This desk was mine as a child! My dad refinished it for the kids- so sweet!

After a few questions about toys Maxi was into at 3.5, I realized we are due for an update on what she is into these days! While much hasn’t changed {we’ve got a major fan club for Barbie and Hello Kitty going on over here} there are a few new interests she has. I have a blog post on things that keep her busy at age 3 here. But if you are looking for a birthday gift or trying to gauge what your little one may be into next, here are toys she adores!

Lego Friends and Lego Disney

She is really into anything she can use her imagination with! From Barbies to Lego Friends, if it is tiny and looks like a doll/figurine she is going to be obsessed. These remind me of Polly Pocket, but Legos. She also loves the Disney versions, like Cinderella, Moana, and Sleeping Beauty. She has so much fun building the sets with her Papa and each week proclaims, “If Papa comes over, he is going to build Legos with me!” If your little one is into these, how do you store them? I use little plastic bins for each set, but was wondering if you had a better way.

Polly Pockets

Piggybacking off the Lego Friends, she loves anything miniature! We are going to be in for a rude awakening when her little brother crawls. Little Polly Pocket sets keep her entertained for quite some time. I get them off Amazon, Target online, or Homegoods.

Barbies

As I type this she’s currently playing with her Barbie pool and Barbie shoes are all on the rug. Her love of Barbie hasn’t faded at all! I ask her what she will want to do for her birthday next year and she asks for ANOTHER Barbie birthday….lol.

Calico Critters

Her birthday gift from us this year was the Calico Critters Red Roof Country Home and it is played with daily. She has Paul move it from her room to the living room to our bedroom to the kitchen and back to her room all in a day. She wants to set up her little critters wherever mama and brother are. She plays “house” with them and is obsessed with how cute the babies are. I love that we have this because it’s great to build upon for years to come! They have so many characters and little home additions.

Gardening

We made a garden for Maxi a few months ago and activity-wise, it is the best time she has had all year! We go out in the mornings before it gets hot and she waters her garden and makes mud pies. Give the girl some gardening gloves and a watering can and she is giddy for hours. I love to encourage this play because I know she’s learning so much through it. We went out this weekend and her sunflowers were so tall, that we took some in and placed in water. I told her they were the prettiest flowers I’d ever had! If you are getting a 3-year-old a gift, I’d honestly say a toddler gardening set is a perfect idea.

Books

Here are some of her favorite books and what we read to her:

• Claris the Mouse
• Finding Kindness
• The Day You Begin
• Bagel in Love
• Preschool, Here I Come
• Jesus Calling for Little Ones
• We’re Different, We’re The Same
• Tales of Wonder
• Tickle Monster

Anything with ABCs

She loves to work on her “ABCs” right now and this matching game from Amazon gets played daily in our house. Previously, we just used the iPad for airplanes or road trips, but when COVID-19 started and schools didn’t go back after spring break, we downloaded and subscribed to the Homer App. It’s a learning app that adapts to your child’s level. We do 15 minutes a day when she asks for her iPad and they work on letter sounds, recognition, and she can make storybooks. Compared to other apps, I’ve downloaded on my phone to personally scope out, this has so much more to do. They have a library of 1,000 activities, stories, and more. You can get a free trial of Homer at this link here.

Playing Doctor

Doc McStuffins inspires quite a bit over here. She’s always been into playing doctor {this has been a hit for the past year!} but she’s VERY into doctoring her Hello Kitties, baby dolls, and Barbies. She thinks all her Barbies are pregnant and suffering from morning sickness. I kid you not, it is SO HARD to not crack up laughing while playing with her. She’ll say, “My baby is making me sick! I can’t eat these apples because my baby makes my tummy hurt! I’m going to be sick!” Is she scarred for life from watching her mom be sick with morning sickness?! hahaha.

Veggie Tales

For TV time, we watch Veggie Tales! I think with her imagination being so vivid, she can get pretty scared from shows or movies, so I watch things before she does. Even favorites she used to have like Frozen or Moana can scare her now, which honestly when you watch them as an adult, they can be scary. I only mention this because Veggie Tales doesn’t scare her and has great lessons and I’m curious if your little one went through this? Is there an age they aren’t scared of Disney movies anymore? We also love Daniel Tiger and Phonics Farm.

Play-Doh

Young Wild and Freidman kits are still the best surprise for her and make a perfect birthday gift at this age. She asks to play Play-Doh at the kitchen table daily and loves for us to help her make things. Paul works with her on her shapes and she has learned them all from making them with him with Play-Doh.

Next thing we will try? 

Thinking ahead to Christmas, I want to get her a CD player {I know, I know. Not very 2020. 😉 } so she can listen to nursery rhymes and books on cd in her room. My friend did that for her daughter at age 4 and she loves it! Maxi still naps, but a few days here and there she doesn’t want to. We still do a quiet time in her bed where she can read books or play with her dolls, but she has to stay in bed. Half the time she will fall asleep! But my friend mentioned the cd player and how she has her daughter listening to books on cds and her daughter LOVES it for her quiet time.

What is your 3-4 year old into these days?!