I remember when Barrett was one. I scratched my head as people asked me what was on his Christmas list. But as the years have gone by, and I’ve amassed a small number of children to my name, I have gotten a bit better at navigating the gifting waters.
So for my three year old, this Christmas, if you asked him what he wanted, well, he’d probably say, “I wanna sing Let it Go with Idina Menzel” and that, would be that. And depending on the day, if you were to ask me, I might ask if you could ascertain an attitude adjustment for the emotional ragers that he goes on. But alas, not only can you not fit those two items in a box, but also, chances to meet Idina Menzel seem to be hard to come by for the average Jo… or Jonah… as it were.
So, with aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas, and Santa, asking for ideas, I’ve compiled a list of thoughts for gifts for a three year old. Now… you’ll note there is nothing from Frozen on here. But that’s low-hanging fruit, people. And while a lot of this stuff might seem pro-boy due to a lack of pink items, I promise you, most of this stuff has no gender preference. {And, of course, these are my opinions… not my paid opinions}.
1. Baseball Glove – Throwing and catching are very apropos skills for any three year old, boy or girl. I don’t know that I’d splurge for anything fancy… at this age, it’s mostly about getting used to wearing a glove and catching the ball in it. And of course, if you’re buying them a glove, you should dust off your own, too.
2. Pete The Cat – We are big book people around these parts. Some kids aren’t in to books, but ours have always loved sitting down to enjoy a story. If you haven’t read any of the Pete the Cat books, I highly recommend them. Jonah received …And His Magic Sunglasses last Christmas and still loves to read it this year. That Pete always has a great attitude and a great message. And the words are so catchy, you’ll be quoting the book, too. As an aside, Jonah also demands that I replace the word goggles every time I read the word glasses. Either way, we’re feeling alright.
3. Target Gift Card – I don’t know if I’m abnormal, but my kids rarely get to purchase toys. Like, we would never go to Target and say, “oh, you’ve been good on this trip, why don’t you pick out a toy”. As such, if my children get something outside of Christmas or birthdays, it’s due to someone reaching a goal or having a big accomplishment. SO… they love getting a gift card to Target. Or Walmart. Or McDonalds. Some place where they feel like they get the buying power… and they get to choose their gift.
4. Personalized Duffle Bag – This is a gift for parents and kids. Practical, in that I can always have the right size of bag to haul their stuff to grandmas or cousins. And personal, because it’s got their name on it. My three year old would take a tupperware container of gravy and love it dearly, as long as it had his name on it. Anything that can be personalized for this age is perfect.
5. Bounce House – This really needs no explanation. But let’s just say you have an unfinished basement and you also have three kids. I bet Santa would probably think this was the perfect gift for such a scenario. Just guessing…
6. Lap Desk – I had a friend who recently brought up lap desks. YES! Such a great idea for my growing guys. The boys loooooove to color. At home, in the car, whereever. And though I haven’t seen this one in person, I like the functionality of it… dry erase desk + storage compartment. Win/win.
7. Kid’s Safety Scissors – As I said in number 6, my boys loooove to color. And they looooove to create. And cut. And I, daily, have little pieces of paper all over my kitchen floor to prove it. Scissors like these are perfect for little learning hands. And in this same vein, any sort of art supplies… colored pencils, crayons, markers, paper, paint dabbers, stickers, Play Dough… anything… the three year old in our house goes completely nutty bananas over.
8. Magformers – Our boys love to build. And create. And if you haven’t played with Magformers, you should. There are different price ranges/sets to choose from. And I think there are even “girly” colors, if you’re into that. This is one of those gifts that keep them interested at different ages and stages.
9. Spinning Toothbrush – Toothbrushes for Christmas… you might be thinking. But I’m serious here, folks. Our boys always get toothbrushes in their stockings and they pretty much die over them. Similarly to how they feel about flash lights, my children feel that the more toothbrushes, the merrier. And they especially love the spinny kind. An inexpensive, easy find.
10. Sigg Water Bottle – My boys always want water at night. As such, they always want new water bottles. And while I love the Nalgene kind as well, I hate that there are removable straws and other pieces. But really, any type of themed water bottle would be a slam dunk.
11. Small Hand Broom – Whether I’m cooking, or cleaning, the three year old wants to be in on the action. He LOVES to help and I don’t think that’s a trait unique to him, rather, I think it’s very age appropriate. A little hand broom is just the thing to let them feel like they are helping… because they actually are. While pretend vacuums and dusters are great fun, why not actually let them in on the job?!
12. Strider No Pedal Bike – I continue to be a big fan of the balance bike idea. With a balance bike, kiddos are able to learn the balance portion of riding a bike without having to mess with the pedal factor. I’ve had multiple nephews who learned to ride a bike, lickety split, when transitioning from a Strider to a pedal bike. And Barrett also loved his. And of course, if you gift a three or four year old this, pick up a cute helmet to go with it.
13. Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears! – This is on the list for Jonah this year and I believe that he will be receiving it from a grandma and grandpa. Can you tell that our boys like building? Well, I love the idea of gears… and getting them to think about how things work along with cause and effect. And I love that they could incorporate them with the Magformers or existing Legos and make bigger creations.
14. Melissa and Doug Water Wow – A very smart momma and one of my very best friends gifted these to us last year and I LOVE them. We have 4 and I always have two in tow when we head out to restaurants. They are little “workbooks” with water pens that reveal the colors and answers. And they keep both boys entertained while we wait for food. Genius. And affordable!
15. Electronic Snap Circuits – We first got these for Barrett a year or two ago and now it’s time for us to introduce Jonah a bit further to them. Snap Circuits are a great STEM activity and again, get the brain thinking in a different way. This is something that I prefer to have an adult do with the boys but it’s totally fun and cool.
So that’s pretty much my list. I would also add in honorable mention: any time someone gives the boys money or gift cards for experiences: pottery painting, sporting events, swim lessons OR for activities: summer camps, children museum membership, zoo membership… those are fantastic. AND anything music-y. My boys love have dance parties, love to play instruments, and love to sing… especially Christmas carols. AND also, anything that will aide in fort building, is a huge win… clips, flashlights, sheets… use your imagination.
If you happen to be shopping for a three or four year old in your life, please do let me know if you find a new attitude or an attitude supplement. And buy all of them. I will reimburse you later.
If you missed it, on Monday, I shared my ideas for the One{ish} year old, and coming up on Friday… Yep, you guessed it… gift ideas for the Five{ish} year old. Happy Shopping!
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