80 Best Activities for 3-year-olds

Find the best activities for your 3-year-old with this comprehensive list of ideas that will keep them entertained all day long!

As a parent, finding activities for your 3-year-old can be a daunting task. After all, you want them to be engaged, stimulated and have fun – but you also don’t want it to be too much work for you! 

Well, worry no more! We have checked different sources, watched 29 videos on different activities and interacted with some parents and their 3-year-olds to be able to come up with a list of best activities for 3-year-olds that will keep them entertained all day long!

Our criteria for selection include:

• Free or affordable
• Easy to engage
• Ease of preparation
• Number of kids involved 

We have organized our list to give you some sort of a head start.

Ultimate List Of Best Activities for 3-year-olds

1️⃣6 STEM Activities for 3-year-olds

#1. Build a Dinosaur Together 

• Cost: $26
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

This is a great activity for both indoor and outdoor play. Get the dinosaur toys for your child and watch them create a dinosaur out of them. This is a great STEM activity to keep your child engaged and entertained.

#2. Perform Color Experiments 

• Cost: $26
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

My baby loves to watch Blippi. So I would get this color science experiment kit. Encourage them to explore as they mix colors in the kit. Great way to inspire your child to become a scientist. 

#3. Plant a Garden

• Cost: $26
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

Gardening out with children is a wonderful way to promote their imagination and physical activity.  It’s a perfect gardening gift for your 3-year-olds who enjoy playing in the yard and outdoors.

#4. Build A Paper Boat

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

Allow your child to flex their imagination by building a boat from paper. 

#5. Learn Fun Facts about the US

• Cost: ~$40
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Fun fact is an quality way for your chiold to learn. It auds your child development and prepares them for school. 

#6. Discover Nature via a Talking Kids Microscope

• Cost: ~$30
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Science & exploration toys designed just for kids gets them closer with nature, they also get to learn about the outer space and get smart about science. This is good activity that can inspire youir kids to becoming a scientist. 

#7. Build With Recyclable Materials

• Cost: $15 – $30
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Might not be the best idea for busy parents but this activity brings fun to your beloved child. It aids your child’s development of your child’s hand-eye coordination and attention span. It also teaches your child the concept of recycling.

2️⃣ 10 Best Educational Montessori Activities for 3-year-olds

#1. Make an animal with a paper bag

• Cost: $9 – $15
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

This activity is such a great one to flex your child’s imaginative prowess. All your child needs is a paper bag, some crayons, and some imagination! Applaud the outcome of the craft and take pictures.

#2. Do a Montessori Puzzle to Learn Body Parts

• Cost: $25 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Doing puzzles is a great way to work on a kid’s problem-solving skills. And a puzzle to learn body parts improves your child’s basic knowledge about the body and could spark their interest in becoming a doctor.  

#3. Shape Sorting 

• Cost: ~$15
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Get shape sorting toy elements and allow your child to sort, name and count how many of each shape they have. Increases your child’s arithmetic prowess.

#4. Number Identification

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Gather objects (e.g., toys, balls, blocks, etc.)that have numbers on them, and a container or bag. Place the objects in the container and let your child reach in and grab one object at a time. As they do, ask them to identify the number on the object. 

#5. The Pre-writing Game

• Cost: ~$20
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Get your child to trace lines, shapes, or letters on the board. As they do, help them to hold the pencil or crayon correctly and to apply the appropriate amount of pressure. This is one of the learning activities that should be encouraged in kids. 

#6. Puzzles In Rice

• Cost: $5
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Get a storage bin, a puzzle and some coloured rice. Put some puzzle pieces in the rice and place the rest on the flour, and let your kid sift through the rice to find the pieces that complete the puzzle.

#7.  Peg Board 

• Cost: $5 – $15
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

The Peg Board toy set develops your 3-year-old problem-solving skills by helping learn how to count, color composition, and much more while still having fun.

#8. Learn math with the stacking game 

• Cost: ~$20
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

This is one of the best learning activities, it is a math learning activity that is designed for children in the developing stages of math skills and numeracy. Stack the rings to the right number on the tiles, let the toddlers recognize numbers and understand the relationship between numbers and quantity.

#9. Play Scavenger Game at Home

• Cost: $13 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

Playing with scavenger hunt cards helps develop your child’s vocabulary and confidence. It also encourages your child to get familiar with the everyday objects around them. It’s also an awesome activity to spend one-on-one time with your child.

#10. Play Flash Cards 

• Cost: $10 – $20
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Flashcards make education fun for your 3-year-olds. Mostly designed by teachers, these laminated flashcards make a great educational gift and feature bright, colorful imagery and teach little ones a variety of important first-concept topics: letters, numbers, shapes and colors.

