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Because kids can still be prone to chewing and putting items in their mouths at this age, I would advise you to avoid buying toys and Christmas gifts for 3 year old girls that have lots of tiny pieces or parts to them.

Life can often seem a little bit frustrating for girls at this age. They've just discovered an awful lot of skills in a short space of time. They also think they're ready to tackle anything but in reality they're only just moving on from toddler-hood.

If girls see slightly older friends or relatives going off to school while they're still left at home, it can be doubly hard. Some fun and even educational gifts can help to keep them entertained at home for longer.

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Wonderful Christmas Gifts for 3 Year Old Girls to Enjoy

Image Credit: photo belongs to the author.

Any toys that she gets will need to be able to stand up to what is normally a short attention span. She might not yet be up to sitting still for long nor wanting to play much on her own.

⭐ I remember my daughter not wanting to sit down and she would often play whilst standing up so she could move around items. I thought that the better 3 year old girl Christmas gift items were ones which really grabbed hold of her attention or imagination. It was at this age that she particularly loved to make up little stories.

A Doll House is Something She Can Use Her Imagination With

Buy this My First Dollhouse by Fisher Price from Amazon.com

UK Readers get a Fisher Price House from Amazon.co.uk

You need to take care buying a doll house appropriate for this age range. This one has been made with this age in mind and play pieces have been thought out so they are easy for small hands to grasp.

It is a good size without being overwhelming and comes with a mom, dad and baby figure as well as a few key pieces of furniture to play with.

I think it has enough there to spark off a young child's imagination and looks ideal for the younger end of this age bracket. For girls who are going to be celebrating their next birthday soon, you might want to consider the bigger Loving Family Dollhouse by Fisher-Price instead or the Disney Frozen Doll Castle below.

Buy this Disney Frozen Ice Castle Dollhouse by KidKraft: Furniture Included

UK Readers get a KidKraft Frozen Dollhouse from Amazon.co.uk

If she loves Disney's Frozen, she may fall in love with this wonderful looking Ice Castle dollhouse by KidKraft and it could be the perfect gift for a 3 year old girl.

This will accommodate Barbie sized dolls up to 12 inches tall. It includes some great pieces of furniture with table and chairs, piano, chaise and bedroom items included.

In addition to the standard dollhouses, my daughter loved all her Little People play sets when she was a pre-schooler. She had several sets and each one was a big hit: bright, colorful, fun and often interactive with sounds and movement and easy to hold figures.

⭐ Like many Little People play sets, there are plenty of fun ways for young children to engage with it and also use it as a basis for their imaginations to run riot.

There are often lots of things for girls to press, pull, push and twist which is not only exciting for them to explore but also helps with developing their motor skills too.

I'm a big fan of wooden toys but I have to admit that these ones were much easier to clean when they got dirty. I wish she'd had the fantastic looking Disney Princess Palace Set which is a lovely size for a three year old to sit next to and play with.

It has a pretty pink, purple and blue color scheme as well as having lots to explore with 7 different play sections and even a dance floor which plays a song and speaks when a Disney princess is placed on top.

With this palace come the Disney princess characters Cinderella but you can buy other princesses and characters separately if you wish to extend the play value even further.

Popular Girls Toys at Age 3: Baby Dolls to Dress, Cuddle and Love

Get a Lots to Cuddle Baby Doll: Also Available in Hispanic, African American and Asian Versions

UK Readers get a Soft Body Baby Doll from Amazon.co.uk

At three, my little girl was just starting to get interested in baby dolls. She was used to plush and stuffed toys but wanted a more realistic looking baby. She wanted one that she could pretend was her baby sister, carry around, care for and dress.

The Lots to Cuddle doll comes in a variety of designs and with African American, Hispanic, Asian and also Twin options which make it even more likely that you can get one that is just right.

These are made to be sturdy 20 inch dolls with fabric bodies and realistic looking legs, arms and faces. In fact they come with an assortment of expressions so you don't know exactly what mood your baby might be in until it arrives. Of course there are plenty of additional gift options when buying a baby doll since you can also opt for a pram, stroller, crib, clothes and accessories too.

If the child in question has a new baby sister or brother on the way, a baby doll can become a really good way of preparing the girl for her new sibling's imminent arrival.

She can get a feel for what it might be like having a new baby in the home. In this instance, I'd recommend getting a story book to go along with it too such as The Berenstain Bears' New Baby.

Best Toys for Girls Age 3: Magnetic Dress Up Dolls Make Great Christmas Gifts

Buy this Magnetic Wooden Dress-Up Dolls Set by Melissa & Doug

UK Readers get a Melissa and Doug Magnetic Doll Set from Amazon.co.uk

We love Melissa and Doug items in this home. They make lots of cute and fun wood based toys. Paper dolls are great and I enjoyed those as a child. These ones are designed to be easy to play with.

The pieces are much thicker than paper and easier to grasp and hold. These are called Hailey and Hannah but you can also get Abby and Emma as well as numerous other dress-up dolls.

⭐ These magnetic dress up dolls will stand up or lay flat on a table depending on what is preferable.

The clothes stick magnetically onto the dolls which looks a bit like magic to the average pre-schooler. My little girl is into fashions and being fashionable so dress up anything whether it is magnetic dolls, sticker dolls, Barbie dolls or costumes for herself is a winner.

