What do your 3-4 yr olds play with at home?

[graysor]

We have just had a big sort and tidy up, and it seems like we don’t have many actual toys for dd (just turned 3) to play with. But maybe that’s just compared to some of our friends?

She has: duplo ( with lots of people, animals vehicles and houses) dolls house, tea set and toy food, doctors set, doll and buggy and a load of cuddly toys.

Does this seem about right for a 3yo?

What do yours play with most? What do you have out all the time?

Everything you have plus cars and trains and brio. That's pretty much it though.

At three, mine were getting interested in Lego, DS like painting and DD liked a garage which she decided was the new home for her dinosaurs

Yep all this plus some cars, Brio, puzzles and games and recently some playmobil

Dd has lots of dolls, a buggy, arts and crafts, doll house, ball, piano, bricks and blocks, stuffed toys, dress up toys, role play leapfrog stuff jigsaws and board games.

We have a mixture of duplo and Lego at the moment. Books, cars and toy dinosaurs for DD 3 at the moment. She got a lot of play dough for Christmas but that comes out when we can supervise the mess!!

Ds is 4.5 and is the youngest of 5 so he has loads of toys, but most of them fairly battered. Duplo and wooden train track (mix of brio and supermarket own brand), dressing up stuff, cars, Drs kit, little plastic figures like fireman sam, postman pat etc with the vehicles, musical instruments, building blocks, magnetic letters/numbers/shapes, orchard games, a balance bike, scooter, swing, slide and trampoline.

DD has everything you’ve listed, plus some play do, kinetic sand, jigsaws and colouring pens/pencils/books etc.

This Christmas we bought a few of board games too (Tumblin’ Monkeys, Pop up Pirate and Hungry Hippos) which she seems to be enjoying

Forgot to add the duplo is a firm favourite as is the train set.

Wooden train tracks, Mobilo, wooden building blocks.

• Wooden toy kitchen and pots and pans
• Playmobil sets (oh so many)
• Toy cars
• Wooden railway set.
• Lots of wooden blocks mixed with Jengo blocks and used to build all kinds of things.
• Snap cards
• Connect Four (game)

Cuddly toys don't offer much play value

We have all that stuff, plus sylvanians which get a lot of use. Also Disney dolls - Elsa, Anna and Moana - and craft stuff, stickers etc. What you have sounds fine to me.

Ours has pretty much the same plus a play kitchen and marble run; lots of different crayons, felt pens etc; a big box of dressing up stuff. Also several puzzles and some of those Orchard games plus stuff like dominoes and matching pairs.

Lego
Play kitchen
Dr’s kit
Vet kit
Wooden ice cream parlour and picnic set
Colouring
Play doh
Dolls and pram
LOL dolls 🙄

Oh and puzzles and dressing up

Dressing up and colouring when she was closer to 4.

Ok, seems like we’re maybe about right then.

We do also have painting, colouring, craft and play doh stuff. Which she sometimes does under supervision. And puzzles and games which she isn’t interested in at all.

I think trains and other vehicles are what we’re lacking, but she’s never been interested in them at playgroups so never bothered getting any.

My DD is 3.5 and absolutely loves little dolls where you can change their clothes. LOL dolls and they do some little Disney ones.
She prefers normal Lego to duplo.
Train station / tracks
Play dough
Toy food / shop
Baby / baby accessories
Peppa pig figures / camping van
Dolls house

TBH she mainly plays with the little dolls in the dolls house and the peppa camping van

The action figures/superhero’s, dinosaurs, fancy dress stuff, cars and Duplo/Lego probably get the most played with but there’s all sorts of other stuff mixed up in there too.

We have toy kitchen, food that cuts, ice cream cart, ball pool, pirate ship, Peppa figures and house/bus/car/plane, Mrs potato head, musical instruments, hobby horse,

What is she interested in? Work from there. Of my DT’s, DS didn’t have any particular favourite toys, he was happy with anything. DD was obsessed with dinosaurs so she had dinosaur toys, T-shirt’s, bedding. Basically if it was dinosaur related she was happy. It was great for her imagination. Either really played with dolls, they both had some but DS could try and take off their legs and arms!

Following as I think I need more varied toys for my three year old.

My three year old won't play be himself..if I'm not playing with him he just wants to look at th tv or YouTube. Any tips of encouraging him to play alone?

Parker - she doesn’t seem to have any particular interests, beyond jumping on the sofa constantly.
She doesn’t really play with anything at home, preferring imaginative play which doesn’t seem to require any particular props other than me joining in.
I wondered about some of those peppa sets like the camper van or plane as she plays with these at friend’s houses. But I suspect it wouldn’t hold her interest at home any more than anything else we have already.