Gifts That Will Make a 3-Year-Old Very, Very, Very Happy

“Bluey” is a national treasure (of Australia, technically), but the playful, positive, genuinely funny vibe of that show makes it a rare thing that parents and little ones will both enjoy. If you’re a “Bluey” family, these “Bluey” gifts will help a little one seamlessly transition from screen time to playtime. 

LEGOs are great. Nobody’s maligning LEGOs here. But sometimes you want a different kind of building experience, and the magnetic Magna Tiles and Tegu blocks are perfect for little hands that aren’t quite up to clicking LEGOs together. And for a building experience that’s more structured, what’s more fun than building a marble race track? The Hape Marble Race to the Finish has you covered. 

They said it couldn’t be done. They said it shouldn’t be done. But some genius went ahead and crossed a pony with a bicycle and now here we are. 

You’ve still got a few years before you need to sit down with your 3-year-old and explain to them the complexities of “The Snap” and the dangers of the Infinity Gauntlet. So let them treasure this more simple time in their Marvel experience where they can just play pretend with Iron Man or the Black Panther. 

Three years ago, you couldn’t tell a skid steer from a backhoe loader, but now you’re basically ready to run your own building site. The truck phase is a super fun one and here are a few trucks that are going to be guaranteed hits with your junior construction foreman.

This is a perfect gift to help a little one who’s just learning to draw and color to take their artistic experiments to a new level. Or you can just draw endless dinosaurs on it whenever they ask you to. 

Give a kid an early start on thinking about groundbreaking figures in politics by letting them bring the first Black, female Vice President of South-Asian descent to a tea party with Mr. Bear. 

Can you identify a dinosaur faster than most paleontologists? Do you know your T-Rex from your Deinonychus? Your Cryolophosaurus from your Corythosaurus? You may have a 3-year-old. Here are some great gifts to feed that dino need. 

The whole game with books is to find something you don’t mind reading over and over and over and over and over again until you’ve got it memorized and you dream about it every night. Here are a few truly delightful reads that fit the bill. 

Yes, it’s the shark from the song that shall not be named or invoked under any circumstances. But on the other hand, it’s so, so cute, and kids who love sharks are going to go wild for it. 

Whether they’re a straight-down-the-middle Luke or Leia kid, or one of these youngsters who’s more compelled by the Dark Side of the Force, these perfect Star Wars gifts will delight any kid who’s got the Star Wars bug. 

The Toniebox tells Disney stories kids will want to listen to over and over, and it can also be programmed with custom content when it’s time for a change. And any Disney fan worth their salt is going to want one of these dolls to play with while they listen. 

Is your 3-year-old going to look like a cool, edgy, dangerous rock star when they’re playing this thing? No. We have to manage expectations here. They’re going to look unbelievably cute and precious and adorable. The rock star stuff comes later. 

This thing grows along with your kid, so it can be adjusted for all different types of jumpers. It’s also a surprisingly rare but extremely welcome way for kids to get indoor exercise without destroying anything in the house. 

This thing lights up and changes into all the different colors of the rainbow, and it’s a convertible. The only downside is that it’s going to give you a real inferiority complex about whatever car you have in your driveway. Unless that’s a light-up rainbow convertible too, in which case, go you!

With these gorgeous scooters, kids learn balance and coordination, and they’ll have a blast whizzing around while they’re at it. Will they also learn to keep up with you when you’re in a hurry or agree to go to the places you want them to go without making a fuss? Um, yes? Sure they will.