3️⃣ 10 Activities To Improve Fine Motor Skills for 3-year-olds

#1. Play Remote Control Cars to Hone Fine Motor Skills

• Cost: $10 – $30 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

The best toys are those that encourage interactions. Playing with a remote-controlled toy car promotes hand-eye coordination, motor skills & imaginative thinking. Besides, it inspires engagement and connection with your child.

#2. Hone Fine Motor and Sensory Skills with Screw Driver Board 

• Cost: $10 – $30
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

Improves confidence, resilience and problem-solving skills. Keep your child busy and hone their fine motor skills with this fun and easy activity. Allow your child to practice the different skills safely by removing and inserting different kinds of screws.

#3. Drawing on the street with chalk

• Cost: $5
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

This activity is perfect for working on drawing and pre-writing skills. All you need is some chalk and a board. Let your child draw whatever they want! They can make shapes, lines, or pictures. Encourage them to use their imagination and be creative.

#4. Play Wooden Fishing Game 

• Cost: ~$15 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Designed for developing children’s fine motor skills and color recognition while your babies play it.  Also improves your child’s ability to learn new things, color cognition and inspires kids’ imagination, hand-eye coordination, curiosity and discovery skills.

#5. Threading Toy for Fine Motor Skills

• Cost: $15 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Lacing/sewing cards helps your child’s fine motor skills. Print, cut, laminate, punch holes, and add colorful laces or thick needles and yarn. 

You will enjoy adding this hands-on activity to your shelves!

#6. Baby Dots Of Glue

• Cost: $5
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

This activity improves your kid’s fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and self-control. Make little black dots on white paper and have your kid use 

#7. Stickers and Sticker Books

• Cost: $5 – $10 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

Stickers are one activity that keeps your child occupied for a while.  Static stickers can stick onto windows, and smooth surfaces like books, glass, mirrors and more. 

#8. Q-Tip Painting 

• Cost: $5 – $10
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Q-tip painting increases hand-eye coordination; your kid dips a q-tip in paint and traces out a letter, shape, line or even their name. Grab a Q-tip, paints and white paper and you are good to go. 

Bring lots of fun to your family and daily life!

#9. Pouch Lid Sensory Play

• Cost: $5 – $10
• Ease of preparation: ★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Put some recycled pouch lids in a bin and set out an ice cube tray and some scoops. Get your child to scoop, and sort pouch lids.

This sensory play will develop a number of skills, such as; colors and matching.

#10. Do Some Yoga

• Cost: $10 – $20 (Yoga Mat for kids)
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Yoga is a great way to get your 3-year-old to exercise, relax, and focus. Many yoga poses are perfect for kids. Try some simple ones like tree pose, downward dog, or warrior pose. 

Encourage your child to breathe deeply and hold the poses for as long as they can.

4️⃣ 5 Music and Painting Activities for 3-year-olds

#1. Play on Piano music Playmat

• Cost: $20 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

When children hear music they will sing and dance together which will inspire children’s language skills and hand-foot coordination ability. Music can stimulate children’s hearing and this piano mat can help your 3 year olds recognize the sound and pronounciation of animals.

#2. Make Greeting Cards

• Cost: $10
• Ease of preparation: ★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Another activity that your child will love is making greeting cards. This is a great way to show them how to express themselves creatively. You can either use a construction piece of paper or cardstock. Your child can also decorate the front of the card with stickers, glitter, and more. 

#3. Make Music and Music Instruments

• Cost: $5 – $10
• Ease of preparation: ★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

This is a great way to show them how to express themselves creatively. You can either use construction paper or cardstock. Your child can also decorate the front of the card with stickers, glitter, and more. This is a great activity for promoting fine motor skills and creativity.

#4. Draw on LCD Drawing Tablets

• Cost: $9 – $12 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Give your child a digital painting experience with the LCD drawing tablets. Flexes their imaginations and allows them to mess with different colours.

#5. Finger Painting 

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

My baby girl loves this activity. 

This is a fun way for them to get creative and use their imaginations. Plus, it is a messy activity, so it is perfect for those days when you want to let your child be a little wild!

What you need is some washable paints like this. Nothing fancy.

I would also get a mess-proof bib to keep the clothes clean. You can use the bib for the baby to learn to eat, too. 

5️⃣ 5 Drawing and Art-based Activities for 3-year-olds

#1. Paint Toe-Nails With Kids-Safe Nail Polish

• Cost: $5 – $20
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

Perfect for female kids. Get them kids-safe toenails and allow them to enjoy painting their toenails themselves. You can guide them through it or leave them to enjoy the fun. 

#2. Arranging Flowers

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Everyday activities like this help your child develop their sense of smell, sight and touch. Have your child pour water into a vase, use scissors to cut stems of flowers and insert the stems into the vase carefully. 

