17 Best Toys & Gift Ideas for 3-Year-Old Girls (2023 Picks)

Depending on how you look at it, shopping for 3-year-old girls can either be a challenge or a breeze.

You’re spoiled for choice because there’s less pressure to stick to what’s “gender-appropriate.” However, girls’ toys can be overly stereotyped or simplified and often lack imagination.

We have lots of experience shopping for girly gifts, so we’re here to help. We’ll share our favorite gift picks that are educational, original, durable, affordable, and fun. We’ll also discuss how to select age-appropriate toys and describe what makes the perfect gift for girls of this age.

Check out our reviews of the best gifts for 3-year-old girls.

Our Top Picks

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Model

Product Comparison Table

Features

Best PlayFood

Slice-and-Bake Play Cookies

• Colorful wooden play food set
• Durable construction
• Healthy hands-on play

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Favorite Little Princess

Moana Adventure Doll

• Includes wear & share hair clip
• 14 inches tall
• Dress in her iconic outfit

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Dazzling Dress Up

Frozen LED Dress

• Waterproof LED lights
• Great value for its price
• Includes wand and tiara

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Musical Magic

Amy&Benton Toddler Piano

• Microphone to sing along
• Beautiful bright colors
• Record and replay button

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Best Medium Doll

Sunny Day Doll

• Removable styling belt
• Color-changing hair
• Includes styling accessories

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Educational Excellence

Magnetic STEM Blocks

• Non-toxic, durable ABS plastic
• 103 magnetic tiles
• Round edges for safety

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For the Tech Savvy Toddler

My Own Leaptop

• Award-winning play
• Customizable
• 4 learning modes

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Developmental Greatness

VTech Little Apps Tablet

• Interactive toy laptop interface
• Color-changing screen
• 12 learning activities

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Best Sensory Experience

Fidget Toys Set

• 35-pice set
• Superior quality
• Safety test approved

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For Creative Play

Crayola Scribble Scrubbie

• Endless creative options
• Budget-friendly
• 6 markers included

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Best Toys & Gifts for 3-Year-Old Girls of 2023

Here are our favorite toys and gifts for 3-year-old girls.

1. Melissa & Doug Slice-and-Bake Cookie Set

Best Play Food

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When I was a little girl, my kitchen treats involved mud. Your daughter doesn’t have to get her hands dirty with this adorable wooden cookie set.

It includes 12 sliceable cookies with 12 removable toppings, a wooden knife, a spatula, a baking tray, and an oven mitt. It also comes with a handy storage tube. Your little girl can have a lot of fun as she bakes, decorates, slices, and serves these colorful cookies.

There are many benefits too. This toy will improve her fine motor development, cognitive function, and imagination. It can be a social toy or develop her sense of independence.

The cookies are made from strong, non-toxic materials, and the set has a 100% quality guarantee. They are durable and pass the test of time. We’ve had our set for over a decade, and it’s still going strong! They look good enough to eat, don’t they?

2. Disney Moana Adventure Doll

Favorite Little Princess Doll

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Who doesn’t love Moana? She’s a strong Disney princess with a keen sense of adventure, bravery, and compassion. If she’s not a role model, who is?

If your little girl loved the movie, she’ll undoubtedly love this Moana doll. She’s an impressive 14 inches tall and is true to the character. She comes in her iconic outfit with a removable flower hair clip your girl can wear too.

This doll is a favorite that could enhance your daughter’s sense of compassion and creativity.

3. Frozen Elsa LED Dress

Dazzling Dress Up

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Fantasy play is important, and to this day, Frozen remains popular in girls’ pretend play. Although this dress is intended as a costume for Halloween or cosplay, our little ones wear it everywhere, adding that extra touch of magic to their imagination.

This Elsa-inspired dress has battery-powered LED lights that are pretty, cool, and out of the ordinary. It’s made of silk, so it’s soft and won’t scratch or annoy your little girl. The floor-length dress comes in various sizes, starting at 3 years old.

It also comes with a matching tiara, wand, and batteries for the LED lights.

4. Amy&Benton Toddler Piano

Musical Magic

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If your little girl is showing a love for music, then this is the perfect present. This bright pink piano is made for babies and toddlers, but older kids will love it, too. It has piano keys, percussion effects, and even a multi-angle adjustable microphone so she can sing her heart out.

There’s a record and replay button, so she can record a song and play it back for you. There’s also a mode that teaches them to play better and note any mistakes they have made. If you want to add to the performance, plug in a mobile device so your little one can use their favorite songs for karaoke.

This helps kids to develop their musical skills at a young age and get familiar with electronic buttons and feedback. It’s perfect for parties, too!

5. Fisher-Price Sunny Day Color Change Doll

Best Medium-Sized Doll

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“Sunny Day” is a Nickelodeon show that centers around a colorful hairstylist as she helps her community and encourages confidence. Whether or not your girl is a Sunny fan, she can enjoy this quirky doll.

