This $25 Spill-Proof Washable Paint Set Is the Perfect Gift for Kids

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Three-year-olds have reached their preschool stage. Gone are the toddler years and the toddler toys that go with it. At this point, they might be gravitating toward more sophisticated playthings that match their developing skills.

"Around age 3, children start showing more interest in playing with others, instead of just playing next to each other," says Jacque Bogdanov, PsyD, child psychologist and founder of ChildBehaviorClinic.com. "It’s a great time to introduce easy games that encourage cooperation and turn taking, like simple board games or matching and memory games. Their imagination is also growing, so they tend to enjoy toys that encourage pretend and dramatic play like play food and kitchens, dolls, and so on."

Don't forget those preschool energy levels, either! "Three-year-olds have a high need for physical activity and movement too," Dr. Bogdanov says. "Give them something to pedal or jump on that encourages gross motor development like bikes, trikes and scooters."

With all this in mind, these are the best toys and gifts for 3-year-olds in 2023. Recommendations come from the Good Housekeeping Institute, which tests toys to ensure their safety and durability. Real 3-year-olds give their input, too, to make sure the toys are something they'll actually use and want. Some are even current or former Good Housekeeping Institute Best Toy Award winners. When all the testing was done, these were the faves.

Our Top Picks for the Best Toys and Gifts for 3-Year-Olds in 2023

• Sneak! A Slide-and See Nature Book, $18 at amazon.com
  

• LeapFrog Rainbow Learning Lights Mixer, $21 at target.com

• Crayola Spill Proof Paint Set, $25 at amazon.com

• Step2 Waterfall Discovery Wall, $60 at amazon.com

• Yoto Player, $120 at amazon.com

Role-playing items that get their imaginations going, art sets that help them with their creativity and play sets featuring their favorite characters were clear favorites this year.

Looking for more recommendations for toys and gifts for 3-year-olds? Check out more of our gifts for kids:

The Best Toys and Gifts for 3-Year-Old Boys | The Best Toys and Gifts for 3-Year-Old Girls

GUND PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie Skye Stuffed Animal, Officially Licensed Plush Toy for Ages 1 and Up, 6”

Spill Proof Paint Set

Good Housekeeping testers were amazed at the way these semi-solid paints didn't drip, slosh or spill (though they did notice that if kids got the paint on their hands, they could make smudges that way). This set makes tapping into their creative sides even easier with eight paint colors, three brushes and activity sheets to paint on. Ages 3+

Sneak!

This book won over Good Housekeeping Institute testers with a clever gimmick: Each page has a poem about a different animal, then kids have to use a "slide and see" feature to reveal which creature it is. Testers also loved the unusual animal selections: "This book introduced us to sea dragons and owl butterflies,” one reviewer said.

RELATED: The Good Housekeeping Best Kids' Book Awards

Teeter Popper

Get them to work on their balance and coordination with this curved board, which kids can sit on or stand on and rock back and forth. The fun part is that the bottom is covered in suction cups, so it makes a popping sound. It comes in pink, green and blue. Ages 3+

Bilibo by MOLUK

The open-ended nature of the Bilibo means that kids can use it however they feel. They can sit in it like a seat, and use it to spin around, which is good for balance and gross motor coordination. They can wear it like a helmet, pretend it's a turtle shell, use it to scoop water or sand or flip it over and imagine it's a hill and tunnel for other toys. However they use it, they'll be flexing their creative-thinking muscles. Ages 2+

Mini Deluxe Scooter

This scooter was designed with preschoolers in mind: It has three wheels to help keep them balanced, and the handlebars are height adjustable to keep up with them as they grow to age 5. Plus, it comes in half a dozen colors, so you can choose their favorites. Ages 2+

RELATED: The Best Scooters for Kids to Get Them Rolling

Yoto Player

This audio player is designed for preschoolers to be able to use by themselves; they just have to put a card in to start a story, song or podcast, and take it out when they want it to stop. Good Housekeeping testers appreciated its long battery life and ease of use. This comes with a make-your-own audio card, but then you can explore cards with Disney themes, bedtime music, nonfiction tales from history. Ages 3+

