We love picking out cool gifts for the 3-year-olds in our lives! Oh, the places they’ll go in their minds when kids are 3 years old; we love to channel that boundless enthusiasm and curiosity with imaginative and creative toys, age-appropriate crafting supplies, fun accessories related to their growing interests, and other well-made playthings that make the best birthday gifts for preschoolers.
When you’re done with this list, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best gifts for 4-year-olds; you just may find the perfect preschool gift you’ve been looking for there.
Above: Wooden tea set from Melissa & Doug
Be sure to see our full list of the coolest birthday gifts for kids by age
The best gifts for 3-year-olds
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Each item has been independently selected by our editorial team
We Are Colorful Crayon Tin
($11.99, Amazon)
This tin contains 18 beautiful colors beyond “peach” and “brown.” Consider pairing it with the companion colored pencil set and activity book, each charmingly illustrated by Courtney Ahn and Mia Saine.
Handmade Wooden Toy Kitchen or Wooden Toy Workbench
($160-180, Anthropologie)
Inspire big imaginations and creativity with these gorgeous handmade play sets from Tender Leaf Toys. Kids will play with them for more years than you might expect.
A Collection of the Best Stories for 3-Year-Olds
($11-12 at Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org)
All the classic nursery rhymes and fairy tail characters, only with lots of illustrations and not too many words, to help keep their attention. At least until they fall asleep.
Preschool-sized soccer balls
($13.99, Amazon)
Score! For a cool gift for a 3-year-old, you can’t go wrong with a colorful, preschooler-sized soccer ball like one of these from Daball. They can kick, throw, catch, and roll all over these balls, and because the designs are so adorable, they may even remember to bring them inside once playtime is over.
Personalized car play mat
($39.99 and up at Vivibambina on Etsy)
This long and winding road from a talented maker on Etsy can travel indoors or out to keep little drivers busy. Love the personalization in the center roundabout — or a rotary, for us northeasterners.
Diverse baby dolls from Miniland + clothing/accessories
(Dolls $29 and up at Amazon, also try Nordstrom and Maisonette to compare prices and selection)
A baby doll from Miniland is an amazing gift for any 3-year-old — find one that looks just like them, or introduce more diversity into their toy box. The award-winning brand is known for wide representation in terms of skin and hair colors, kids with Down Syndrome, kids with cochlear implants, kids with glasses, and more.
To make it extra special, we adore the handmade doll clothing made just for Miniland dolls at Darling Clementine, like the little fuzzy vest shown above.
Kids’ Ukulele
($9.99, Amazon)
Cool gift for a 3-year-old and under $10! How soon til they can play the entire Taylor Swift catalog?
Flyboy First Pogo Jumper
($13.49 at Amazon)
Don’t panic, parents — these durable, extremely fun pogo sticks have a foam base for soft landings. Fun way to get the kids up and moving, indoors or out.
Rainbow crayons and tote set
($40 at Art2theExtreme in collaboration with SO Handmade)
Encourage creativity on the go with this bright and portable art set which includes chunky crayons stamped with a little inspiration.
Wooden tea play set
($29 on sale, Amazon)
Pinkies up! This colorful 22-piece set from Melissa & Doug (also shown at very top) is perfect for a midday tea party — at the best price we’ve found anywhere.
Adorable, affordable new clothes
($10 and up on sale from Gerber at Walmart
This french terry hoodie is such a great price! Pair it with the adorable jogger pants and you’ve got a practical but very cool gift for any 3-year-old.
Wild Wobble Game
($19.99, Mudpuppy’s Amazon storefront)
This high quality, colorful wooden tumbling tower game is perfect for small hands, and teaches skills 3-year-olds need like patience, focus, and decision-making. Did we mention patience?
Monthly picture book subscription box
($21.95/box and up, Bookroo)
You can never go wrong with books as birthday gifts for 3-year-olds…or really, any age. And what better way to instill a love of books in early readers than with a monthly delivery of new picture books tailored just for early readers Plus, they get mail! Addressed to them! Double win.
Child’s scooter, helmet, or accessories
(Prices vary, Amazon + MicroKickboard)
Gift a new scooter they can grow into for a fabulous gift for a 3-year-old. If they already have one, protect that brilliant little brain with a playful but hard-working new Micro Kickboard kids’ helmet or check out their new Scootaheadz to make those t-bars more personalized and fun.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Magna-Tiles
($49.95 at Amazon)
The fun of building with Magna Tiles paired with the fun-to-read classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. They’ll knock this down with glee. Add on a copy of the book if they don’t already have it.
Photo: The New Children’s Museum of San Diego’s Wobbleland
Children’s museum membership
(prices vary)
An annual family membership to your local children’s museum — like San Diego’s The New Children’s Museum seen here — makes a fabulous gift that will help tire out a busy 3-year-old over and over again. While every major city has a wonderful children’s museum, don’t overlook a gift card for a local playroom or other activity space that may be even more convenient to pop into on a rainy day.
Personalized superhero cape
($39.50, Capes & More)
This best-seller Etsy shop lets you choose your color, style, and initial for a totally custom gift for a favorite preschooler
Eco-Friendly Toy Airplane
($17.55 from Green Toys on Amazon, with frequent sales)
From one of our longtime favorite small toymakers, an affordable gift that kids will love for years.
Foamnasium Play Couch
($399 at Pottery Barn Kids)
Way better than finding all your couch cushions across the floor, these play cushions can be put together in so many different ways to form a pint-sized lounger. In three different neutral colors, there’s one to suit any decor, making it a great gift for 3-year-olds that parents will love too.
Toddler table and chair set
(This one $219 at Nordstrom
Table and chair sets for preschoolers range in price from this classic set for $69 to very fancy handmade ones in the hundreds of dollars. Right in the middle, we love the adorable wooden set from Tender Leaf Toys, above, that gives any 3-year-old — and a lucky friend, sibling, or stuffed animal — an adorable spot to craft, snack, create, talk, and conspire to change the world.
Storytime Toys puzzles for kids
($14.50 and up at Amazon)
Encourage open-ended play with these thoughtful pop-out puzzles whose pieces come together to form little playscapes. Choose between this castle theme, a firetruck, spaceship, unicorn rainbow and more.
GeoSafari Jr. kid-sized binoculars
($10.19 at Amazon)
Agreat price for these sturdy “kidnoculars” which are designed to fit comfortably on a child’s face.
An extremely fun new bathrobe
($88, Timo & Violet)
if you’ve got the budget, we love their luxurious robes for kids. Anything to help get them in and out of the pool or bath a little easier, right?
The best gifts for kids by age 2024
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The coolest birthday gifts for 3-year-olds
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The coolest birthday gifts for 5-year-olds
The coolest birthday gifts for 6-year-olds
The coolest birthday gifts for 7-year-olds
The coolest birthday gifts for 8-year-olds
The coolest birthday gifts for tweens and big kids 9-12
The coolest birthday gifts for teens