Sunny comes in her exclusive, true-to-character outfit with removable accessories, including a belt and a comb. What’s really cool about this doll is that it comes with a color-changing tool your girl can use to customize Sunny’s hair.

She’ll have eight long-lasting colors to choose from. However, her yellow hair can’t change. Still, what a cool idea.

6. Magnetic STEM Building Blocks

Educational Excellence

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As much as we hate to admit it, there’s still a bit of a stigma that girls shouldn’t (or can’t) be too smart. Prove them wrong by getting your girl this awesome STEM magnetic block set.

It has 103 pieces of varying colors and shapes. It also includes a guidebook to spark creativity. The blocks have round edges for extra safety and are durable and non-toxic.

This set can give your daughter a headstart in cognitive function, including coordination, critical thinking, and reasoning. However, as with all magnetic toys, we recommend you keep a close eye on children while they play to ensure none of the magnets escape the tiles and end up in a mouth.

7. LeapFrog My Own Leaptop

Tech Savvy

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This little laptop has four learning modes that teach music, letters, and spelling. You can customize your Leaptop to spell your 3-year-old’s name and add personalized “email” messages that she can respond to in the email interface.

There are 16 songs programmed into this, with 26 animal animations to keep your daughter interested in learning. It also has a handle for easy portability.

This is a versatile toy that is educational and imaginative. It also helps keep your little one away from real electronics, and that’s a win-win situation.

8. VTech Little Apps Tablet

Best Gift for Developmental Greatness

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Here’s another electronic toy that will benefit your little girl. This keyboard has a color-changing screen, piano keys, and letter buttons. The tablet teaches letters, numbers, and matching.

There are 12 learning activities that progress in difficulty. The tablet also has a pretend camera, calendar, and volume control. Batteries are included.

We love this cute pink version that makes this developmental toy extra-appealing to little ladies.

9. Stashables 35-Piece Fidget Toy Set

For the Best Sensory Experience

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The hype regarding fidget toys hasn’t left us yet, and this pack of 35 is an easy way to keep your 3-year-old focused and calm. With such a large variety of sensory toys, your daughter will be spoiled for choice in busting boredom.

This pack includes beans, squishies, a rainbow magic ball, a speed cube, a maze, a fidget controller, a mesh marble trap, stress balls, and a whole lot more. These toys are healthy for all kids but especially work wonders in children with ADHD, anxiety, or autism.

Give all 35 to your child, or use the individual toys as party favors. There’s a lot of versatility here. However, as some of the toys contain small pieces, such as marbles, you’ll want to ensure that all play is supervised.

10. Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Safari

Best for Creative Play

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These crafty little creatures have been some of my daughter’s favorite toys for three years and counting. She has spent countless hours playing with her collection.

The unique design is fun for imaginative play and gets creative juices flowing. Your girl can decorate her selection of little white pets as she pleases.

The markers are super washable, and the set includes a bath/shower combo and a cleaning brush for the pets. Simply add a little water and pump the shower button to rainwater from the palm tree onto your pets. Scrub the designs away and decorate again.

If you have a tech-savvy daughter, Crayola has a corresponding app. Add the code for your pets or earn pets in the app, and you can decorate and play with them on a mobile device.

Although there are many sets to choose from, we like this safari playset. It includes different safari animals, such as a lion, elephant, monkey, and giraffe. The set comes with six markers to keep your little one busy for quite some time. If they run out of ink, you can replace them with any Crayola Ultra Clean washable markers.

If you want something bigger, you can add to the collection from a wide range of Scribble Scrubbie sets.

11. Biranco Pop Beads Jewelry Set

Best Crafty DIY

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Beads are the equivalent of diamonds to little girls. Here we have a jewelry-making set that is colorful, catchy, and easy to craft. It adds a new level to arts and crafts and can really give your little one a creativity (and confidence) boost.

You don’t need thread because the pieces all snap together. You get 520 pieces of varying shapes, sizes, and colors — enough to thoroughly decorate any princess.

Beading encourages your child’s creativity, imagination, fine motor skills, cognitive skills, hand-eye coordination, and pattern recognition.

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12. Power Your Fun — Robo Pets Unicorns

Best Unicorn Toy

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Any 3-year-old girl will think this is the best gift ever! These adorable unicorn robots teach your child a host of developmental skills. And since there are two in this set, your girl will also learn the value of sharing with friends or siblings.

Use the paw-shaped buttons on the simple remote to make your unicorns glide forward, backward, or in circles. You can even make it dance.

In gesture mode, your little girl can control the unicorn by moving her hand. The unicorn will follow her gestures with no need to use the remote. You can feed the unicorn treats in treat mode and watch it respond with tricks. Adventure mode allows the unicorn to choose her own path. Watch her steer around the furniture without any assistance.

Truly, this makes her a cute interactive toy your girl will love. The remote control requires two AAA batteries, but you can charge the unicorn with the included USB charger.

