Turning three is a big deal. Marking the end of toddlerhood, it’s the time when children really start to develop their personalities and a desire for independence as they head into the pre-school years.
Three-year-olds are a LOT of fun, so when it comes to buying gifts for the threenager in your life, you want something that’s going to match their love of play. But with literally thousands of choices on offer, it can feel tricky knowing what present is worth buying. After all, you don’t want it languishing forgotten at the bottom of the toy box after a day or two.
Around this age, children’s imaginations are really starting to fire up, so toys that encourage role play – like doctor sets, tool kits and play tents – always go down well. Pre-schoolers are also making huge leaps with their fine motor skills and will love the opportunity to put these to good use with plenty of hands-on play.
Of course, a three-year-old’s energy is off-the-scale, so if you’re looking for ways to help them channel that, a well-made outdoor toy, such as a scooter, is another excellent gift idea.
How we tested
Our three-year-old tester lived their best life, putting a huge range of toys to the test over a month to help us decide which ones really made the grade. We looked at the quality, how durable each gift was (after all, it’s rough ’n’ tumble nippers we’re talking about here) and versatility. Crucially, we have only included the gifts that our discerning tester returned to again and again. We’ve covered a wide range of price points to suit all budgets, but were happy to include some big-ticket items where they offered great longevity of use, with the potential to grow with your child over the years.
Toniebox starter set
This cute audio player has been designed firmly with kids in mind. In fact, it was so easy to operate that our three-year-old mastered everything from volume control to skipping tracks in minutes. Soft and padded to touch – with no pointy corners – the Toniebox looked right at home in our little tester’s bedroom. But don’t be fooled – it may feel soft but this audio player is built to last and is more than durable enough to cope with the (many) bashes that came its way from our over-excited child.
To get started you simply plug it in, connect to your wi-fi and you’re good to go. Place one of the Tonies – a small hand-painted figure containing an audio story or songs – on top of the Toniebox and it starts playing. Our tester was very taken with the little Tonies and loved the independence of choosing one, putting it on, then swiftly changing their mind again. With everything from traditional childhood stories like Paddington Bear and Stick Man to Disney classics, dinosaur facts and even kid-friendly classical music, there’s plenty to choose from and something to suit children right up to secondary-school age.
We loved cuddling up with our little one and listening to stories during some down-time, as well as starting every morning dancing around to songs from The Jungle Book and Frozen 2. And that’s the beauty of the Toniebox – it’s a versatile piece of screen-free tech that pre-schoolers can take ownership of, without needing the help of a grown-up all the time. We have a feeling this is going to be very well loved for years to come.
JoJo Maman Bébé paleontologist play set
What pre-schooler doesn’t love a dinosaur, hey? This cute wooden set captured our little tester’s imagination immediately and it’s not hard to see why. Inside the suitcase (great for keeping everything in one place and for our three-year-old to walk around with, looking very important), there are two dinosaur skeleton puzzles, two fossils, all the essential tools any respectable paleontologist would need, as well as a chalk board for scribbling down those crucial finds.
We loved the clever touches, like how you can split the two magnetic sides of the rocks to see the fossils inside, and how each tool was nice and chunky, perfect for little hands to grip hold of. Our three-year-old really enjoyed using the pick axe to smash open the fossils (naturally) and – after we’d dug out a piece of chalk and old cloth – loved to “write” on the chalkboard, then wipe it all clean again.
For a special treat, you can even have the wooden carrycase personalised with your child’s name for an extra £7.
Design & Drill bolt buddies rescue helicopter
The fact this toy includes a working power drill made it a firm favourite with our independent little tester. Inside the box – which cleverly doubles up as a backdrop for play – there’s a brightly coloured helicopter and five bolts for you to drill various parts of the machine together. We initially thought this may be a bit tricky for our three-year-old to operate, but we needn’t have been concerned. After just a few attempts, and some gentle guidance, they’d got the hang of it and happily got stuck in, drilling the propeller, and more, into place.
It’s an excellent construction toy to help build Stem and fine motor skills, while giving your child a real sense of satisfaction that they can build something all by themselves.
The helicopter feels sturdy, and we loved the addition of the rescue bucket that can be lowered and lifted up by moving the back propeller. The little figures that come with the set – a pilot and a bird – offered even more play potential, and our little one liked to make up imaginative rescue stories using the characters. A quick heads-up, though – you’ll need three AA batteries, so make sure you have these ready – unless you fancy dealing with a fuming threenager.
Micro Scooter mini micro scooter eco
A scooter is a rite of passage for any pre-schooler. This model from iconic scooter brand Micro Scooter is designed for two- to five-year-olds, and we think it makes the ultimate gift for a third birthday.
The three-wheel design is perfect for helping kids get the hang of balancing and is packed with child-friendly touches to make it as easy to master as possible. The handlebars are chunky yet perfectly sized for small hands to easily grab onto, and the footplate is emblazoned with an extra-grippy version of the brand’s logo, which really helped our tester get a good footing as they grew in confidence.
Our three-year-old had never used a scooter before, but we were amazed at how quickly they managed to get the hang of the “lean-to-steer” mini micro scooter. Even working out how to step on the back fender to brake seemed to come easily, which is testament to how intuitive this scooter has been designed for little ones. It’s made dog walks a lot more fun for everyone, and we’re grateful it’s so lightweight for when our three-year-old has had enough and we end up carrying it home again.
Assembly couldn’t have been easier – all we had to do was lock the handlebar into place. We also liked how it was height adjustable, meaning we were able to get the perfect fit for our tester, while still having plenty of room to grow.
What makes this scooter stand out from all the others is its amazing eco-credentials. The deck is made from discarded fishing nets recovered from the ocean, and all the parts are replaceable, meaning this is a scooter designed to be passed down the family.
Great Little Trading Co. first class toy post office
The whole family fell in love with this timeless wooden toy. Although it takes a little bit of time to assemble (it’s a one-person job to slot the pieces together and screw them in), it is absolutely worth it for the finished result – a gorgeous, excellent-quality post office, perfect for hours of fun role play.
We were amazed at how well this toy held our three-year-old’s attention and how much joy it brought them. Everything’s included for an afternoon of great imaginative play, from the wooden parcels to weigh on the working scales, to the Velcro stamps to stick on the postcards before popping them into the post box.
Our little tester loved posting the letters and retrieving them out again, and would happily play independently, chatting away to themselves. But we felt this toy really came into its own when they had someone to play alongside them. To be honest, we didn’t need to be asked twice, as this is exactly the kind of toy we dreamed of owning when we were kids. Finally living the dream 30 years later!
Melissa & Doug super smile dentist kit play set
Offering something a little different to the typical toy doctor’s kit, this bumper dentist play set is worth its weight in gold simply by making our three-year-old actually want to brush their teeth.
You get a lot of toy for your money here, with pretty much every single dentist-related tool you can imagine included in the box. Our child was immediately drawn to the giant set of teeth and quickly got to work giving them a brush with the toothbrush included.
There’s lots to discover, from the slightly wobbly back teeth (they don’t come all the way out, so you don’t have to worry about losing them) to the dental floss and clip-on braces.
By far the highlight for our tester was the working drill and polisher – you clip the head onto the base, pull the string at the bottom and it starts to vibrate. Easy enough for little ones to manage and, predictably, hilarious for a pre-schooler.
