Printable (PDF)
Mazes for Kids (100, ages 4 to 8)
Mazes that grow from easy to tricky; print a few for the car or a rainy afternoon.
$3.99 · instant PDFHome / Gift guides / Kids 3 to 5
Gifts for kids ages 3 to 5
Three to five is the age of pretend play, big movements and "again!". These are open-ended toys and art supplies that get used for more than a week, plus a few printables and apps for car rides.
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Gift idea
Magnetic building tiles
Open-ended building that grows with them: towers at three, houses and marble ramps at six.
Typically $25 to $50Gift idea
Balance bike
Learning to balance first makes the switch to pedals much easier later on.
Typically $50 to $100
Printable (PDF)
Sight Words Workbook (Pre-K to 1st grade)
133 practice pages for the Dolch sight words; useful for a child just starting to read.
$4.99 · instant PDFGift idea
Pretend play food set
Cutting play fruit with a wooden knife keeps pretend cooking going for months, with or without a play kitchen.
Typically $15 to $25Gift idea
Washable markers and jumbo crayons
Chunky, washable art supplies are made for small hands and come off walls and clothes.
Typically under $15Gift idea
Reusable water reveal coloring pads
Mess-free coloring with just water; the pictures fade as they dry, so the pages work again. Good for car trips.
Typically under $15Gift idea
Bedtime picture book set
A stack of read-aloud picture books gets used every night, by the whole family.
Typically $15 to $25Gift idea
Cooperative board game for preschoolers
In cooperative games everyone wins or loses together, so little kids learn to take turns without tears.
Typically $15 to $25
Printable (PDF)
Kindness Countdown Calendar (25 days)
A small kind act for each day to Christmas; a calendar the whole family does together.
$3.49 · instant PDFGift idea
Kids' tool bench
Pretend tools and a workbench let them "fix" things alongside a grown-up.
Typically $25 to $50Gift idea
Large-piece floor puzzle
Big pieces on the floor are easier for small hands than a table puzzle, and the finished picture is huge.
Typically under $15Gift idea
Automatic bubble machine
Turns any afternoon in the yard into a party; no dipping wands, no spills.
Typically $15 to $25Gift idea
Play sand set with molds
Moldable play sand holds its shape and stays in the tray, so sandbox play works indoors.
Typically $15 to $25Gift idea
Dress-up costume trunk
A box of costumes gets years of use: pirates, doctors, chefs, whatever today is.
Typically $25 to $50
Printable (PDF)
Road Trip Bingo (30 cards)
Car bingo for a family trip: print the cards and the backseat questions slow down.
$2.99 · instant PDFGift idea
Toddler musical instrument set
Shakers, a tambourine and a xylophone: an instant band for little ones.
Typically $15 to $25Gift idea
Volume-limited kids' headphones
For car rides and tablets. Look for an 85 dB volume limit, which is the usual guideline for kids.
Typically $15 to $25Gift idea
Wooden lacing beads
Threading beads builds the hand skills kids use later for writing and buttons.
Typically under $15Gift idea
Three-wheel kick scooter
Three wheels and lean-to-steer make it stable enough for a first scooter.
Typically $25 to $50Gift idea
Reusable sticker activity book
Peel-off scenes they can rearrange again and again; good for waiting rooms.
Typically under $15Gift idea
Magnetic drawing board
Draw, slide to erase, draw again, with no pens to lose and nothing to clean.
Typically under $15Gift idea
Indoor play tent
A tent is a reading nook, a hideout and a fort in one.
Typically $25 to $50Gift idea
Dinosaur figure set
Dinosaurs are a favorite for a reason; a bucket of them goes everywhere.
Typically under $15Budgets for gift ideas are what that kind of gift usually costs, not prices; the store has the current price.