3 year olds aren’t always the easiest to buy for. Especially if you don’t have one of your own kids of that age to get ideas from! Which is exactly why this guide might come in handy. Listed right here are 15 of the best Christmas toys for 3 year old girls to solve your gift-giving dilemmas this year.
Get all the best Christmas gifts for 3 year old girls right here – and get your festive shopping list all sewn up in just a few clicks. It really couldn’t be simpler to get it all sorted out. Without any of the stress from looking around the shops – for who even knows what.
3 year old girls are starting to develop their imaginations. While their parents might at this stage be interested in anything that could give them an educational boost before beginning their big school years. Which are all things to bear in mind when seeking the best Christmas presents for 3 year old girls.
Whatever ticks your boxes, fits your budget or floats your boat, you’ll find 15 of the top Christmas gift ideas for 3 year old girls right here! Let’s dive on in so you can source the perfect new plaything for a little girl in your life.
15 of the best toys for 3 year old girls
Without further ado, let’s dive right on into this list of the best toys for 3 year olds at Christmas. To suit all budgets and interests.
Play tent
A play tent is one of those really good gift ideas for a 3 year old girl. It gives her somewhere to use as her own private space – ideal if she shares a room with a sibling when she’s at home, at Grandma’s or away on holiday!
So what can little girls get up to within their play tent? Well, the ones we know like to throw tea parties for their teddy bears while tucked up inside the play tent. Another option is to use it outdoors to play away from the rays of the sun.
A third is to use it for a makeshift sleepover. She can fit her top half snugly inside, using a sleeping bag or blankets to cover the rest of her body. This is a fun way to sleep whenever she’s at home and simply fancies having a ‘sleepover’. Bedtime stories, a nightlight and her favourite soft toys will make the experience more ‘real’.
Play tents come in all sorts of colours and shapes. Some look a little like beach tents, while others look more like a bell tent, a teepee, a small house or even a princess castle. If you do go for one, some fairy lights to go with it make a great stocking filler.
Click here to explore play tents
A doctor’s kit
It might have been all about little girls in nurse’s uniforms when we were kids, but thankfully things have changed for the better since then. Now there are more females in medicine than ever before. So why not let her have some fun by tending to her friends, siblings or parents with a toy doctor’s kit?
You can buy these toys for 3 year olds in various shapes and sizes. Some come complete with a trolley she can wheel around between patients, while others are more compact. If she doesn’t live in a very spacious home, then her parents may prefer the sort that comes in a small case. This is great for storage – and for carrying with her wherever she goes.
If you do want a more portable set, the Melissa and Doug one is a highly rated option and one of the best 3 year old girls’ toys out there. Some sets also come with a dressing-up outfit so she can really get into the role.
A medical kit like this is super fun to play with and encourages her to care for others. It can also develop her skills through simple, enjoyable role play. Who knows, it might even develop an ambition to attend medical school one day too!
Click here to shop for toy doctor kits
Musical jewellery box
You cannot go wrong with something that provides storage when it comes to pleasing the parents. It’s also a good one for those seeking the best toy gifts for 3 year old girls. She can keep jewellery inside the box, and also enjoy dancing to the music this makes.
There are many musical jewellery boxes to choose from, and they come in all price ranges too. If she already has a good collection of jewellery and trinkets, it may be wise to look for something that can store it all. In any case, lots of compartments of various shapes and sizes will help stop stuff getting tangled up together. In our experience, tidiness isn’t always a preschooler’s strongest point!
Pink is an obvious choice and there are plenty of blush tones to choose from. There are other options too, though, including multicoloured, patterned, blue, lilac, mint or plain white boxes. For something that will last a long time, you might want to choose a more subtle design.
Whether you’d prefer a twirling fairy or a fairground horse at the top, a musical jewellery box is a great bet as a Christmas present for a 3 year old girl.
Click here for a selection of musical jewellery boxes
A ride-on trike
If you don’t mind forking out for a big ticket item, then a trike is one of the best outdoor gifts for a 3 year old girl. It encourages lots of fresh air and exercise, and with three wheels, is so much easier to ride than a bike.
Our favourites are the Radio Flyer trikes. They are such high quality, which not only means many years of happy use but also a good resale value. Kids can pass these onto siblings or cousins, and they’re so well made that they may even be used by more than one generation of the same family!
The classic red is always a good choice, or if she really is into pick then she’ll adore the option with a pink seat, mudguard and rear carrier box. There are more retro styles to pick from, or you can even buy a dual deck trike.