RELATED: The Good Housekeeping Parenting Awards

Yoto Mini + Starter Pack Bundle

This audio player is designed for preschoolers to be able to use by themselves; they just have to put a card in to start a story, song or podcast, and take it out when they want it to stop. Good Housekeeping testers appreciated its long battery life and small size, which makes it easy for kids to tote around themselves. The starter bundle comes with seven audio cards, but then you can explore cards with Disney themes, bedtime music, nonfiction tales from history — or even make your own from downloaded mp3s. Ages 3+

RELATED: The Good Housekeeping Parenting Awards

Bluey 5-Minute Stories

If you have a Bluey or a Bingo at home who wants a nightly bedtime story, these are the perfect length for the "just one more story" time. Each one centers on the family of Heelers that kids know and love. Ages 2+

Rainbow Learning Lights Mixer

Kids really got into the pretend play with this one. “My son loved pulling apart the pretend butter and eggs and adding stuff to the bowl,” one parent tester said. But in addition to pretend baking, kids can use this to follow a recipe card, listen to instructions, press the buttons to make the paddle spin, practice counting (pressing the buttons from one to five) or practice colors (the mixer lights up in different ones). Ages 2+

RELATED: The Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards

Waterfall Discovery Wall

What set this water table apart from all the others was its space-saving design: Most of the features are aligned vertically to keep it to a smaller footprint. Kids can scoop and pour water and watch it cascade through the different features. It's also two-sided, so siblings can use it at the same time. Ages 18 months+

RELATED: The Best Water Tables

Storytime with Sunny

Testers were taken in by the expression on this light's face, which moves when it talks and tells stories. It comes with four disks that are packed with stories, songs, games, jokes, tongue twisters and more — and it also works as a nightlight and an alarm clock, and appreciated that they could use it for bedtime and wake-up routines. It comes in pink and blue. Ages 3+

S’Mores Break! Sensory Fidget Activity Set

These fidget toys are perfect for a wintry day. Each one is a little different: The s'more can be squished, the marshmallow in the cocoa spins and the cinnamon roll telescopes in and out. In addition, there are guided, social-emotional activity cards included in the set that aim to help kids calm themselves down or name their feelings. Ages 3+

Top & Bake Wooden Pizza Counter Play Set

Order up! This set gets their imaginations firing as they add their favorite topping and pretend to cook the pizza in the oven. But they'll also practice sorting and counting — it comes with fake money — as they run their own pizza shop. Ages 3+

Tactile Turtles Math Activity Set

This set is filled with 36 turtles of different sizes, colors, belly shapes and textures, and the included activity cards show kids how to use them to practice early math skills likes sorting, counting, and grouping. "My daughter loved the tactile feeling of the turtle shells and the bright colors," one parent tester said. Our experts also liked that hand2mind says these turtles are made with post-consumer recycled plastic. Ages 3+

Interactive Learning Easel

There are so many different ways to use this easel: There's a chalkboard on one side, a whiteboard on the other and the top even has clips to hold up paper for drawing with crayons or markers. But what kid testers really love the most was the interactive elements, which offer guided drawing activities that kids can follow along with. There's also traceable magnets that help them practice letters and shapes. Ages 3+

Mickey Mouse Train Set

Get Mickey, Minnie and Donald to their destinations on time with this Disney-themed train set. This set features Brio-quality tracks and pieces, but also includes the characters kids know and love. It comes with three figures and eight pieces of track and an engine and wagon along with accessories like a fence crossing, bench, tree and sign. Ages 3+

Camping Outdoors Memory Matching Card Game

Test their matching, retention and strategy skills with this classic memory game. The illustrations in the deck have a camping motif, so they're great to keep in a backpack and use in the park or on the go. Ages 3+

Replica Dyson Ball Vacuum Toy

While colorful and cartoony cleaning toys are great, this one is hilarious because it looks so much like a real Dyson vacuum. Colorful balls swirl around, but that's not all: It even has enough real suction to pick up small pieces of paper, which you can empty through a removable dustbin in the back. Ages 3+

Meditation Mouse

With social-emotional learning a huge focus for children today, this toy can help kids regular their feelings. There are three modes of guided meditation: one for daytime relaxation, one for nighttime soothing and one three-step calm-down exercise. Ages 2+