13. Ride-On Unicorn Rocker

Best Ride-On Toy for Girls

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Not all ride-on toys require wheels or need to be made for the great outdoors. This cute unicorn rocker is a lovely indoor option.

The pretty toy is sturdy and has movable reins. It’s easy to clean (all it needs is a wipe-down with a damp cloth), and there’s no assembly required. It can hold up to 75 pounds.

Who doesn’t want to ride on a unicorn? This could be your daughter’s dream come true.

14. 500 Piece Interlocking Brain Flakes Set

Best Building Toy

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Building blocks are a staple in kids’ toys, but have you ever considered buying building flakes instead? They put an original and fantastic twist on a well-loved classic.

This impressive 500-piece set promotes fine motor development, spatial reasoning, and cognitive functions. And it’s a STEM toy, so your little girl will get a brain boost too.

It comes with a free storage container, so you don’t have to worry about cleanup. This is a creative toy your princess can use independently or socially. You can’t go wrong with it.

15. Melissa & Doug Dust! Sweep! Mop!

Cleaning for Creativity

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You might be hesitant to give your little girl a cleaning set, but trust me; this toy will be a hit. Three-year-olds love playing pretend, and your girl will enjoy cleaning up, copying you, or working alongside you with her very own cleaning set.

This imaginative toy is perfect for make-believe and role-playing. It also enhances motor skills, coordination, and confidence. It’s colorful, top quality, and designed for little hands.

The set includes a wooden broom, mop, duster, brush, and stand.

16. Vermont Teddy Bear Giant Plush Unicorn

Big Imagination

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Why not keep it simple and give your daughter a stuffed toy she can keep as a friend?

This 18-inch unicorn sure is cute, and your 3-year-old will appreciate the soft fluffy fur when it comes to cuddles. And we are so impressed with the company’s lifetime guarantee. Vermont Teddy Bear will repair or replace it free of charge if it’s ever damaged or destroyed.

17. Ice Cream Beach Set by Top Race

Best Beach Toys

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This fabulous beach set is our little girls’ favorite for outdoor fun.

You get 14 tasty-looking beach tools. It includes a bucket, four cones, four ice creams, two scoops, a cover, and more.

Your little girl can use this stylish set for all sorts of play. Our little ones carry the play over to winter, making snow cones with the set. It’s also great for indoor play with kinetic sand.

Even if you don’t get out much, your 3-year-old can find all sorts of ways to make-believe with these treats.

Which Toys Are Age-Appropriate for 3-Year-Olds?

We know that 3-year-olds are full of energy, and it can be challenging to keep them entertained. How do you choose toys that won’t be too boring or difficult for them? Our advice is to follow the milestones above.

At this age, children will benefit significantly from educational toys. They’re also still young enough to appreciate toys that light up, make noise, or give them surprises, like pop-ups. They’ll enjoy toys that work on their motor skills, like modeling clay, blocks, or simple puzzles.

Toys that are colorful and big are usually a hit. However, remember that although 3-year-olds are capable of using toys with small parts, they’re still inclined to put things in their mouths. If you give them smaller toys, keep an eye on them when they play.

How to Choose Toys for Girls

As we already mentioned, toys for girls can be highly stereotyped, but there’s more freedom to cross the gender lines. If your daughter is a tomboy or a fan of otherwise “boyish” things, like superheroes or cars, there’s nothing in the world to stop you from getting her those toys.

Education

What we look for most when shopping for the best gifts for 3-year-old girls are toys with a focus on learning and development. These don’t have to include obvious educational skills. Even playing with a stuffed animal will help a child develop social-emotional skills (1).

Activity

As screentime has become such a focus for children, parents also appreciate toys and activities that keep their children active, such as beach toys, sports and climbing equipment, water tables, and more. These toys, games, and activities will help children stay healthy and keep their brains active (2).

Creativity

Children are creative geniuses (3). Finding toys, crafts, and kids that enhance their innate ability to design and create will further develop these skills and benefit their overall health and development (4).

Social Skills

As 3-year-old girls are entering a massive stage in their social development, gifts that promote group play can be one of the best ways to encourage healthy relationships. Board games, chasing games, and shared toys teach children about turn-taking and help develop an awareness of others’ feelings.

Quality

Above all, when shopping for gifts for 3-year-old girls, you’ll want to find the best quality toys. Three-year-olds are hard on their belongings. They can’t seem to help it. They’re full of energy and excitement. If you purchase toys that aren’t durable, they may end up broken, and you’ll have a disappointed child on your hands.

We look for gifts made with the best high-quality materials. Wood toys can last for decades if cared for properly. So can many outdoor toys and sports equipment items. Plastics should be free of BPA and solid enough to withstand some rough handling.

Fun

Above all, the best gifts for 3-year-old girls should be fun, laughter-inducing, imagination-freeing toys and games. These gifts will keep your kid coming back for more.

Play with your child to create long-lasting memories, but also encourage them to entertain themselves from time to time.

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