The Radio Flyer range comes with great features like a real ringing bell, a seat that can be adjusted as the child grows and streamers to complete the look. A sturdy steel frame and rubber tyres also help to ensure a safe ride every time.
Click here to discover Radio Flyer trikes
LOL Surprise set
LOL Surprise toys are hugely popular, and any set containing these cute characters is sure to go down a treat! Again, you have options for all budgets here too. From the best stocking fillers for 3 year old girls to bigger sets costing over $100.
One of the best-selling is the LOL Surprise ‘Grill ‘n’ Groove’ Camper. This cool van makes the perfect temporary or permanent home for LOL dolls and their pets. It’s very highly rated and there are various areas to play in. Which is precisely why it’s called a 5-in-1 play set!
Other choices include the OMG Queens Fashion Doll with a range of mix ‘n’ match looks, and even white hair that turns pink when exposed to daylight. Of there’s the Fashion Show House play set, the Winter Chill Hangout box or the Sleepover Party.
Smaller sets also make great stocking fillers, and of course there’s a surprise inside every one.
Click here to browse LOL Surprise play sets
A kaleidoscope
A colourful kaleidoscope is ideal if you want to find cheap gifts for 3 year old girls. You may also be surprised by the different kinds you can buy!
Options include a single kaleidoscope to a simple two-pack. These are classic kaleidoscopes with swirling, ever-changing colours at the bottom for her to gaze in awe at. You can even buy these as a 20-pack to give out as party favours.
If you want to find more personalised gifts for 3 year olds girls, then why not give making your own a whirl? Or even gifting a kit so she can get crafty herself? Various make-your-own kaleidoscope options are offered, and they come in shapes like a flower, octagon or even one that resembles Minnie Mouse ears!
Other twists on the theme include a tin kaleidoscope where she turns the marble or a brass, antique look option for a more old-school feel.
Click here to view kids’ kaleidoscopes
Barbie play sets
Little kids often love playing with dolls, and playing with Barbies makes them feel more grown up. This perennially popular range has been around for generations, and there are play sets available to suit any budget.
The Barbie play sets generally have a theme. So you can pick an ice cream shop, nursery or playground set as one of the smaller options. Alternatively, go the whole hog and buy the Barbie Dream House that she can play with for years. These make great gifts for 3 year old girls – assuming there’s space somewhere in her real house for it, that is!
Kids often love dressing up their Barbie, so she already has one you could buy her some clothes to go with it. Rather than a play set as such, you could also buy a Barbie that comes with associated accessories, like the travel Barbie complete with a wheeled case and in-flight accessories.
Click here to buy Barbie play sets
A tea set
A tea set is one of those gifts that she’s keep going back to. This is one of the best presents for a 3 year old girl because it ticks so many boxes. It’s affordable, it can be very compact and it’s something that she could use until she reaches double figures.
What small child can resist setting up a picnic for their teddy bears, soft toys or even their parents? A typical set will include a teapot so she can ‘pour’ out the tea and cups to use for ‘drinking’. Some of the best sets come with a carry case to keep it all in too.
There are so many choices. You can buy a Melissa and Doug tea set on a stand, complete with a stainless steel kettle, mugs and other accessories. Or purchase a pretty wooden set that comes complete with cakes and other treats. High tea is served!
Whatever it’s made from, having her own tea set will inspire hours of fun and will really help to develop her social skills too.
Click here for an assortment of tea sets
Outdoor chalk
Sets of pavement or ‘sidewalk chalk’ are ideal for kids who love getting arty and creative. And love spending time outside. As long as their parent, grandparent or childminder is willing, they can draw all sorts of colourful stuff on the patio or pavement.
This can cost from just a few dollars, yet kids can spend hours using it. One of those toys that will be put away in a drawer and perhaps forgotten about when it’s rainy, but will soon be remembered once the sun’s shining again! Ideal as budget gifts for 3 year old girls too.
Crayola makes some great sets, and you can buy some pretty good generic ones too. Crayola’s options include chunky, multicoloured washable chalk packs, sets containing glitter and neon colours and even Uni-Chalk with mixed swirls of colour.
The Philodogs range is also good – not least because their chalks are non-toxic, per-friendly, dust-free and washable.
Click here to check out pavement chalk
A Disney Princess costume
Most dressing up outfits are suitable from this age. So a Disney Princess dress makes a perfect gift for a 3 year old girl. If she already has a favourite Disney Princess, then it’s a no-brainer. Otherwise, perhaps pick one according to her preferred colour.
In fact if you’re feeling generous you could also purchase the doll to match. Little kids love dressing up like their favourite characters – and even more so when they can match them too!