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game

At age 3, kids might start to have the attention and comprehension needed to play a family game. This one challenges players to get one of each acorn — and they have to use a squirrel-shaped tweezer to pick them up, too. Ages 3+

Heads Talk Tails Walk Game

This family game takes the idea of a matching challenge to a whole new level. The object is easy: To match the correct animal heads to the body. But if you don't get the right combo, every player has to move like the animal body while making noise like the animal head. It's silly, it's active and it'll get the whole family laughing. Ages 3+

Little Genius Starter Kit

Our youngest thinkers are growing up with technology, so we might as well use our latest gadgets for educational play. Because touch is an important factor in early childhood learning, this Little Genius starter kit uses silicone sticks and rings to help your child create shapes, letters and numbers to follow the included games' prompts. All three games, ABCs, Costume Party and Stories can be monitored via a parent app to track learning progress. You could get it for iPads or Fire tablets. Ages 3+

Pop2Play Paw Patrol Indoor Slide

It's made of cardboard, but this indoor slide is really sturdy enough to hold up to 50 pounds. And then when they're done sliding to their heart's content, the whole thing folds up flat for easy storage, so you can bring it out on rainy days and put it away again when the sun comes out. It comes in Barbie, Baby Shark and PAW Patrol designs. Ages 2+

Baby Doll Girl

The 11-inch size of this baby doll is perfect for snuggling and nurturing, and kids will get a kick out of her cute, fruit-themed outfit, too. Ages 1+

Nu'Bee Baby Doll

When kids care for baby dolls, they learn empathy and flex their imaginative muscles. These baby dolls have a cute bumblebee theme: they are sweet all swaddled up, but when you open the saddle the blanket looks like bee wings. You can choose from a mint color, a yellow color or a pink color. Ages 3+

Water Wow!

You don't need any crayons, markers or paint to use these activity pads: Just fill up the included brush with water. When kids use the brush to "paint" water on the pages, the pictures get colored in as if by magic. There are also seek-and-find items that get revealed. They're small so they can be stashed for an easy on-the-go activity, and they come in lots of different themes. When the pages dry, kids can do it all over again. Ages 3+

Land of Dough 7oz Cup

These cups of modeling dough come in sizeable, 7-oz cups (and include a wooden scooper!), which is enough to make lots of projects, and they usually have some kind of design that kids get to squish around after they open it for the first time. What the Good Housekeeping Institute's kid testers really loved was the smell, and parents appreciated the thought put into the eco impact, like using plant-based dye and paper packaging. On the Land of Dough website, you can find lots more designs, and even smaller, 3-oz tubes. Ages 3+

The Block Set

This block set isn't the cheapest, but it has so many ways to expand their block play as they get older with pieces that thread, magnetic blocks, sticks that let kids build out structures horizontally, peg people to encourage imaginative play and more. The blocks come in bright, cheery hues and they all store away in one box. Ages 18 months+

My First Fruit and Vegetable Tractor Set

Kids will get a kick out of "growing" the pineapple, tomato and broccoli on this veggie-theme train — and it'll help their sorting and stacking skills, too. When they're built, the fruits and veggies have such vibrant expressions that they can be used for pretend play, too. In addition, DUPLO also offers a number train so kids can practice counting and sounding out letters. Ages 18 months+

Skillmatics Preschool Learning Activity - Search and Find Educational Game, Perfect for Kids, Toddlers Who Love Toys, Art and Craft Activities, Gifts for Girls and Boys Ages 3, 4, 5, 6

Hurricane Machine

Good Housekeeping Institute testers were impressed by the transparent number of bubbles this machine created. Throw it on for 3-year-olds, and it's an instant party! Ages 3+

RELATED: The Best Bubble Machines

Once Upon a World Collection

Get lost in the illustrations in this beautiful board book set, which imagines different, classic fairy tales unfolding in different countries around the world. Rapunzel takes place in India, Cinderella is in Mexico, Snow White is in Japan and The Princess and the Pea takes place in Russia. Ages 0+

