3-year-old Learning Activities
When a child in my care turns 3-years-old I have to step up my game in providing 3-year-old learning activities to make sure I’m stimulating them enough. I notice a leap in intellectual development, which needs more challenge than before.
Hands-on activities are extremely beneficial for young children to build pathways in their brains. Using multiple senses while they move their bodies helps them to truly understand the concepts they are exploring.
Color Sorting 3-year-old Learning Activities
Use what you have to create these kind of 3-year-old learning activities. Your kids’ toys or the kitchen might be good places to look for solid color containers and coloured objects that match. We’ve used nesting boxes, tiny plastic containers for pills, pails/buckets and I painted the rims of cardboard bowls as bases. Items for color sorting included craft pom-poms, popsicle sticks, tiny bubble bottles and buttons.
Teaching tip: Remember that colors have many different shades. Color is an abstract concept, which is tricky. I teach the names of colours much more, than test the children’s knowledge. I make sure I'm unfazed by wrong answers.
It’s hard to keep up, but I try to narrate the colour sorting they do, “the yellow bottle in purple box, the blue with the blue, the red with the red”. I’ve found it’s the quickest way for little ones to improve because it gives them the information with no shame. If they are grabbing handfuls of random pom-poms and dumping in the bowls, I model sorting one-by-one, while narrate what I’m doing.
Guess What’s Missing 3-Year-Old Learning Activities
A few small safe objects, a tray and a small towel or pillowcase create this 3-year-old learning activity. Show your child the 3-4 objects on a tray, ask them to remember them while you label them. Sit on the opposite side of the tray. Cover the things on the tray and some of the cloth on your side of the tray. Discreetly, take one object, hiding it under the cloth by you. Flip the cloth so it bunches over the hiden thing. Ask your child to guess what’s missing. Repeat if they are interested.
Cup Swap 3-Year-Old Learning Activities
Cups, beakers or small containers as long as they hide what’s inside and are all three are identical. Pick something that is small enough and also is quiet when knocked against the sides.
Place the 3 container upside down in a line in front of your child. Draw their attention towards you, while putting the item under one container. Put your hands over two of the containers and side them to swap their places in the line. Ask your 3-year-old where the thing is. It doesn’t matter if they have to lift them all to find it, it’s a learning process. If they miss, repeat the one swap as long as they are interested. If they seemed to track the right cup and find it first try, then do two swaps. Only keep repeating if they are enjoying it.
Card 3-Year-Old Learning Activities
You’ll need a kids’ card set with matching pairs. The classic game snap is a good start. That's where two players have a half the cards and each put one card face upside by side together. If they are the same, is who says snap first getting to keep those cards, who has the most cards at the end in the winner.
Use the same set of cards for the memory game. Start by spreading out the cards face down so they are close but all separate. All the players take is in turns to flip two cards over, keeping them where they are. Whoever gets a matching pair of cards can keep them. If they are not matching, they need flipping back over in the same place. Try to match them all and those who have the most matching pairs wins.
Color Mixing 3-Year-Old Learning Activities
I’ve found free painting to be popular among young children. I often give them 2-3 colors which mix well together and pointing it out when they do. An extension is to provide extra small containers and painting brushes. Encourage your 3-year-old to mix small amounts of 2-3 colours of paint and talk about the colors.
Shape Making 3-Year-Old Learning Activities
Use adhesive Velco dots and popsicle (ice lolly) sticks, which can be found with craft supplies. Put a fuffy dot on one side and end, then a rough dot on the other side and end of each stick. Demonstrate how to create shapes with this DIY set. Making lines with the sticks is a popular way to use this 3-Year-Old learning activity.
Explore more learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds here.