What are Educational Toys?
Educational toys are exceptional tools for encouraging and challenging your child to stimulate their developmental skills. This activity, in turn, helps them achieve their developmental milestones. Such educational toys are available in a variety, ranging from simple to complex STEM toys that can be introduced to a child gradually with respect to their age. These are engaging and keep your child immersed in the activity.
Such toys are engaging and offer 'unstructured play'. Unstructured play allows your child to explore and manipulate the toy according to their own accord and pace. The APA (American Psychological Association)even goes so far as to mention that unstructured play fosters resilience. Which is key to managing stress and uncertainty. Such learning toys for 3-year-olds encourage toddlers' active participation and concentration while making sure that your little one has enough room to be creative as well.
What Should A 3 Year Old Child Know Educationally?
It is true that a baby learns an astronomical amount just in the first three years of their life. However, by the time they reach toddlerhood, they have learned to walk, have mastered weaning, have developed motor skills, and can even talk.As a result, it is crucial that the toys they use to learn and play aid in the development of their knowledge and understanding.
To select the best educational toys for your exceptional toddler, you must first understand what a three-year-old child should know academically.
a. Language and vocabulary
Linguistically, your toddler will have grown a considerable amount by the age of three. For starters, they will understand simple sentences and comprehend concepts like directional words, numbers, collective nouns and basic human emotions. Kids love telling stories. They will try to include the words they hear in their day to day lives and their favourite people into their 'stories'. Encourage your child to converse and build on their language skills by asking follow-up questions. This will encourage them to process and vocalise their opinions on the subject better.
b. Reading and learning
More so than two-year-olds, three-year-olds are at a crucial point where the following years set the foundation for their academic learning ahead.
While toddlers at this age may not be able to perform calculations, but can recognise and know commonly used words in books and have a favourite one of their own.
They can differentiate numbers from the alphabet, so make sure to include them in your conversations and make them repeat the printed words aloud with you.
c. Thinking and reasoning
The cognitive development of a child is just as important as their language and speech. While it is a significant milestone, it is also the most unique.
As you and your toddler bond for the umpteenth time over the inquisitive questions that dominate their minds, the bonding activity exercises their attention and processing power, thereby building their memory.
To do so, a three-year-old should be able to comprehend and follow rules, understand the concept of counting, and play pretend.
d. Social and emotional
While your children might not exactly be social animals by the time they turn three, they will look for interaction and bonding time during play. This most times comes in the form of associative play. This play involves interacting with other children and sharing materials, which nudges them towards social development. Emotionally, they can comprehend simple emotions, understand their body cues, and are gradually working on regulating their emotions.
Why are Toys a Good Choice to Educate Your Child?
Toys, rather than other mediums, allow your little one the room to venture out and explore at their own pace. That is why most educational toys are open-ended.They help your children exercise their creativity while boosting their independence in the process. At its base, a sound educational toy will aim to build your baby’s problem-solving skills as they refine their motor skills while engaging with it.
Unlike other methods, toys encourage children to broaden their imaginations through pretend play. An excellent play for a toddler, pretend play teaches them to develop and act out scenarios, express and perceive different perspectives while also assigning and following routines.
All of the essential skills for the cognitive development of a child can be garnered through a simple toy.
How Do We Choose These Educational Toys for 3 Year Old
The BabyG team conducts thorough research on all the products recommended in the list through their personal experience as parents and experts and the community experience of over 300k parents who use the BabyG early development app. During the research process, we looked at reviews around real usage of the product, quality, rating, pricing, safety, and overall value as per the use cases of different parents.
To choose the best educational toys for 3-Year-Old Boys & Girls, we further detailed our research to look for toys that are age-appropriate and handle-friendly for a three-year-old. As well as if they support developmental growth, are devoid of any toxins while still being engaging and safe.
By doing so, our team has ensured that we provide our community with reliable and high-quality product recommendations. Our mission is to ensure that our parenting community always make informed, expert recommended and well researched decision to give the best development and products to their little ones.