FunPlay Rainbow Pebbles Activity Set

Math and art go hand-in-hand with the Rainbow Pebbles play kit. Kids can copy the activity cards or create their own 3D projects and cater to their creative thinking — all the while learning colors, shapes, counting, patterning and beyond. Ages 3+

Chase’s Mighty Transforming Cruiser

Fans of PAW Patrol: The Might Movie will love this vehicle, which transforms between driving mode and rescue mode with tons of lights and sounds. There's also Skye's transforming jet. Ages 3+

Squishmallows

Kids are still going gaga over these ultra-squeezable plush pillow pets. And while they come in all shapes and colors, this 14" teal owl has a lot of charm. Ages 3+

Squismallows Mystery Box 5-Pack

Add five stuffies to their collection in one fell swoop while keeping the element of surprise! This comes with five mystery 5" plush Squishmallows, the huggable pillow/toy hybrid that's an obsession among kids. No matter which ones are inside, you know they'll be soft and fun to squeeze. Ages 3+

Tileblox Inspire 20-Piece Set

Good Housekeeping Institute experts were wowed by how sturdy these magnetic tiles are — perfect for 3-year-olds who don't know their own strength. As they build their creations, they'll get a sense of early STEM concepts. The 20 pieces is just enough to get them going, but you can also opt for bigger sets. Ages 3+

My First Rush Hour

Time to get those brains working! For this game, a junior version of the classic Rush Hour, kids have to use logic skills to solve puzzles and untangle the traffic jams on the board. The game comes with 30 challenge cards for them to work through. Ages 3+

Hollywood Film Camera

No, this camera doesn't take actual video. But they'll love pretending to film everything in sight like a little content creator. Ages 3+

T-Ball Set

Batter up! This height-adjustable T-ball set is designed to grow with kids until they're about 6 years old, and you'll be amazed at how much their strength, skill and coordination improves in that time. If you have a real sports star on your hand, you can also get the basketball hoop and soccer goal to go with it. Ages 18 months+

Pretendables Picnic Basket Set

They can spread out their blanket and get ready for a picnic with this fun food set. Kids can stack the felt sandwich pieces on the bread and screw in a toothpick to hold it all together — which helps their fine motor coordination. There are also cookies, watermelon slices, drinks and plates to round out their play, and when they're done everything can store back inside the basket. The Pretendables line also has a school set, a lemonade stand, cutting fruits and vegetables and a cinnamon roll baking set, among others, and all are good for pretend play. Ages 3+

Assorted Fruits and Vegetables Set

Kids can get their imaginations going and work on their motor skills with this wooden cutting-fruit set. They'll love matching up the two halves of the sliced food — or mixing them up to make silly combos — attaching them together with the Velcro, and cutting them again. The set comes with eight foods to chop, along with the tray and the knife. Ages 3+

World Colors Modeling Clay

These clay colors can be combined and blended to create an endless amount of skin tones for your kids' creations — and it's amazing how the clay doesn't dry out. They also offer blendable crayons for a complete art set. Ages 3+

Family Diversity Blocks

Kids can swap out the different color hair, faces and bodies to create their own family with this blocky building set, which are large to make them easy to hold. The 3-year-olds can experiment with building their own families, or they can use the included activity cards to get ideas. When they're done, they'll see that no two families look exactly alike. There are 45 pieces in all. Ages 2+

Wooden Taxi Cab

Sure, they probably have a ton of race cars in their collection. But there's something novel about getting a big, yellow taxi, complete with the retro checkerboard design, that's just so darn charming. Ages 3+

How we choose the best toys

Before including our favorite picks in an article, the Good Housekeeping Institute does rigorous toy testing to ensure we're recommending only the best. Many of our choices come from our yearly Toy Awards, where we test each item based on the following criteria:

✔️ Safety: Our engineers and analysts make sure that each toy reaches all safety standards. They also assess things like pinch points and make sure toys won’t shatter into small pieces to pose a potential choking hazard.

✔️ Ease of Use: We look at each toy to evaluate how simple it is to assemble, how well it’s constructed and how durable it is during play.

✔️ Kid Approval: Aside from testing each toy for skill-building attributes, like how well it develops social-emotional skills, all our final decisions come from more than 100 children, ages 1 to 15, who assess the fun factor!

