At the age of three, children begin to develop imagination and logical thinking. The child’s musculoskeletal system and nervous system continue to develop, and their attentiveness and endurance increase. The baby is becoming more and more independent, he wants to explore the world and discover something new. He asks a lot of questions and learns to analyze the knowledge he has acquired. Toys help him with this. Thanks to them, logic, imagination, memory, motor skills, creative and individual inclinations develop. Plots appear in the game, different roles are used. When solving a problem, the child tries to think about his actions.
Psychologists believe that preference should be given to toys that use imagination when playing with them. It is best if the child can come up with stories himself and change them.
The editors of KP have compiled a rating of the best educational toys for children over 3 years old. At the same time, the opinion of the expert, customer reviews and the price-quality ratio were taken into account.
Editor's Choice
Play-Doh “Cookie Shop”
Play-Doh Cookie Shop Modeling
helps baby develop finger strength and promotes fine motor skills, imagination and concentration. The mass is easy to clean and gets dirty a little, its consistency is soft for children's hands. In addition to motor skills, perseverance, accuracy and determination are developed. Thanks to the various tools included in the kit, the child will be able not only to sculpt figures, but also to use all his imagination.
You can play role-playing games, where the baby will be the cook and the parents will be the “tasters.” The modeling mass quickly hardens in air, so after playing it needs to be put away in jars or allowed to harden and play, as with full-fledged toys created with your own hands.
The editors consider the toy to be the best in the rating. It is suitable for any child and develops the necessary skills. Also, the made figures can be played in the future, which saves the family budget.
Main characteristics:
| Type | modeling mass |
| Solidifying | Yes |
| Number of colors | 5 |
| Weight | 280 g |
| Equipment | 5 jars of plasticine, press syringe, spatula, tray with molds, 4 separate molds, rolling pin with patterns and saucer, illustrated instructions |
Advantages and disadvantages
Develops fine motor skills and imagination, teaches how to use tools
Not suitable for creating complex shapes; hardens quickly in air
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Bubble
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Soap bubbles are loved by children of all ages. They can be used at home, or combined with bathing. In the article Do-it-yourself soap bubbles: recipes and tips, we dwelt in detail on mixtures and devices for blowing soap bubbles yourself.
After studying the article Top 10 tricks with soap bubbles for children, you can organize a soap show without leaving your apartment.
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Give your child a place where he can play with soapy liquid without fear - and he will be occupied for at least 15-20 minutes. You can first cover the floor with oilcloth or move to a tiled floor so that you can easily clean everything up later.
Top 10 best educational toys for children aged 3 years and older in 2021, according to KP
ABC book “Mishutka the Storyteller”
Alphabet “Mishutka the Storyteller”
Educational toy made from environmentally friendly materials. The bright color and pleasant-to-touch material will surely attract your baby. The bear tells fairy tales and poems, sings songs, plays melodies. To select, you need to click on the paws of the toy. The teddy bear will also help put the baby to sleep by singing lullabies. The built-in program promotes learning the alphabet, colors and numbers. The toy cannot be washed, as water will negatively affect the battery.
Main characteristics:
| Interactive Features | speaks, sings |
| Effects | speaks, sings |
| Material | textile |
| Developmental functions | logic and thinking, speech and reading, ear for music and sense of rhythm, counting and mathematics, motor skills and dexterity, learning colors |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 14×16.50×20 cm |
| Nutrition | from batteries |
Advantages and disadvantages
Soft, bright, pleasant to the touch
Cannot be washed, small size, short songs and fairy tales
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The best designers
A good screw construction set can keep a child occupied for several hours
Toy base “Cube-labyrinth 7 in 1”
Toy base “Cube-Maze 7 in 1”
On each side of the cube there are exciting games and puzzles that develop a child’s various useful skills - from fine motor skills to logic and attentiveness. Almost all elements are made of natural wood and painted with special materials that do not contain harmful substances.
A large selection of toys and puzzles will capture the child’s attention for a long time and free up time for parents to do their own things. The cube is equipped with a toy clock and an abacus, on which you can string five multi-colored wooden beads. Thanks to these toys, your child will be able to develop the basics of counting and tell time correctly.
A walking board game will help occupy the time of several kids at the same time, helping them develop logic and other useful skills.