Top Rated Educational Toys For 3 Year Old 2023
1. Best for Introducing Phonics and Letters: Melissa & Doug See & Spell Learning Toy
Vibrant and portable, this wooden puzzle makes a great activity kit for 3 year old. With more than 50 colourful wooden letters to fit into the puzzle boards, the toy helps your little one spell the illustrated animals even before they comprehend they are doing so.
With the help of motherese, join in on the fun activity as your baby shape sorts the letters into the animals' names, in turn building their spatial skills while working on their vocabulary.
Product dimensions: 7.62 x 16.51 x 35.56 cm; 1.18 Kilograms
Suitable for ages: Three years+
2. Best Water Play toy for Babies: Toyk Aqua Doodle Magic Mat
Here’s a great activity kit for 3 year old to make learning fun for your little one. The assortment of activities and stencils on the mat is just the tip of the iceberg. With scope to learn alphabets and numbers, the toy has a mess-free disappearing mechanism, perfect or your budding artists.
Such toys make great preschool educational toys for 3 year olds as they aid in perfecting their fine motor skills, like pincer grasp, while boosting their vocabulary too.
Product dimensions: 39 in. x 27.5 in.
Suitable Age: One year+
3. Best for Learning Alphabets: Peppa Pig Practise with Peppa Wipe-Clean First Writing
An excellent way of learning to write the alphabet is through tracing. This Peppa Pig book for 3 year old makes a perfect fit for preschoolers who are enthusiastic about learning and are not afraid of making mistakes.
Equipped with a pen, the book helps your little one doodle along the lines, grasping the concept of shapes and letters along the way.
Product dimensions: 29.8 x 1.5 x 21 cm
Suitable Age: Three years+
4. Best for Cognitive and Motor Skill development: Genius Box Activity Kit
There is a reason this activity kit for 3 year old is called a "genius box." The series of themed activities immerses your child in quality learning with a huge scope for language and communication development.
The assortment of educational projects includes puzzles, games, and S.T.E.M. activities, perfect and age-appropriate for a curious growing toddler that is just grasping the concepts of organising and reasoning.
Product dimensions: 34 x 32 x 8 cm.
Suitable Age: Three years+
5. Best for Developing Early Math Skills: PLUSPOINT Math Flash Cards
Here’s an activity kit that will help your little one gain early math skills while having fun bonding with you. The hands-on nature of the kit supports your little one's reasoning visually with the help of colourful sticks, which they can, later on, relate to numbers.
With the aim of growing with your toddler, the set of equations in the box has set answers that will encourage your child to make mistakes and learn from them as they work on the problems.
Product dimensions: 27.5 x 19 x 4 cm.
Suitable Age: Three years+
Buy on Amazon
6. Best for Building Visual Discrimination: Creative Educational Aids - Match 'N' Learn
Matching games are great tools to stimulate your baby's memory and build on their vocabulary simulatneously. The cards are safe for little hands to hold onto. While the bright and vibrant object picturisation encourage easy recognition. Parents can make a game out of the set using it to match the drawings to the elements in the house.
The set includes 56 pieces and make unique gifts for a 3 year old girl, as they set the foundation for preschool learning. Moreover, buyers rave about the quality of the product.
Product dimensions: 27.5 x 19 x 4 cm.
Suitable Age: Three years+
Buy on Amazon
7. Best for Shape Sorting: Alphabets A-Z Peg Puzzle
The safe and durable wooden toy makes the best alphabet toys for 3 year olds. Multipurpose and colourful, the blocks will make a great addition to your little one’s nursery.
The letters are easy to grab onto and aid your baby in practising their motor skills while exercising their shape-sorting and spatial skills.
Suitable Age: Two years+
Buy on BabyG
8. Best for Boosting Creativity: Shapes & Colours - Activity Kit
This activity box is truly one of a kind. The hands-on kit includes activities, a tangram, worksheets, and other fun stuff to engage your little one in. A great perk of such developmental educational toys for 3 year olds is that they not only focus on their motor development but also encourage creativity and self-expression.
