Top 14 Best Games To Play With 3 Year Olds 2023

Games To Play With 3 Year Olds

1. Balance Beam

Balance Beam is one of the best games to play with three-year-olds or toddlers. This game helps kids to learn balance and it’s also very fun to play too. The game can be played indoors easily and all you need to play this game is a tape. Make sure the tape is of bright color or at least distinct from your floor, kids enjoy the colors anyway.

To play this game, you would need to clear some space and make sure the floor is clean. Now, stick the tape on the floor in a straight or curved line, however, you like. Make multiple lines with different colored tapes.

Give your kids separate conditions to walk on different colored tapes. For example, if the tape is blue they have to put their hand on their head while if the tape is yellow they will have to put their hands on their stomach. This will enhance their ability to learn different colors and also how to balance themselves.

If the kid steps their foot outside the tape then they will lose and if they walk on entire lengths of tape they win. You can customize the game to make it more fun.

2. Pitching Pennies

This is another fun and easy-to-play game for toddlers as well as for adults. So if you are looking to spend some quality time with your kid while playing a game then you must try Pitching Pennies at least once. This game will develop their hand-eye coordination and make them learn how to aim too.

To play the game, you will need some plastic cups and Pennies or you can have some buttons if you have them. The game is simple, you will have to place the cup on a table and make your kid step away from the table.

Now you will have to throw the penny in the cup. Whoever aims for more pennies or buttons in five chances wins the game. It’s easy, it’s fun, and it can be played anywhere.

3. Indoor Bowling

Bowling is a pretty fun activity and people from all age groups enjoy this. Although little kids can’t go bowling or play it. But you can make your own DIY bowling game at home and enjoy it with your kid. The game will be simple and you would need a few things to play it.

There are the following things you would need to play the bowling game at home;

• Empty bottles or soda cans
• Any type of balls, tennis or ping pong balls
• Marker
• Masking tape
• Paint spray (non-toxic)
• And some space to play the game

You can create a bowling lane using masking tape. You can make an appropriate bowling lane according to your child’s size and abilities. You can paint the soda cans or bottles to make them more attractive. Now arrange for them to make a pyramid at the end of the lane. Let your child throw the ball. Explain to the kid that they have to make all the bottles or soda cans fall to gain maximum points.

It’s one of the adult-like games that your kid would enjoy. You or any other adult can play the game with kids to have fun.

4. Listening Game

The listening game is also a fun game to play with 3-year-olds. This game will be both educational and fun. The game will enhance the listening skills of the child and also make them concentrate and focus.

The game is pretty simple. Your child would need to listen to the sound of several things and guess what sound it is. To play the game, you will need to collect a few items from around the house and make noise with them. Now, your kid will have to guess the object by listening to the sound. If they guess the object from its sound then they win.

5. Build a Fort

No kid would say no to building forts! Building forts is one of the most fun activities for kids and even for adults. So if you don’t find anything else to play with your 3 year old then building a fort seems like a great idea.

The fun part is you can make them build a fort from various things. For example, you can build a fort from pillows, playing cards, boxes, blankets, sticks, and even some furniture.

It will be fun to make a fort with a toddler as they will learn the shapes and how we can use them to build something good out of them. So make sure you give this a try, it will keep your kid engaged for a while and they will have fun too.

6. Hide and Seek

Here comes the classic games to play with kids. This game is evergreen and kids of all ages enjoy this game. We are pretty sure you have also played the game at some point in your life.

The game is really simple. One person will seek while the other will hide. You can play the games both indoors and outdoors, make sure to define the boundaries of the game otherwise it can turn into a nightmare. The boundary refers to a limited space in which they can hide and if they cross the boundary they lose the game.

Count to ten and let them hide and you will have to seek them, and vice versa. It’s fun and enjoyable, so your little one will enjoy it. If you haven’t already introduced this game to your 3-year-old then this is a sign that you do.

7. Scavenger Hunt

The scavenger hunt is also an interesting game to play with three-year-olds. You don’t have to make it too mature or hard like you would do with older kids. Here you can customize the game according to your kid and make them look at some items that you have hidden.

To play the game with a three-year-old, you can ask them to get you something blue, something round, something soft. This will help them recognize the different items by their appearance and quality.

Looking for something together is most certainly a fun activity and your kid would enjoy it. You can make multiple kids play this game and whoever finds the objects first will win the game.

8. Parachute

It is a popular game that is played in preschools or daycares. It is a fun game that the kids enjoy playing with one another. To play the game, there should be more than 3 kids.

The kids can hold a sheet from each side. You will have to give the kids some intrusions like up and down. When you say Up Up then the kids have to raise the sheet. When you say Down Down they have to bring it down. But when you say Under Under, then each kid should leave the end of the sheet and run under it. Whoever remains outside the sheet would lose the game. It is a pretty simple game yet very enjoyable.

9. Simon Says

This is also a popular game to play with three-year-olds or even older kids. The game is pretty fun and it makes the kids listen to the instructions and get focused on what you are saying. You can play this game indoors or outdoors with two or a group of kids.

To play this game you have to give the kids instructions or you can choose a kid who would be Simon and give instructions. If the kid starts the instruction with Simon Says then they have to follow the command and if they don’t then they don’t have to do it. If any kid downstairs follows the Simon Says command or they follow a command that doesn’t start with Simon Says then they would lose.

10. Clap Game

The clapping game requires the kids to listen closely to what you are saying. It is similar to the adult’s drinking game where they have to take a shot whenever they hear a certain word. Similarly the kids will have to clap whenever they hear a certain word.

This game would be fun while you’re telling them a story or reading them a book. They would listen to what you are saying with focus and this improves their concentration power as well.

11. Identifying the Shapes

If you want to play a game with your toddler and at the same time make them learn something new then identifying the shape game would be a perfect choice.

You can find shape games for kids at supermarkets or you can make one in your home with DIY objects. If not then you can simply ask your kid to name the shape of objects they are surrounded by. For example, you can ask about the shape of your smartphone, cookie, watch, and so on. If you are playing with more than one kid then you can give them points for the right answer and whoever has more points will win the game.

12. Puzzles

Solving puzzles is a must for toddlers. This will improve their problem-solving skills and also make them learn about coordination and vision.

There are plenty of puzzles available for three-year-old kids so make sure you buy one for your little one and solve it with them.

13. Pen and Paper Games

There are several games that you can play on a sheet of paper. These games are helpful when you don’t want to do anything and also have a good time with your kid.

There are many Pen and paper games such as tic tac toe, join the dots, and Pictionary, etc. So make sure to try these fun games with your toddler, they will surely have some fun.

14. Card games

You can also buy some card games from the market and play them with your kids. These card games are specially designed for the kids and you will find them easier to play with your kids so that they will be occupied for a while and there won’t be a mess either. So look up fun card games online or if you have cards in your home then you can play them.

With the normal/adult playing cards, you can ask them to identify which is the bigger card number wise or the shapes of the card. This will be useful when you don’t have anything else to play with a three year old.

Conclusion

So these are some of the best games to play with three-year-olds that you can find. We have enlisted some of the classic games that have been played for a long time and also included some new or unpopular games that you would like to try out.

Make sure you try most of the games listed here because all the games are fun and your little munchkin will enjoy them all. That would be all for now and we hope you found everything you have been looking for! Have a fun playtime with the kids!