Main characteristics:
| Material | metal, wood |
| Functions | learning colors |
| Included | chips for a board game-walkers, geometric three-dimensional figures |
Advantages and disadvantages
Large size, fun to play, bright details
No instructions for games, high price, some parts are too small
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Geoboard “Magic Square”
Geoboard “Magic Square”
Educational toy made of wood and high-quality materials with safe dyes. Designed for children from 3 to 7 years old. Develops perception of shape, eye, imaginative thinking, imagination and motor skills.
Helps in the formation of mathematical concepts, thanks to the ability to divide a whole into parts. Composing a variety of shapes contributes to the development of a child's thinking. In addition, with the help of the game, the baby will be able to learn or consolidate the names of geometric shapes.
Main characteristics:
| Material | tree |
| Developmental functions | study of geometric shapes, logic and thinking, motor skills and dexterity |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 14x14x2.5 cm |
| Weight | 0.262 kg |
Advantages and disadvantages
Bright colors, environmentally friendly materials
The child gets bored quickly
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“Strawberry paths”
“Strawberry Paths”
An educational board game for introducing children to numbers, the basics of mathematics and counting skills. From two to four kids can participate, which provides them with fun and exciting leisure time, turning the learning process into an enjoyable experience. The rules are simple: you need to open cards with bears and string the required number of berry beads (according to the image on the card) onto a string.
This develops fine motor skills, attention and counting skills. Other images on the cards (a bear with berries looking left or right) encourage the child to give the required number of berries to the neighbor on the right or left, developing communication skills, logic and teaching the simplest mathematical functions - addition, subtraction. The game is made from environmentally friendly materials: cardboard, textiles, wood. This ensures safe use of the kit.
Main characteristics:
| Type | board game |
| Number of players | 2-4 |
| Party time | 30 minutes |
| Subjects | animals and birds |
| Material | paper, wood, cardboard, textiles |
Advantages and disadvantages
Thick cardboard, short batches, learning to count
Poor quality lace material, some figures look implausible
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Woodland Balancer Jungle
Woodland Balancer Jungle
An educational toy for children aged 3 years and older, created so that the child learns to feel his body. To play, you need to place the balance beam on the floor and, holding the baby by the hands, help him stand on the image of the steps. The main task is to guide the ball through the maze using your feet. The game can be diversified with light exercises: at the same time maintain balance on the balance beam and raise your arms in front of you, up, to the sides, catch and throw the ball, sit down.
Balance is the foundation of a child’s harmonious development. The benefits of exercising with a balance beam are not only for the body, but also for the brain. Physical activity aimed at developing coordination, precision of movements, dexterity and the vestibular system turns into an exciting game. The bright design and colorful design of the balancer gives positive emotions.
Main characteristics:
| Material | metal, wood |
| Developmental functions | coordination and balance |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 43x31x5.60 cm |
| Weight | 1.6 kg |
| Equipment | wooden structure - 1 piece, metal ball - 1 piece |
Advantages and disadvantages
Good quality materials, bright colors, possibility of improvisation
A small ball that a child can swallow; parental supervision is required during play.
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“Interactive Puppy”
“Interactive Puppy”
A small puppy will be an excellent toy for a child. The “pet” has movable legs and a tongue. If you stroke his back, music and funny sounds will play. When feeding from a bottle, the puppy will happily stick out its tongue and make sounds. The pet's eyes also glow. The set includes a basket where the toy can be placed and carried with you. Thanks to the toy, a sense of responsibility and love for animals develops. One of the downsides is that the toy cannot be washed, as this will harm the electronics.
Main characteristics:
| Type | interactive toy |
| Effects | light |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 12x9x13 cm |
| Equipment | toy, basket, bottle |
| Nutrition | from batteries |
Advantages and disadvantages
Interesting for children, develops a love for animals, high-quality execution
Unrealistic size, no batteries included
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Interactive tablet Digiart “Draw by lights”
Interactive tablet Digiart “Draw by lights”
Educational toy for developing creative drawing skills, motor skills, and learning to play independently. The interactive tablet recognizes the stencils included in the kit and, having a fun conversation with the child, makes drawing tips - highlighting lines and areas for coloring with lights, as well as accompanying creative play with fun phrases.
The child will be able to learn to draw and color exciting drawings. While playing, children learn colors, shapes, animals and much more. The toy promotes the development of creativity, motor skills and observation.
