Best Toys for a 3-Year-Old

By Ellen Booth Church

One of the most wonderful characteristics of new 3-year-olds is their extended attention span for play, and their ability to play in more varied ways. This is the time in life when children start to develop and strengthen their creative and critical thinking skills. These are essential skills for solving problems, imagining and synthesizing new ideas, and thinking independently.

So look for toys that are creative and open-ended. These are toys that can have multiple uses and invite your child to think in new ways. One of the best toys you can give your child is a large set of good quality wooden blocks. Unlike many popular toys, there are no electronic "bells and whistles" on these. The action depends completely on your child's own thinking. The simplicity of blocks invite children to sort and build in a variety of ways. The trick is to have a good size collection that can be used creatively. Did you know that the great architect Frank Lloyd Wright felt he learned his craft from his childhood building block set? He kept a set on his desk throughout his life! (And remember, blocks are not just for boys.)

Another great toy category is dramatic play materials such as costumes, hats, dolls, props, puppets, and backdrops. Young children learn social skills from playing pretend. Pretending to be another character teaches language and literacy as well as empathy. Read some wonderful fairy tales and then provide your daughter with the props for reenacting the story her way. And don't forget to invite the neighborhood kids to play the other roles. One of my greatest memories from childhood is the plays we all put together based on familiar stories.

Finally, you can never have too many books. Books can become the doorway to new worlds, deeper understanding, expanded language and competent literacy skills. So provide a special area in her room or the house that is her very own reading nook and fill it with books, books, books.