Agonising over what to buy the three-year-old in your life? Our writer enlisted a panel of mini testers to round up the best of the best.
Three-year-olds are a unique breed. Growing in confidence and independence daily, they’re no longer toddlers, but they’re still a way off starting school. With both of my children, I’ve found three a funny yet challenging age. My youngest is three and is now determined to do everything by herself, despite not quite being able to, resulting in frequent tantrums. She’s forming new friendships and is full of curiosity and wonder at the world.
Here we’ve picked out 25 of the best gifts to give a three-year-old, whether that’s your own child, a relative or your child’s new friend. I’ve chosen gifts well suited to three-year-olds, but I’ve also included those with longevity, so they won’t be forgotten about by the child’s fourth birthday.
My three-year-old daughter was the chief toy tester, along with a group of her alarmingly honest preschool friends. Alongside the mini testers’ parents, I watched just how long each of the toys was played with, which ones were ignored or passed on quickly and which the children went back to repeatedly.
These toys are suitable for children aged three and up, and I’ve only included those our mini testers really engaged with. I’ve also featured some gifts suggested by parenting experts for this age.
