20 At Home Activities for 3 Year Olds You Need to Check Out

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The year 2020 has meant that a lot of parents are searching for at home activities for 3 year olds, or 2 year olds…or maybe even 16 year olds.

It is understandable with so many parents having to juggle working from home while also caring for their children.

Also, many children are used to leaving the house every day and going to do things.

Luckily, this wasn’t the case for us. I’ve been working from home for years now and have always had my three kids home with me.

I’m a HUGE advocate of letting kids get bored so that they use their creativity and imagination instead of constantly entertaining them.

In saying that, it can be hugely helpful to have jumping off points for activity ideas.

The following activities are meant to be easy. They’re not meant for entertaining your child but rather to help ease them into letting their imagination run wild.

These are activities that my kids enjoy doing and can do (for the most part) independently.

I hope that they’re helpful to you!

P.S Keep scrolling for some free alphabet coloring pages!

20 Engaging At Home Activities for 3 Year Olds

Not all of these activities will appeal to your child.

I have three kids and they’ve all got different interests, but it is worthwhile having a list of things to try anyway.

You can then find what works well and what is worth stocking up on as far as supplies go.

#1 Drawing

My 3-year old loves to draw. She spends hours doing it and loves for me to set up a book for her to try and copy.

Whether your child is gifted in this area or not isn’t really the point.

It is wonderful for working on their fine motor skills, imagination, and attention span.

Plus, your supplies for this are super affordable. I give my daughter a pencil and some scrap paper.

#2 Cutting

This is one of the easiest and affordable activities on this list.

Seriously.

Your child can work on their fine motor skills while having fun cutting up all of the things.

Getting a good pair of scissors is important in order to reduce frustration. We like these safety scissors for the early stages.

I keep a trolley for our craft supplies and always have the bottom tray full of scrap paper that my kids can grab and use for whatever they want.

#3 Gameschool

Letting your child simply play is the BEST form of learning.

We as a society have placed an unhealthy level of pressure on our kids to be enrolled in formal academics at younger and younger ages.

Please…let your little ones play. There is plenty of time for them to do bookwork.

They won’t be “behind” if they’re not yet learning their letters and numbers at age 3. I promise.

However, there are those kids that may just beg for some “school”. My daughter is one of them.

Something that I’ve found really great is the preschool subscription from Let’s Play School.

It is a monthly subscription that is sent out digitally and provides you will several games that you can print and use with your child.

The whole concept of the company is that children learn best through play.

Therefore, all of the resources provided are set up for your child to play with.

Both my 5-year old and 3-year old have loved doing the games that come in this subscription.

#4 Reading

Reading to your child or giving them books to look through is one of the single most beneficial things you can do for them academically.

Fostering a love for books, reading, and learning in general is very close to my heart.

I want that for my children, and so starting at a young age I introduce read alouds and lots of book time.

We have a 2-hour quiet time in our home every afternoon and it is the perfect time for my 3-year old to pick a bunch of books and take them to her room to quietly look through.

Here are some of our favorites:

#5 Sensory Play

I kind of laugh at myself for suggesting this activity because I think most moms think of sensory bins when they hear the term “sensory play”.

However, sensory play in our home looks like playing in the mud outside, pouring water from one Tupperware to another, and feeling the grass between your toes.

There is nothing wrong with sensory bins and I’ve made a few myself.

However, do realize that sensory play is often over thought.

It really is a lot more simple than you think and if kids are just let loose to play, they’ll have plenty of sensory play time without any effort on your part.

With that said…here’s a post full of sensory play ideas that might work if you want something a little more structured than just “go play in the mud”.

#6 Playdoh

Playing with playdoh is a favorite with all three of my kids.

You can buy the store-bought stuff or make your own (I’ve done both).

Regardless of which you use, it is a fun, open-ended activity for your 3 year old that is simple to put together and won’t cost the earth.

If you do make your own, you can add fun things to it like peppermint extract or glitter!

#7 Painting

I will be the first to admit that painting is not my favorite and brings out all of my anxieties.