Main characteristics:
| Type | interactive toy, |
| Functions | voice prompts, backlight |
| Developmental functions | learning to draw, developing motor skills and observation skills, |
| Material | plastic |
| Nutrition | from batteries |
Advantages and disadvantages
High quality build, bright
Doesn't always recognize sounds, not realistic voice acting
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“Musical steering wheel”
“Musical steering wheel”
An educational steering wheel toy that will allow your child to feel like a real driver. All actions are accompanied by sound effects: 3 signals, engine starting, gear shifting, and three cheerful melodies will not let you get bored on the road. The rear view mirror rotates and the steering wheel angle is adjustable. The steering wheel is attached to any surface using a suction cup. The sound cannot be adjusted, which is inconvenient for some parents.
Main characteristics:
| Functions | light, sound |
| Developmental functions | on a suction cup, adjustable tilt angle, gear shifting, starting engine |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 15x20x20cm cm |
| Weight | 0.7 kg |
| Nutrition | from batteries |
Advantages and disadvantages
Good quality, bright design
Few sounds, small size, too loud
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“Umka Teddy Bear-storyteller”
“Umka Teddy Bear-storyteller”
This bright, cheerful bear-storyteller is made of durable plastic, painted brown, with big eyes, a nose and a wide smile on its face. There are 8 buttons on the bear cub’s belly, by pressing which the child will hear 8 poems by K.I. Chukovsky: “Aibolit”, “Moidodyr”, “Tsokotukha Fly”, “Stolen Sun”, “Telephone”, “Miracle Tree”, "Confusion", "Twisted Song". Another 2 buttons are for volume control. The toy is equipped with a light module, so during the sound, multi-colored light bulbs light up. Thanks to it, memory, speech, imagination and ear for music develop, and horizons expand.
Main characteristics:
| Type | interactive toy |
| Functions | speaks |
| Effects | sound, light |
| Material | plastic |
| Nutrition | from batteries |
Advantages and disadvantages
Durable, fully tells tales and poems, backlit buttons
It gets confused when shaking, you need to switch it yourself
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Electronic construction kits
Tired of regular toys? Then buy an unusual one!
“Musical cats”
“Musical cats”
Soft and pleasant to the touch musical cats. The toy will teach the child responsibility for animals, a sense of rhythm and will contribute to the development of an ear for music. Cats are a kind of piano, where each of them has a certain key, therefore, to study musical literacy, it is recommended to purchase several pieces. The batteries are easy to remove, which can be dangerous for a child. Changes in operating mode are also invisible, and songs are not always clear. In addition, buyers complain that the size of the toy is too small.
Main characteristics:
| Type | interactive toy |
| Effects | sound |
| Developmental functions | musical ear and sense of rhythm |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 8x6x4 cm |
| Material | silicone |
| Additionally | 2 modes: single meow or melody meow |
Advantages and disadvantages
Pleasant to the touch, colorful
Small size, easy to remove batteries, strange melodies
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Barber shop, beauty salon game
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Some children can spend a long time combing dolls, doing their hair, makeup, and painting their nails. Give your fashionista a small beauty salon at home, and joy will know no bounds. If you like someone to comb you, you can become a “client” of the master yourself. By the way, boys grow up to be excellent stylists, so don’t be afraid to give them a hairdryer and rubber bands.
How to choose educational toys for children over 3 years old
When choosing educational toys for children over 3 years old, it is important to consider certain criteria:
- Aesthetic appeal . The toy should evoke positive emotions and foster good feelings. It is advisable to choose bright and rich colors.
- Benefit . A toy can promote physical development, help broaden one's horizons, or improve fine motor skills. When choosing, it is important to consider the benefits that the toy will bring to the child.
- Simplicity . You should not buy multifunctional toys that will be difficult for your child to understand. Adults think that this way the child will develop faster, but this opinion is wrong. It is better to purchase several separate toys that are understandable to the baby.
- Safety . You should not choose toys with small parts that a child can swallow. Also, the product should not have sharp corners.
- Quality . Toys must have special marks: PCT marking - Russian standard or EAC - safety mark of the Eurasian Economic Union. Such icons indicate the environmental friendliness of the product. Therefore, the risk of allergic reactions is reduced.
Making slime
I didn’t make slime today, perhaps only because I was lazy. Try our 10 DIY slime recipes to bring joy to your child and keep him occupied with an exciting activity.
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Be sure to follow safety precautions, make sure your child does not put anything in their mouth, wash their hands thoroughly, and use only safe ingredients. Don't leave kids unattended!
Changing clothes
Dressing up is a kind of ritual of turning into another person, trying on not just someone else’s clothes, but new character traits. A very useful activity from a psychological point of view. There is another advantage in such a game - the development of taste, sense of style, and the ability to harmoniously select accessories. Agree, it will be very useful in life. Why not teach this from childhood? Moreover, both boys and girls will be happy to look at themselves in the mirror and come up with new images.
