If you have a little lady between the ages of 3 and 6 on your Christmas list, I have you covered with a few gift ideas in this post. I’ve been thinking about shopping for this age group a lot (and time is short, so I need to quit thinking and actually SHOP. lol). My two daughters are ages 3 and just about 5, and I have several nieces ranging from 3 to 6. Not to mention two nephews, and most of these ideas would work for them, too. It’s such a fun age!

Vigorous Indoor Play
It’s winter time. That means too much time to kill indoors. While kids need to play outside no matter the season, it’s obviously less common in winter. Luckily there are plenty of fun alternatives for energy busting play inside.
Hop balls. 
Toddler bowling. This year monster bowling looks super fun, but we already have a bowling set.
Learning Resources floor mat games. 

Encouraging Little Smarties
Try to stay away from electronic gifts — kids get FAR too much screen time with the variety of gadgets already in the household. Their senses and brains need stimulation they can touch and manipulate.

Bob Books and other early reading books. Bob Books are great because they’re tiny, bite size books that exercise a certain sound or word group — very much first reader books. But kids like variety in their reading selection, so go crazy.

Activity books. Coloring is awesome. But at about 4 connect the dots and color by number are great additions. Maps, matching activities, and writing activities can keep a kiddo occupied, and learning, on a rainy winter afternoon.

Board games and other games. Hey, we can have fun and learn at the same time, you know. Board games are a great chance to connect with kids and help them learn without seeming teachy and preachy. Here are some GREAT ones. The Spot It! games, the Ladybug Game, and of course the classics like Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. All great stuff! 🙂

Imagination, Imagination, Imagination
Kids are super at making the most of the tools they have. Stimulate their imaginations with some props and you’ll be surprised at the variety of games they make up. It’s a great chance for them to stretch their limits and if they’re playing in a group, a great opportunity to develop social skills. Imagining and making up rules together is fabulous for growing brains.

Dress up stuff. So many options for girls in this area, from fairy wings to princess dresses. If you can find outside the box outfits that’s even better; role playing and role creating is the key to this sort of play. And accessories are always in.

Craft supplies. Anything. And everything. At 3 they seem to like to cut or take apart whatever you give them and re-assemble to their own nifty designs. At 4 and 5 they take a more orderly approach, but WOW do they come up with some cool stuff when they have a bunch of supplies to go wild with. We go multimedia, using colored glues, markers, crayon, stickers, cotton balls, colored paper….and creating.

Melissa and Doug products….they’re just the best. Each of their toys is an intriguing START, that kids can make their own. Try out the Latches Board for a 3 year old. On the sticker side, Play House Reusable Sticker Pad, Make a Face Sticker Pad, and the Jewelry and Nails Sticker Pad have been some of our favorites. But as I wrote this I saw several I added to my own shopping cart…eek! New toys! (Sorry, geeking out for a moment. I love to play. :))

Okay, so I’ve let you in on some of the fun stuff we play with at my place, and some stuff on my Christmas list for nieces and nephews. Have a blast!! And a wonderful holiday season!