With two dolls in this set, there is one for a friend or relative to play along with too and 73 items to put on and off which is enough for a nicely varied wardrobe.

The only disappointment, and this is true with a lot of Melissa & Doug items, is that there is no lid provided, which is annoying if you want to safely store all the pieces. We always find tins, tubs or drawers to throw smaller toy parts into instead so they don't get lost.

Role Playing Toys Can Boost Girls Imaginations

Buy this Tiered Wooden Play Cake at Amazon.com

UK Readers get a Melissa and Doug Cake from Amazon.co.uk

Role play toys can be a fantastic idea at this age and make great Christmas gifts for a 3 year old girl. Children are watching adults with interest as they carry out familiar roles like cooking, shopping and cleaning. Girls often want to do the same things as Mom.

Pretend play food can be a lot of fun and even more so if they already have or are getting a kitchen play set to use it with too. We have both wooden food items like this tiered wood birthday cake as well as plastic play foods. My daughter still plays with both kinds even now she is much older.

Part of our play kitchen set which was much loved and well used. I sewed her some oven mitts to use with it and we set up a little table as a cafe area for serving food.

Image Credit: photo belongs to the author.

Kids can pretend to slice through the individual slices which are held in place with some cleverly positioned velcro. Cakes like this along with pretend pizzas are perfect for introducing the concept of sharing out food as well as teaching very simple fractions.

Even if they don't have a play kitchen, you can set out a little table and chair to make a pretend little cafe area or use an indoor play tent to make a store or grocery to buy food. Children who enjoy role play and cooking are most likely to enjoy these types of gifts.

Best Toy for a 3 Year Old Girl: Craft Sets without any Mess for Parents to Deal With!

Buy a My First Sticky Mosaics Ponies Set

UK Readers get a First Sticky Mosaics Set from Amazon.co.uk

I have yet to meet a little girl who doesn't like horses and ponies. These can often make some of the best toys for girls at age 3.

This is an adorable looking first Sticky Mosaics set featuring ponies. It contains 4 different horse themed pattern boards and sheets of different foam stickers and sticky gems to place on.

Sticky mosaic sets are fun for children who enjoy arty and crafty pursuits and it is a fantastic no-mess option that could be ideal for a cold Christmas stay-indoors gift. There are plenty of different sets to select from.

Just make sure that you choose the My First range of mosaics which are aimed at the 3+ age group and are easier for younger children to complete. These make wonderfully inexpensive gifts to buy for someone else's child and they're easy to gift wrap too.

Alternative no-mess craft sets for kids of this age include:

• Fantacolor Junior Pegboard Set
• Lace and Trace by Melissa and Doug
• Lacing bead sets: look for large beads suitable for 3+
• Pattern blocks and boards
• Sticker pads with reusable stickers
• Water Wow Coloring with Water Pens

More Christmas Ideas for 3 Year Old Girls:

Dressing up sets of clothes: lots of young girls love dressing up but more unusual costumes can make much better options than a standard princess or fairy dress.

She is likely to already have quite a few of those so it's refreshing to get something different. My sister bought a Spanish style flamenco dress and also a belly dancing one.

Role playing toys allow her to recreate playing mom or dad: play food, cleaning toys and pretend vacuums and more let her play at being an adult. These types of toys are great for developing her imagination and for making sense of her little world.

Musical toys and things that make a noise: she might be quiet but a musical toy allows her to be louder and express herself. There are loads of options such as electronic keyboards, drums or even a little guitar. My daughter loved her microphone.

Activity books to encourage sitting down and reading: this was the age that my daughter started to really enjoy sticker books and lift-the-flap book options. Books don't have to be quiet activities either as we had some that had buttons to press for noises when you got to a certain section.

Simple and fun craft toys: many parents will thank you for some no-mess toy options such as Sticky Mosiacs. I always groan inside when we receive toys that are going to involve a lot of mess at Christmas.

Since this is when the weather is cold, we can't go outside to keep the mess out of the house. So I loathe gifts which include things that need to be painted or molded or anything with sand or clay that drop in the carpet!

We love the Noah's Ark from Playmobil 123. This is a favorite bath time toy and gets used a lot outside in the summer months too. It washes up lovely after play.

Image Credit: photo belongs to the author.

Playmobil 123: this is a special range of Playmobil designed for younger children to play with. My daughter still plays with her Noah's Ark set in the bath.

First scooters and bikes: outdoor toys are great but are really best left until you have warm weather. Depending where you live, you may have warm enough weather for outdoor toys at Christmas.

Electronic learning toys: as a rule, I didn't like my little girl spending too much time with technology at a young age. However, she enjoyed her My first LeapFrog LeapTop and it was good for learning the alphabet and more.

Play Doh: this is easy for kids to shape, roll and make things from. It is inexpensive to buy and there are lots of fun play sets available.

Large building blocks: Mega Bloks and Duplo give lots of building opportunities for small hands. The building blocks are easy to hold and stack into shapes.

You should have got lots of great Christmas ideas for 3 year old girls here for getting hold of just the right gift.

Small items have more risk that they might end up being accidentally swallowed. Take care to get hold of age appropriate items that she can safely enjoy playing.

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Page Last Updated: September 14th, 2018