Parents can bond with their babies while supporting and guiding them through fascinating concepts like shapes and colour recognition, building structures and many more.
Suitable Age: Two years+
9. Best for Supporting Problem-Solving Skills: Frank Animal Jigsaw Puzzle
Let's admit it, puzzles are fun. And more so, they present your little one with the independence to figure out the sorting at their own pace. The educational toys for 3 year old india come in the shapes of adorable animals that will encourage your child to make use of their problem-solving skills while exercising their hand-eye coordination.
Rest assured that these puzzles are safe and non-toxic, an absolute necessity for an inquisitive toddler.
Product dimensions: 21.5 x 18.5 x 3.8 cm.
Suitable Age: Three years+
10. Best for Logical Reasoning: Maple Press Brain Boosting Activity Book
With an expanse of 200+ games, this book stands out amongst the rest. The activities are divided into sets of three, from easy, medium, and difficult, to support your growing toddler at their academic level.
Ranging from STEM concepts, logical reasoning, and problem solving, such developmental educational toys for 3 year olds are a must have in your home.
Product dimensions: 20.3 x 25.4 x 4.7 cm.
Suitable Age: Three years+
11. Best for Self-Expression and Writing: Tormeaw Magnetic Writing Board
Here’s another one for the ages. From randomly scribbling, to exercising their pincer grip, to setting their task and practising math, this writing easel supports it all.
The magnetic board that comes with a bunch of magnetic letters, numbers, and others is also equipped with a black board on the adjustable stand, perfect for supporting a toddler's spurts of creativity on the go.
Product dimensions: 12 x 2 x 10 cm.
Suitable Age: Three years+
12. Best for Visual Processing Skills: Smoneo Wooden Shape & Stacking Sorter Toy
The benefits of a stacker toy are already quite well known. What sets this toy apart are its vibrant colours and the geometric shapes. Your child can independently sort the pieces into the 15 posts, encouraging their visual processing and STEM skills.
The parts are non-toxic and created with high-quality wood that is painted with water-based paint to ensure toddler-safe stacking. The pack includes 20 pieces in 5 different colours, as well as shapes that would make a great birthday gift for a 3 year old.
Product dimensions: 4.9 x 29.5 x 6.9 cm.
Suitable Age: One year+
How to Choose the Right Educational Toy for Your 3 Year Old Baby?
Here' something we can all agree on, toddlers are curious beings. Not only that, but they are also agile and quick to absorb information. Hence, it is integral to instil positive values as well as find the correct tools that will optimally stimulate their developmental skills. Parents can do so with developmental toys that are fun yet help them gain well-rounded skills for their preschool education ahead. Here's how to make your search easier
- Look for toys that align with their age. Age-appropriate toys for three-year-olds mean that they are easy to hold onto and do not pose the risk of consumption or choking.
- As mentioned before, select toys that will help stimulate a particular developmental skill. Look for cues and decide where your baby needs more assistance with. If you are trying to build their socio-emotional skills then getting a stacking block that will encourage them to engage in associative play will work great.
- Settle on ones that promote hands-on activities. Active play ensures that your child concentrates and processes information as they play along.
- Choose toys that familiarises them with the objects around them on a routine. This can aid in building their vocabulary and image recognition too. Parents can use these to introduce concepts like open, close, off, and on.
- Last but not least, look for toys that are durable and safe enough for a toddler. Purchase non-toxic or water-painted toys that are also BPA-free..
In essence,
We've established that toddlers are curious beings who love toys and everything play. While boosting their developmental milestones, they can learn STEM concepts and skills early on with the right toys and guidance at their disposal.Be it building blocks for 3 year olds or flashcards, with the help of motherse, fun and a set routine, learning can always be an adventure.
To keep track of your baby's developmental milestones on the go, head to your BabyG App today. Till then, Happy Parenting!
LEAVE A COMMENT