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Another option is to arrange a funny home photo shoot, print postcards and give them to relatives.
Speech classes:
What should the baby learn?
- his sentences should consist of 5-6 words;
- he can say his first name, last name, and the names of his parents;
- knows how to distinguish objects by characteristics;
- understands the meaning of actions (walk, run, cry, search, play, etc.)
At home, you can invite your child to collect cubes or cards with letters so that he learns to collect words. In three-year-olds, the memory is not yet particularly developed, so give the tasks not difficult so that he can easily collect the hidden word.
conclusions
By the age of 3, a child develops many new skills and abilities. The baby becomes more and more independent, he gradually learns to take care of himself. A three-year-old child controls his body quite well; he can maintain balance, run, jump, and play ball. The baby’s cognitive abilities also improve: thinking becomes imaginative, memory, attention, speech, and imagination develop. Communication with people reaches a new level, children become interested in communicating with peers.
Communication skills
If your child used to play alone, now the company of his peers is important to him. Children at 3 years old are usually very sociable and outgoing. According to the classification of M.I. Lisina for this age is characterized by an extra-situational-cognitive form of communication. This means that communication most often occurs against the backdrop of joint activities to get to know the world. At the same time, it is very important for a 3-year-old child to feel approval and sympathy from loved ones.
Cognitive activities:
What should the baby learn?
- know some animals;
- know some plants;
- distinguish a vegetable from a fruit, a berry from a mushroom;
- know and understand natural phenomena (rain, snow, sun);
- distinguish the time of year and day.
Prepare images of various animals, birds and plants. Try to choose images of those plants and animals that you can find in your area. Then during your next walk you can show them to your baby and tell them some interesting facts and stories about them.
Household activities:
What should the baby learn?
- must be able to dress and undress independently;
- cut out various pictures;
- color pictures;
- must understand the basic rules of accuracy.
Parents often hang posters and pictures around the house with hygiene rules. Every time a baby passes by, he remembers and remembers that he needs to wash his face and brush his teeth regularly.
Try to develop creative skills in your son or daughter. Once every 1-2 months, organize holidays or celebrations at home, for which you need to prepare costumes, decorations, etc. Involve your baby in the preparation. Let him help you.
If you don’t have enough time to organize holidays, make crafts together from different materials. Remember to use pine cones, leaves, acorns and other natural materials.
Mental development
Along with the crisis of three years comes the age of “why”. The child asks adults about everything in the world, compares the answers, and draws conclusions.
The pace of mental development in different children may differ depending on the child’s personal abilities and the involvement of adults in the development process. Intellectual development at the age of three is considered normal if the child can:
- distinguish 4-8 colors;
- examine the object not only as a whole, but also notice details;
- do not be distracted too often, concentrate on one activity;
- make simple plans, for example: “in the morning we will go to kindergarten, and in the evening you will take me home”;
- count to five;
- find answers to children's riddles;
- operate with the concepts of “more-less” and find other differences between objects;
- memorize simple poems and songs;
- distinguish basic geometric shapes from each other - circle, triangle, rectangle, square - and name them.
Hide and seek
Brain development occurs through movement. It is important for a child to move in space. This is how he masters in practice the concepts of “higher”, “lower”, “closer”, “further”, “to the right”, “to the left”. And the easiest way to understand this is through your own body.
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- Why you need to play hide and seek with children: games for kids 2-3 years old
Sports activities:
Physical exercise is just as important for three-year-olds as intellectual exercise. When the child goes to school, he will be able to do all the exercises in physical education lessons. He will also be able to play outdoor games with classmates without any problems and will be able to show his endurance and dexterity. At this age, children strive to spend time with those with whom they find it interesting and fun. If your child is sedentary and inactive, the number of his friends may decrease sharply.
Start your morning with a simple invigorating exercise. Do some exercises to warm up your muscles and stretch. If you wish, you can start your morning with a run.
Girls love different dances, the main thing is that cheerful music is playing at this moment. Boys prefer playing with a ball. You can include all this in your daily routine and have fun together.
In any case, you will need all kinds of equipment to perform the exercises: small dumbbells, balls, a jump rope, hoops, and so on.
Three-year-old children are very inquisitive and smart. At this age, children develop their first habits. If you are able to correctly create a daily routine for your child and keep him busy with useful and educational exercises, your work will definitely be rewarded.
