The Very Best Gifts For 3-Year-Olds

The textured edges of the Gonge Riverstones mimic the feel underfoot of the real river stones that highlight the illusion of jumping across a river. This brightly colored set gives your three-year-old that tactile feel safely and cleanly inside your living space and can act the base of some of the best “the floor is lava,” games of your year.

A classic and beautiful climbing toy, this one is great for building motor skill development, developing balance control, and promoting muscle development and encouraging physical activity. The frame and rungs are made from bamboo; it folds flat for storage. The weight limit is 90 pounds.

A play kitchen is a classic toy, but it’s also a large investment, so it pays to buy the right one. They’re large and draw the eye, so if you’re going to get one, make sure it’s not an eyesore. And the Chelsea from Pottery Barn Kids is beautiful. It looks like the clean mid-century modern kitchen of most parents’ dreams and its premium wooden build means it will last as some real kitchens as well.

This vibrant 18-piece wooden puzzle is only six inches wide, so it can fit into a hip pack and is engrossing enough to save a night out if placed in front of a three-year-old. While some kiddos might strive to create a clean star rainbow pattern, others may attempt a variety of the thousands of potential shape combinations within the sturdy pointed frame.

While it’s intended for younger children, the Ice Cream Counter can be engaging for kids all the way through elementary school. Its large age-appropriate run is the result of the cleanly-built stackable ice cream scoops, as well as the straightforward narrative of play that comes with the business aspect of the set.

These are blocks in name only — a set of 16 beautiful stacking shapes, with complex edges and multiple faces, giving kids a renewable challenge and bringing something beautiful into the playroom. And because every block manufactured is unique, you can rest assured no one will have a set quite like yours.