Activities for a 3-Year-Old

Activities for 3-year-olds can be both educational and fun. At this age kids are still developing motor skills and coordination, which gives parents an excellent opportunity to improve the development of these areas by creating some simple games that encourage the child to be active. Goals and boundaries are important in these activities so the child is easily able to tell when he is doing well, and has the opportunity to feel successful.

  1. Miniature Sports

    • According to the Fisher Price website, 3-year-olds have sufficiently-developed motor and coordination skills to throw a ball with some accuracy over short distances. This presents an ideal moment to begin building the skills that may have your child growing into a future baseball or tennis player. Try miniaturizing a tennis- or baseball-type game with focus on simple achievable goals like hitting the ball and running the bases. Your enthusiasm in this outdoor activity is what will keep your toddler, engaged so it's important to remain upbeat and let your child know he's doing well with appropriate vocal responses.

    Art Projects

    • Working with malleable materials allows your child the opportunity to make choices and experiment in a way that builds hand-eye coordination without creating too big a mess. Playdough and finger paint make ideal mediums for an interactive activity with your 3-year-old where the two of you can bond over a common goal. Encouragement and guidance are important in these types of activities as is allowing the space for your child to make the majority of decisions within the rule-set you've created. For example, you may decide the goal for the project, such as drawing a turkey, and your child decides what colors the turkey's feathers should be and so on.

    Water Activities

    • Adding water to an activity provides a way to conquer the summer heat and add an inexpensive entertainment element. Try making a game out of a water balloon toss. All it requires is a little sidewalk chalk to make the targets and some balloons filled with water. Your child will enjoy the time to just be silly and play in a manner that isn't normally allowed. Once all the balloons have been broken you can make a game of trying to jump the accumulated puddles of water. Make sure to closely watch your child if you're performing the activity on concrete so he doesn't injure himself.

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