At 3, a girl wants toys for pretend play and toys for inventing: a doctor's case, a dolls' house with its wooden family, a tea set, a first board game with simple rules, a butterfly dress with wings. The gifts that work are the ones that start a story she can lead on her own or tell to someone.

What a 3-year-old loves

Language settles in for good: she narrates, gives her figurines voices, hands out roles to everyone. Her gestures become precise, she pours, buttons and lines things up. Symbolic play rules: nursing, feeding, putting to bed, cooking a meal, keeping a market stall. She happily plays next to other children and begins to play with them on short games. Her attention holds for a quarter of an hour, which calls for sturdy toys with no instructions, picked up the next day where they were left.

Our gift ideas

To nurse, cook and serve

The doctor's case treats the whole family, soft toys included. The wooden microwave and the wooden tea set equip the kitchen, the ceramic unicorn tea set serves the guests, and the market stall with its crate opens a shop in the living room. All our pretend-play toys.

To invent families

The Eco House dolls' house travels by its handle, the modern furniture set furnishes it, and the flexible wooden doll family lives in it. From Maileg, the cowboy mouse on his rocking horse is a character in his own right. Wooden figurines, horse or unicorn, and Schleich animals such as the arctic wolf fill the rest.

To transform

The butterfly dress and wings is cut for ages 3 to 4 and goes on without help. The Magic Unicorn bracelet and necklace completes any outfit. Our costumes range from a single accessory to the full outfit.

To make

The magic reveal painting works with water, without stains. The stackable animal chalks sit well in the hand, and the Play-Doh shapes picnic takes over a whole table. All our arts and crafts.

To play together

The four Numero Bingo lottos teach taking turns, the reversible animal dominoes play with two from age 3, and Unicorns in the Clouds is a first cooperative game where everyone wins together. All our board games.

To move and to cuddle

The canvas tent makes a den in the bedroom or the garden, and the Mercedes fire engine drives everywhere. The pumpkin plush fits in a bag. See our outdoor toys and soft toys.

What budget?

Under 20 euros: wooden figurines, Schleich animals, the chalks, the magic painting, the dominoes or the unicorn bracelet. Between 20 and 50 euros: the doctor's case, the tea set, the microwave, the Maileg mouse, the board games and the doll family. Above 50 euros: the dolls' house, the canvas tent, the butterfly dress or the market stall, for a gift that leaves a mark.

Frequently asked questions

Do girls and boys of 3 need different toys?

No. Nursing, cooking, driving and building are the big scenarios of this age for every child, and you will find a fire engine in this selection. Our pages by gender follow what parents search for, not a rule of the shop.

Which dolls' house at 3?

An open wooden house, with rooms big enough for a whole hand, and flexible characters that can sit. Closed multi-storey houses and tiny furniture can wait until 5.

Can the gift be wrapped?

Yes, gift wrapping is free: tick the box on the product page before adding to cart. Delivery to a pick-up point is free from 80 euros in mainland France, and you can collect your order in our shop at 211 boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris.

See also

• Gifts for a 3-year-old boy
• Gifts for a 2-year-old girl
• Gifts for a 4-year-old girl
• All toys for ages 2 to 4
• All our gift ideas by age

Advice from the team at L'Oiseau de Paradis, a toy shop in Paris since 1932.