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

For decades, the Good Housekeeping Institute has provided expert reviews and advice on everything parents and children love, including STEM toys, educational toys, sensory toys and more.

Much of the toy testing for this article was overseen by Rachel Rothman, the Good Housekeeping Institute's chief technologist and director of engineering, with the help of Marisa LaScala, Good Housekeeping's senior parenting and relationships editor. For more than 15 years, Rachel has put her training in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics to work by researching, testing and writing about parenting products. Plus, as a mom to three kids under 5, she has plenty of first-hand experience.

Marisa has covered all aspects of the world of parenting since 2015, and she's been covering toys for Good Housekeeping since 2018. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter, who are both avid toy collectors. Whenever out with 3-year-olds, she never traveled anywhere without a Water Wow pad in hand.

Shop more toys and gifts for kids

Looking for more great gifts for kids? Let the experts do all the hard work for you!

• Top-tested items: See what toys, gifts and books ranked the very highest in our Lab tests with our Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards, our Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Book Awards and our Good Housekeeping Parenting Awards.

• Tech for kids: Our lab experts are often asked for recommendations for digital devices for kids, and we've tested kids' phones, kids' smartwatches, kids' tablets and game consoles and to see which ones held up the best for families.

• Great learning toys: While all toys can be helpful vehicles for supporting developmental growth, we love to spotlight notably exceptional educational Toys and STEM toys as well as ones that can support social-emotional growth, like those included in our lists of the best sensory toys, pop fidget toys, Montessori toys and autism toys.

• Gifts for babies: Please the newest members on your gift list (and their parents) with these useful baby registry items, as well as gifts for babies, gifts for baby girls and gifts for baby boys. Of course, you might want to get something for new parents to help them through the hectic newborn stage.

• Gifts for toddlers: The coolest new toys in this space pull double-duty, whether it's social-emotional learning combined with motor skills, or creative play combined with language, as you can see in our gift guides for gifts for 1-year-olds, gifts for 18-month-olds, gifts for 2-year-olds and gifts for all toddlers, as well as our stocking stuffers for toddlers.

• Gifts for preschoolers: As they begin to explore the world around them on a deeper level, help them explore with STEM sets, art kits, creative toys and toys that inspire their imaginations. Find our favorites in our gifts for 3-year-olds (including gifts for 3-year-old boys and gifts for 3-year-old girls), gifts for 4-year-olds (including gifts for 4-year-old boys and gifts for 4-year-old girls) and gifts for 5-year-olds (including gifts for 5-year-old boys and gifts for 5-year-old girls).

• Gifts for big kids: By these ages, they've developed their own interests. Help them dive deeper into the subjects that most interest them, from coding to art to cartooning to history and geography, with these gifts for 6-year-olds (including gifts for 6-year-old boys and gifts for 6-year-old girls), gifts for 7-year-olds (including gifts for 7-year-old boys and gifts for 7-year-old girls), gifts for 8-year-olds (including gifts for 8-year-old boys and gifts for 8-year-old girls), and gifts for 9-year-olds (including gifts for 9-year-old boys and gifts for 9-year-old girls). It's also fun to shop for some of our best-reviewed and top-selling stocking stuffers for kids.

• Gifts for tweens: Sure, once they get old enough for an iPad or gaming console you might be at a loss of what to get them. We have you covered with engaging picks for gifts for 10-year-olds (including gifts for 10-year-old boys and gifts for 10-year-old girls), gifts for 11-year-olds (including gifts for 11-year-old boys and gifts for 11-year-old girls), and gifts for 12-year-olds (including gifts for 12-year-old boys and gifts for 12-year-old girls), or see what's trending with boys or tween girls as a whole.

• Gifts for teens: We decode what's on the lists for this picky age group, from the hottest accessories to the most-wanted tech gifts, with gifts for 13-year-old boys, gifts for 13-year-old girls, gifts for 14-year-olds, gifts for 15-year-old boys, gifts for 15-year-old girls, gifts for 16-year-olds, gifts for teen girls, gifts for teen boys and even fun stocking stuffers for teens.

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