Popular characters to pick from include Elsa from Frozen, Princess Jasmine from Aladdin, Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Snow White from the classic fairytale. You can also buy complete sets containing a number of options for endless fun with her friends.
Click here to purchase Disney Princess costumes
Crayola Colour ‘n’ Plush
While we’re on the topic of creative toys for 3 year old girls, let’s take a look at the Crayola Colour ‘n’ Plush range. The name says it all, really. It’s a soft toy that comes with special colouring pens she can use to create her very own design.
Options include a couple of unicorns in different designs and sizes – and what 3 year old girl can resist one of those? Each comes with a mix of narrow and broad marker pens, and these are ‘ultra clean’ and fully washable for whenever she feels like a change.
This highly rated pick is among the best presents for 3 year old girls at Christmas – especially those with a creative streak. And a love of plush toys.
Click here to take a look at the Crayola Colour ‘n’ Plush range
A coding robot
If you want educational toys for 3 year old girls, then it’s hard to beat a coding robot of some sort. These come as various sets, and from top brands such as Learning Resources, VTech and LEGO®.
Options from Learning Resources include their Code and Go robot mouse set, while from VTech there’s the JotBot. The latter is a smart coding robot that can draw, so she can refine both her artistic and scientific skills in one toy.
There are plenty of coding robots to choose from, even a Skye the Unicorn set from Learning Resources and the LEGO® Mindstorms robot kits. They are recommended for different age ranges, so do consider the child when picking out which one to buy.
Click here to buy coding robot toys
Blume Petal Pets
While toys like Hatchimals are fun, the small size means they’re not always the best choice for a 3 year old. Enter the Blume Petal Pets range. These toys are larger, so there’s far less danger of her (or a younger sibling) putting pieces in their mouth.
These toys are collectible, so buying one also gives you scope for future gifting if she decides she wants to complete the set. The pets come in various sizes, and you can buy them singly or in multipacks.
One type is one that will actually grow before her very eyes! This comes in a flower pot, and as there are 22 to collect the likelihood of duplication is pretty small. (As parents ourselves, we have a trick up our sleeves for that, though. Simply call them twins when that happens.)
Click here to see Blume Petal Pets
A LeapFrog LeapPad
LeapFrog’s range of LeapPads make really fun toys for 3 year old girls – and they’re educational too. Pick between the Academy Learning tablet and the Ultimate Ready for School tablet. Both of these types are rated as suitable for three years plus.
You can buy the tablets in LeapFrog’s signature green, or a pretty pink. All versions attract very high ratings, and are far more affordable than the likes of an iPad.
What’s really great is the amount of preloaded content you get. This includes games involving reading, maths and science. There’s also plenty of puzzles to encourage them to use creative skills and to enhance their logical reasoning abilities.
The tablet will also cleverly adapt the ‘curriculum’ it’s teaching as the child progresses. It’s all designed to ensure they have fun, staying motivated from the start. What parents will love is the approval of educational experts, the inclusion of parental controls and the ultra tough design with a safe, shatterproof screen.
Click here to find out more about LeapFrog LeapPads
Sylvanian Families set
Another pick among the top toys for 3 year old girls is the Sylvanian Families range. These super cute bunnies and other adorable creatures are surely to be found on every little girl’s Christmas wish-list.
What’s also great is the sheer variety of sets you can buy. If you don’t want to spend too much you can purchase a small set, while the sky’s the limit if you want to spend a lot more. You can buy large or little sets, or buy as many as you like to give her a lovely collection.
Options include a mini kitchen play set, a kids’ bedroom set with bunk beds, and a comfy living room set. These are all very homely and fun to play with when she wants to act out the lives of the creatures at home.
Other picks include some interesting sets. There’s a sweet husky family so she can pretend to be playing in a snowy country, a bakery shop starter set for setting up her own retail empire or a hairstylist set. Plus many more.
Click here to take a look at Sylvanian Families play sets
Which toys for 3 year old girls will you buy?
There are some really cool toys for 3 year old girls. And you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money to get something lovely. Though of course you can splash the cash if you do want to!
Whatever you buy, she’s sure to love it. If you choose carefully, her parents should also approve too. It’s a win/win for everyone.
For more ideas, don’t miss our guides to the best Christmas presents for 3 year old boys, Christmas gifts for 9 year old girls, Christmas gifts for 10 year old girls, the top Christmas gifts for girls and kids’ games to play at Christmas.
Join our Facebook group to jumpstart your Christmas planning all year long!
