I need to find a birthday present for a three year old girl and am open to suggestions. What are the toys that your three year olds love best that are not overboard in price range? Or, is there something besides a toy that your three year old really likes?
Three year old children love puzzles or arts and craft type things. Also, my little pony seems to be a favorite of little girls. There are many to choose from and they are very affordable.
Stuffed toys would be a good choice. My 3-yr-old niece has a stuffed tortoise she's pretty attached to. They've bought a number of other toys but she never plays with them. Anytime she's not playing with her older sister you'll find her telling the stuffed tortoise stories. Make-believe . . . When choosing the right stuffed toy for the kid, get the kid something that represents their favorite character/animal from cartoons or animations s/he has watched.
At age 3 mine started to get really into imaginative play, so costumes were great as well as props, like pretend doctor's sets, tool sets, princess wands, etc. Also books, like the lift-the-flap interactive kind, or those that make sounds.
I just picked up some Tegu magnetic wooden blocks that are pretty awesome. They're expensive, but my Target had them 50% off on clearance a couple weeks ago. If you're near a Target, it might be worth looking for them there. They're seriously awesome toys, and I love giving high-quality gifts that encourage imagination and open ended play.
I bought my three-year-old godchild a mini drawing desk complete with coloring pens, crayons and empty sheets of paper where he could just doodle whatever he likes. I bought my other godchild who's around the same age a mini billiard table, big enough to accommodate his size.
