

When it comes to shopping for 3-year-old boys, it can seem easy enough to pick out a toy or two that catches their eye. Although the set is designed for children aged 3 and above, we had the pleasure of testing it with a 7-year-old who thoroughly enjoyed playing with it. We appreciate that each piece can be moved and adjusted, which encourages children to develop important skills such as spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination while also engaging in imaginative play. The set is user-friendly and highly versatile, allowing for various configurations that enhance the play experience. They’re so much to see, do, build, and imagine. When they're done playing, cleanup is no problem with the included storage bins. It comes with 100 pieces for an amazing array of adventures, perfect for sharing. Included are everything from wooden train tracks to trains, airports, helipads, trees, people, street signs, police cars, and more. KidKraft Ride Around Town Train Table ReviewĪll aboard for fun! If you’re looking for a big gift that’s going to be a big hit, you’re on the right track with this train set and table. The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.You can also buy bundles that come with two, three, or five Tonies and save a few bucks that way.

A note: You have to buy the speaker (Toniebox) and Tonies ($12 to $15 each) separately, but this starter kit includes a figurine that’s preloaded with a compilation of popular children’s songs. “People talk about life-changing toys, and this one really helped my younger child self-regulate when she needed to cool down but had dropped a nap, and both my kids loved it for bedtime,” says VanArendonk. You can also get blank “Creative-Tonies” that you can program with any MP3 file, which Vulture writer Kathryn VanArendonk used with her two kids, or record yourself, family members, and friends reading and telling stories. It’s a smart speaker that plays stories and songs when you place a magnetized figurine, or Tonie, on top, and there are dozens of characters to choose from, including Blue’s Clues, Encanto, Peppa Pig, Miffy, and Paw Patrol. Parents and kids alike adore the Toniebox, an audio-only entertainment system that keeps little ones occupied without screens.

LITTLE TIKES BUILDING BLOCKS PLUS
Meanwhile, if you’re also shopping for children in other age groups, we have gift guides for 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, 6-year-olds, 7-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds, and 12-year-olds - plus the meticulously curated Strategist Toy Store, filled with all our greatest hits.
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Otherwise, read all the way through to get the full picture of what makes an elder toddler tick. The 28 expert-approved gifts below are organized by price, so if you already have a budget in mind, you can use the table of contents to jump to that section. To help you find the best toys that will give the 3-year-old in your life a chance to jump, chat, and otherwise indulge their many burgeoning interests, we talked to child-development specialists, toy buyers, and stylish parents about the toys they recommend. And that’s true whether you’re discussing the differences between two Hot Wheels cars or pouring them a cup of invisible tea in the bath. “There’s so much language development that’s happening, so talking and having conversations is really important” - says Erica Hill, a consultant at the early-childhood-education research foundation HighScope. They are also getting more interested in talking at this age, whether that’s narrating pretend play or speaking in the voice their favorite doll or stuffy. Of course, 3-year-olds also enjoy running, riding a scooter, drawing, playing dress-up, playing with action figures, and building block towers to knock down. “Jumping on the bed, jumping off the couch, jumping on us, jumping on the dog, jumping on the trampoline,” Calavan elaborated. When we asked Milk Teeth co-founders Catherine Newell-Hanson and Rebecca Calavan about the kind of play their respective 3-year-olds are into at the moment, they responded almost in unison: jumping.
