Activities for 3 year olds

Object Play:

Matching shapes: Playing a game of shape bingo or using a shape sorter.

Sorting objects by size, color, or type: Sorting objects into different boxes or containers.

Building towers with blocks: Creating a castle with blocks or building a bridge.

Playing with dolls: Pretending to take the dolls on a picnic or to a tea party.

Pretend cooking: Making a pretend pizza or baking a pretend cake.

Pretend play with animals: Pretending to take the animals on a safari or to the zoo.

Pretend play with dress-up clothes: Pretending to be a superhero or a princess.

Pretend play with toy cars: Pretending to drive to the beach or to the store.

Playing tag: Playing freeze tag or playing tag with a parachute.

Playing hide and seek: Playing hide and seek in the dark or playing hide and seek with a flashlight.

Taking turns in games: Taking turns in a game of musical chairs or in a game of hot potato.

Playing board games: Playing simple board games like Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders.

Running: Running in a game of relay races or playing a game of tag.

Jumping: Jumping on a trampoline or jumping rope.

Hopping: Hopping on one foot in a game of hopscotch.

Throwing and catching a ball: Playing catch with a beach ball or playing catch with a balloon.

Stringing beads: Making a necklace or bracelet with beads.

Cutting with scissors: Cutting out shapes from construction paper.

Drawing with crayons: Drawing a picture of their family or drawing a picture of their favorite animal.

Playing with playdough: Making pretend food with playdough or creating a playdough sculpture.

Exploring with sand: Making sand castles or digging for buried treasure.

Playing with water: Making a boat race or playing a game of water tag.

Exploring with rice: Making a rice sensory bin or playing a game of rice fishing.

Playing with bubbles: Blowing bubbles in the air or making bubble art.

Making up a dance: Creating a dance with their own movements.

Making music with pots and pans: Using kitchen items to make music.

Making up a song: Creating a song with their own words and melodies.

Playing musical statues: Freezing in different poses to the beat of music.

Playing word games: Identifying words that start with the same letter.

Acting out stories: Acting out stories with simple words and sentences.

Playing Simon Says: Following directions given by an adult.

Playing What’s Missing: Identifying objects that are no longer in the environment.

Playing I Spy: Identifying objects in the environment.

Going on a bug hunt: Searching for bugs in the outdoors.

Riding a scooter: Riding a scooter in a safe area.

Building a sandcastle: Building a sandcastle with sand and toys.

Playing tag: Running and chasing each other in a safe area.