Paint with toddlers is stressful on a good day.

So, two tips for this…either do it outside or use these great water pens for watercolor paint to avoid cups of water being tipped over.

#8 Dress Ups

Did you dress up as a kid?

I distinctly remember having a collection of discarded skirts and shoes from my mom that I loved to dress up in.

Dress ups don’t have to be formal or fancy.

In fact, many times kids will be more than satisfied with things that can be found around your home.

If you do want to invest in some dedicated dress up clothes, here are a few options:

#9 Dancing

Dane parties happen often in our home.

They work to start the day on a happy notes, relieve stress when mama is all pent up, and change grumpy attitudes when necessary.

Make a playlist of your 3-year olds favorite songs and then let them have fun dancing to it.

Better yet…join in. They’ll love it!

#10 Water Play

There’s not a day during our warmer months when my kids don’t beg to have the hose.

Honestly, I dread it because it means more washing.

Also…they almost always come to the back door covered in mud and needing washing.

BUT…it is so good for them and they have a blast playing together.

A hose is such fun for your 3-year old. You don’t need anything fancy but a water table has also been a hot favorite with my toddlers.

There are also paddling pools and other fun water toys but I personally try to limit things like that because they all require my direct supervision.

#12 Sorting Activities

Now, you can be really smart with this one by making it both practical AND educational.

Every time you need socks sorted and paired, give the job to your 3 year old.

It is such a simple sorting activity that will help them to learn colors.

Otherwise, you can easily set up simple sorting activities using things from around the house.

#13 Imaginary Play

Having a play kitchen is a great investment. I’ve even seen mud kitchens for outside.

Inspiring imaginary play in my children is a constant goal of mine.

One way to do that is to have a stock of open-ended toys for your 3 year old to turn to.

The concept is that the toy inspires play without limiting it.

There will be an endless number of ways that they can use that toy to play with.

Here are some great options for this:

#14 Outdoor Play

Thankfully, our yard is fully fenced and so my kids can play outside without me having to be there watching them.

Since they were really little I’ve encouraged them to play outside for at least an hour unless it is completely storming.

They love it and it’ll do your 3 year old so much good to just be out there and exploring.

#15 Crafting

When I suggest crafting as an activity, I’m not talking about anything elaborate.

Give your child coloring supplies, scissors, glue, and paper. See what they come up with!

My kids love to save the toilet paper rolls and create all sorts of inventions with them.

#16 Think Fun Roll & Play

This is a game that is perfect for 3 year olds. It is both fun and educational.

Better yet, I’ve found that it works well for all of my kids ranging in age from 1-5.

It is a simple yet fun game that will entertain and educate.

You can find it here.

#17 Chores

Okay, okay…I know that typically when you’re looking for activities for your 3 year old, you’re not thinking about getting them doing chores.

However, it is a great opportunity to teach them good skills and from my experience, 3 year olds love to help out.

Ideas for chores could be:

Dusting the skirting boards
Making their bed (even just pulling up the covers)
Picking up toys

#18 Coloring

Coloring books are a fun and simple activity to give to your 3 year old.

I like it because you can purchase books that suit their interests, or even find free coloring pages to download and print.

#19 Car Wash

This is a water-play sensory activity that my son loved at age three.

Give them a small tub of water, a bunch of dirty toy cars, and the hose.

Let them set up their own carwash outside and I bet they’ll just have a ball playing.

#20 Play!

Free play is an activity that is the most encouraged in our home.

I don’t have time to set up a bunch of structured activities for my kids and I don’t want them to grow up relying on being entertained by me.

I encourage you to feel confident in allowing your child to just play without your intervention.

There are times when promptings and special activities are really helpful, but for the most part kids don’t need that. Especially when they’re super young.

If you have the supplies for most of these activities handy then your child can just do whichever they like throughout the day.

That makes it much easier on everyone and your 3 year old will have plenty of fun.

20 At-Home Activities for 3 Year Olds You Need to Check Out