#3. Plant some flowers

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

Planting flowers is a great way to learn about nature and responsibility. You will need some flower seeds, soil, and a pot or planter. Let your child help you plant the seeds. Then water them and watch them grow!

#4. Do-A-Dot-Trace 

• Cost: $10 – $20
• Ease of preparation: ★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

An engaging toddler activity that can be done in different ways. It’s fun, easy, non-toxic, and creates no mess. 

Grab a Do-A-Dot art marker and some coloring sheets, and your 3-year-old is sure to have a good time. 

#5. Make Collages Out Of Magazines

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Perfect for kids who like to cut out papers or kids who want to practice cutting. Simply find old magazines around the house, and get a stationary cutting knife! They can cut out their favorite pictures and glue them to pieces of cardboard.

7️⃣ 28 Fun Outdoor Activities and Fun Indoor Activities for 3-year-olds that are mostly free

Below is a list of fun outdoor and indoor activities for your 3-year-old. These activities have been carefully selected, non-dangerous and mostly free.

17 Fun Outdoor Activities For Your 3-year-olds

#1. Go For A Hike

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

Going for a hike is a great way to explore nature and get some exercise. Get your child to wear a good pair of hiking shoes, and let them lead the way and discover different things along the trail. They’re sure to tire themselves out with all that fresh air!

#2. Play In The Sprinklers

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

This activity is perfect for gross motor skills and cooling off hot days! You will need a sprinkler and some water. Let your child run through the sprinkler or play with the water hose. They’re sure to have a blast!

#3. Build A Snowman

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

Snowman is a classic winter activity that your 3-year-old will love. It’s also an opportunity for your child to enjoy nature and play in the snow. Gather some snow, and let your child build things like a small castle and snowman using simple tools. You are sure to have a good laugh at the outcome. 

#4. Go Sledding

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Sledding is a great way to burn off some energy. And, it’s so much fun! Have a snowball fight: This is another great activity for getting your child moving. And, it’s a lot of fun too! 

#5. Go Play In a Park

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

One of the best activities for 3-year-olds is walking in the park. This is a great way to get some fresh air and exercise. It’s also a way to explore nature. Make sure you keep an eye on them. 

#6. Go To The Beach

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Doesn’t cost much to go to the beach. Allow them to get their hands dirty building beach houses, playing with beach sand and all. Just make sure your eyes are them. 

#7. Ride or Rent a Bike

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

Riding bikes is perfect for gross motor skills, balance, and coordination. You will need a bike and a helmet (for safety!). Start by teaching your child how to pedal the bike. Once they’ve got the hang of it, go for a ride around the neighborhood!

#8. Play Hopscotch

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

All you need is a piece of chalk and a flat surface. Draw a hopscotch grid on the ground with chalk. Then have your child throw a stone or bean bag into one of the squares, then hop on one foot into that square and then back out again. It’s a game that brings kids together. 

#9.  Go Fishing

• Cost: $5 – $20
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

A fishing rod!

A bait!

And a place to fish!

Let your child help you bait the hook. Then see if they can catch a fish! If not, that’s okay – just enjoy being outside and spending time together. 

#10. Play Tag

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

This classic game is perfect for gross motor skills and getting rid of excess energy. You will need at least two children to play with. One child is “it” and tries to tag the other players. Once someone is tagged, they become “it” too! See how long you can keep playing.

#11. Nature Walk

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★

Take a walk with your child to see the wonders of nature in your environment. Get a good location and comfortable shoes. While you walk, tell your child to identify different things on your nature walk, like birds, bugs, flowers, and rocks. Take some cool pictures to create memories. 

#12. Jump In Puddles

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

One of the very fun activities 3-year-olds like to engage in. Particularly fun during the rainy season. Your child may or may not wear rain boots; just allow them to have a good time splashing in the puddles! Be sure to avoid any deep water or dangerous areas.

#13. Counting With Cars 

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

This activity is perfect for little ones who love cars! 

I like to do it with passing car. And vary it with color. Asking your 3 year-old questions like how many white cars are there? Or, simply count the passing car. 

Don’t worry about if this may get boring soon. 

What a 3 year-old want is just the undivided attention from their parents. 

#14. GoTo A Nearby Local Elementary School And Play At The Playground

At the playground, kids will have the opportunity to practice a variety of gross motor skills such as climbing, jumping, and swinging. They will also get to interact with other kids, working on their social skills. 

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

#15. Play “I Spy”

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

This activity is great for memory skills and language development. More interesting if you have older kids! Let them take turns spying on something around you and see if they can guess what it is. For example, “I spy something red.” See how many items you can spy!

#16. Play Football With Friends

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

Playing football is one of the best activities for 3-year-olds. Get your child and his/her friends, divide them into teams and let them play the beautiful game of football. 

