalkboard is a huge hit! We will see about the other stuff after Santa comes to visit.

i would think about the leapster.

my son is 3 but he loves it even though it is geard for 4 and up. there are games that start a4 but my son can do them.

go to leapfrog.com the sell them in packages that come with a game and sometimes some sort of carrying case.

also little einstines are great for my 3yearold.

Just a quick response, but if you don't have them yet, great toys that will get years of use are:

toy kitchen with food and pots & pans
doll-sized high chair, packNplay/crib & stroller
kid-sized table & two chairs (if you have the room)
large magna-doodle
basic toys for play-doh - cutters, molds, etc, which can be supplemented with ordinary stuff around the house (or dollar store) and a supply of little tubs of different colors.
books, books and more books - especially collections like some of the hardcover collections of Little Golden Books, etc.

I always preferred 'imagination' toys over electronic stuff, and I stay far, far, FAR away from the Disney or other characters toys, especially if you want the toy to outlive the character-fixation (or be used by a sibling of the opposite sex.)

A trunk of dress-up clothes, or a travel case of fake 'jewelry' is also a good addition, as long as you'll have the patience to be helping her on and off with the bigger pieces of clothing.

Look for storage solutions at the same time. For example, I got my daughter 4 of these latching bins from Target. (Sorry, only link I could find with a pic is here: http://www.amazon.com/Sterilite-18960606-Showoffs-Storage... )
They stack, she can close them herself and they hold a fair amount of awkward-sized toys without getting too heavy for her to carry herself.

If you haven't already used that space, underbed bins are also wonderful - you can put smaller bins in them to keep toys grouped, or leave them loose - kids are already down on the floor to play, so these are easy access for them.

Dress up outfits were a prized christmas gift for my daughter when she was three. She still tries to wear them as a six year old!

Leap frog DVD Talking Letter Factory and Talking Word Factory are great When my son was three he loved them and learned all his letters and sounds in two weeks from them.

Hi

My daughter will be 4 next month but from the age of 3 I found that she was very interested in watching DVD's like The little mermaid , Sleeping Beauty and similar. She also began to show a lot of interest in drawing/coloring so a nice box of crayola products and a lot of paper is always a big hit! Also because she watches the Disney 'princess' movies we found that she loves the figures of the characters that you can buy in the disney store , last time I looked they had an offer where you can buy 2 sets for $20 so a good buy.

My 3 girls loved their toy kitchen, dishes, and food. Their grandmother got the oldest a child size sink, stove, fridge set when she was 3. Over the years the kids received various toy food, dishes, pots, etc. Up until they were about 8, they played with their kitchen almost every day.

My youngest daughter fell in love with a toy doctor kit when she was three. She is now 7 and will still bring it out every now and then.

Last year my children turned three and five just after christmas- We got them soccer balls (nice ones) and they have been thrilled.

this year they want leapsters... (I didn't think my three year old could do it, but he played his cousins this summer and was good at it.) I am not big on electronic gizmos and tv for my kids, however we do some traveling and this just might be the present they get this year. I haven't decided 100%, but that is only because of finances... I am big on limits though and there will be rules of when you can play, where you can play, who can play it, where it belongs, and there will be consequences to not obeying the rules. Pretty much will be one of those presents that will be used with permission.

A subscription to highfive (the younger version of highlights) is anouther one my kids love. It is fun because it last the whole year... (this is what I asked my mother to do this year) They love to get mail.

Books- are always on our list also...

L.

A magazine subscription in the child's name is good and it continues all year long. At that age, my kids loved, Wild Animal Baby and Babybug. Plus it encourages a love of reading and learning.

THE BEST present my girls ever got... V Tech V smile. It is a game system that is a learning system too. My son got it at 5 (he is now 10) my daughter took it over at around 2 1/2 or 3 and still plays with it today she is 6. My younger daughter loves it too but wants the new V Motion because it has new games with characters she LOVES like mickey mouse clubhouse, wonder pets, etc. Also last year my dad got my youngest for her 3rd birhtday the Fisher-Price Cool school. It is a computer that hooks up to your computer that lets your kids safely play and learn with all their favorite characters (clifford, sesame street, scooby doo, dora, etc.) Both my girls almost 4 and 6 love this! They get to play computer without mom standing over their shoulder afraid they will mess up something or get somewhere they shouldn't be.
If you want less "video game stuff" dress up clothes are GREAT! After halloween when they clearance out costumes we always update the dress up stuff with favorites (princesses, rock star, animals, etc) in the next sizes needed and new ideas to play with for the whole next year. Of course we save these for christmas presents but that is the best time to buy.
My girls LOVE coloring and books so those are always great ideas too. Legos are great and good for the small motor skills too. Play doh, water colors and other "crafty" type activies are great too. Girls at 3 love to start creating and making things for people... my youngest (almost 4) made a worm and caterpillar out of construction paper, glue and cotton balls the other day. The difference between the 2... the caterpillar had legs and a face, the worm was just cotton balls.
Hope this helps :)