Not necessarily an Old Trafford kind of football, you could set up your yard or go to a nearby sports center to play. 

#17. Dish Soap on Water Table

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

This is a fun activity for kids who love to play in the water. Simply add some dish soap to your water table, use a hose to fill it with water so it bubbles up crazy, and let them have fun! Scoop, dump, pour, repeat. Can be a great outdoor activity.

#18. Follow The Leader

• Cost: $0 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Quite a simple game! Let your child follow your lead and copy everything you do. This could involve jumping, hopping, skipping, crawling, running, or singing. You can move around the house or go outside to play.

7️⃣10 Fun Indoor Activities for 3-year-olds

#1. Make A Fort

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

Sometimes, kids just want to be in their fantasy world. With Make  A Fort, they get some blankets, chairs, and pillows. They throw the blankets over the chairs to make a tent. Then crawl inside and pretend they’re in another world. It’s one of the best activities for 3-years-olds.

#2. Homemade Obstacle Course

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

Can also be an indoor play. Gather some materials such as empty boxes, blankets, pillows, and soft toys, then start setting up the course. Your child will have a blast crawling through tunnels, jumping over obstacles, and more!

#3. Make Homemade Pizzas

• Cost: $5 – $15
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Cooking has always been a cool way to spend time with your kid. When they make homemade pizzas, you’re teaching them about healthy eating. Get some pizza dough, tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings of your Kid’s choice. 

#4. Toys-Bathing 

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Have your 3-year-olds bath their toys themselves. Fill a sink with water, provide a mild soap and let your kid do the bathing. 

It’s one of the best activities to keep them engaged while you have your moment. 

They’re sure gonna like it.

#5. Play With Chairs To Form Airplane Or Train

• Cost: $0 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

Most times, kids play with whatever is around them. And what happens when the toys aren’t available, make them opt for the chairs (preferable plastic chairs). Let them arrange/stack the chairs to form a car, plane or train. You never know what could spur them to become a driver or pilot. 

#6. Color Hunt 

• Cost: $0 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Make different colored cards and hide them in different locations. Turn on a song and see how many objects your kid can find in your home during the song.

#7. Reading together

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

One of the effective and fun reading activities for kids. Gather your 3-year-old and their sibling(s) and have them read a storybook or a fairy tale together. 

It makes learning fun and also develops their social skills.

#8. Help With Cleaning

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Give your 3-year-old a mop, napkins or a broom and allow them to do some cleaning. Give them a treat after they are done. 

#9. Play in a ball pit 

• Cost: $16-$100 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Kids love ball pits. 

You will need some crush-proof balls. And, ideally, you will want to get a soft foam pool and fill it up with balls. A playpen also works. 

8️⃣6 Play-Doh Activities for 3-year-olds

#1. Seasonal Play-doh

• Cost: $5 – $15 
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Get creative! Play-doh trays are the best because they simply invite children to play, discover, explore, create, imagine, and learn. Completely open-ended. Sit back and watch what they decide to do with the materials you set out for them.

#2. Create Sculptures Out Of Playdough

• Cost: $5 -$10
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★

Another fun activity that your child can do is create sculptures out of Play-Doh. This is a great way to help them use their imagination. You can either use pre-made Play-Doh or make your own. To make your own, you will need flour, water, salt, and food coloring. 

#3. Form Letters With Play-Doh

• Cost: $5 – $10
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

One activity that is sure to be a hit with your child is forming letters with Play-Doh. This is a great way to help them learn their ABCs. Get a play-doh and let your child have a blast making different letters.

#4. Play With Play-Doh Shape Mats

• Cost: $5 – $15
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

Allow your three-year-olds to form shapes with play-doh. This fun activity helps your child identify different shapes. Get a play-doh, and a pan and let them get their hands busy. 

#5. Play With Play-Doh

• Cost: $5 – $15
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

A great way to improve fine motor skills. If you do not have any Play-Doh at home, you can easily make your own. All you need is some flour, water, and salt. Just mix the ingredients and let your child have fun.

Elmer’s glue to cover each black dot, then colored squares to stick onto each glue dot.

#6. Play-Doh With Pipe Cleaners

• Cost: $0
• Ease of preparation: ★★★★★
• Educational value: ★★★★★

This activity is great for fine motor skills and creative thinking. You will need some Play-Doh and pipe cleaners. Show your child how to make different shapes with Play-Doh and pipe cleaners. Then let them have at it! 

Final Thoughts

So, without further ado, here are 81 best activities for 3-year-olds! Be sure to try out some of these activities with your little one and let us know how it goes. 

Get your child up and moving with these fun activities that will keep their brain active and engaged. And don’t forget to have as much fun as they do! 

Which of these activities will you be trying out first? We would love to hear from you!