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May 27, 2014 | 14 Comments

50 Summer Activities For 3 Year olds

Summer should be a fun relaxing time with your young children, so why does it feel like you have to plan it to the last minute? Relax and let me help you find simple preschool activities for your kiddos to do all summer long. These 50 summer activities for 3 year olds are fun and easy. So relax and browse this great list of summer activities for kids and start having fun.

3 year old activities Three is that magical age between being a baby and being a big kid and is the perfect time to mix some planned activities in with free play. I get asked often about my schedule and I hesitate to share it because our schedule changes so much. What I won’t hesitate to share is that three year olds shouldn’t be sitting down doing mom or other adult-directed activities a lot. This is the icing, not the cake. The cake should be free play including having sensory materials available, outside time,  tons and tons of books within reach,  and lots of quiet cuddle time too!

Here are 50 summer activities for 3 year olds some are as simple as setting something up and letting them explore and others are more structured.

summer activities for 3 year olds

Sticky Window Pom Pom Play

4th of july sensory activity for kids
Shaving Cream Fireworks

Shell Sorting
Shell Sorting

toddler activites
Color and Clean Car Wash

dinosaur themed activitiy
Backyard Dinosaur Bone Dig

star fish craft
Bubble Wrap & Dish Scrubber Starfish

paper plate octopus craft
Paper Plate Octopus

Alphabet Sensory Tub
Alphabet Sensory Tub

paint like jackson pollock
Paint Like Jackson Pollock

color mixing edit
Liquid Color Mixing

truck painting for toddlers
Truck Painting

five senses activity sound
Sound Safari

potato prints
Potato Masher Painting

ocean sensory tub
Ocean In A Box – water play

feather painting
Feather Painting

hose it down
Hosing Down Shapes and Letters In The Yard

kids crafts
Paper Plate Crab

spray painting
Spray Painting

jewel butterfly craft
Paper Plate Butterfly

Preschool Pretend Play Scientist
Mad Scientist Lab

find & count bug hunt nature activity
Find & Count Bug Hunt

rainbow sensory tub
Rainbow Gelatin Sensory Tub

cutting into nature outdoor scissor skills
Nature Cutting

bug
Bug Painting

mud pie play
Mud Soup

weather activity for preschool
Make Your Own Weather Station

ocean themed crafts
Paper Bag Jellyfish

Mining Activity
Mining For Magnets

driveway graffiti
Driveway Graffiti

uncle sam puppet for 4th of july craft
Uncle Sam Puppet

paper plate sun
Paper Plate Sun

bulldozer party
Construction Site Sensory Tub

playdough kabobs for kids
Playdough Kabobs

 

sensory activities for kids
Touch Box

letter of the week
4th of July Letter F craft

fly swatter painting
Fly Swatter Painting

Nature Color Hunt
Nature Color Hunt

worm painting for toddlers
Worm Painting

patriotic activity for kids
Flag Hunt

camping for kids
Pretend Play Camping

obstacle course fun
Build Your Own Obstacle Course

4th of july crafts
Cupcake Liner Fireworks

watermelon letter craft for kids
Letter Watermelons

Pretend Play Vet Clinic title
Pretend Play Vet Clinic

rp_ocean-play-for-kids-sensory-tub-430x800.jpg
Gelatin Gooey Ocean Play

sensory tub prints
Sensory Table Painting

car wash for toddlers
Backyard Car Wash

alphabet hunt outdoors with duplo
Outdoor Alphabet Hunt

handprint fireworks 4th of july
Handprint Fireworks for 4th of July

simple super crafts painting with nature
Painting with Nature

 

This is just the tip of the iceberg – what activities do you like to do with your 3 year old? Tell us on our Facebook page!

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Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Toddlers, Preschool Activities, Preschool Crafts, Summer Activities | 14 Comments

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14 Comments

  1. Mrs P says

    May 30, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    Not just for three years old my daughter five a would still love to do some of these. xoxo

    to Mrs P" aria-label='reply to this comment to Mrs P'>reply to this comment
    • Crown Maryjane says

      July 17, 2021 at 9:28 pm

      Beautiful, I can also share with my daughter of 6. But I would love to see money of the worm painting with Noddles

      to Crown Maryjane" aria-label='reply to this comment to Crown Maryjane'>reply to this comment
  2. Jennifer says

    June 15, 2014 at 8:46 pm

    I LOVE that you provided pictures for each one of these. When its just a list, I sometimes will click through to a couple but I usually get annoyed/bored and leave (horrible to admit, I know) so I SOOOO appreciate this format, even though I know it probably took FOREVER. 🙂

    to Jennifer" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jennifer'>reply to this comment
    • Alice says

      July 5, 2014 at 12:54 pm

      I agree! I am the same with lists – I WANT to look at each item, but just don’t have time. And it does get boring. Photos make it much easier to quickly see the things I want to see. Thank you! 🙂

      to Alice" aria-label='reply to this comment to Alice'>reply to this comment
      • Allison McDonald says

        July 5, 2014 at 2:51 pm

        You are both welcome – feedback like this is important to know it helps me for the future!

        to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
    • Ally says

      June 12, 2015 at 11:39 am

      I totally agree too about pictures!! Got some great ideas for my bored 3 year old who is about to drive me crazy haha. She LOVES collecting flowers and leaves, so cutting them is a great idea. Hope it keeps her busy awhile. Also gonna try the gelatin sensory tub.

      to Ally" aria-label='reply to this comment to Ally'>reply to this comment
    • Nancy says

      June 1, 2016 at 7:29 am

      So true! I’m the same way. I like seeing pictures of the end result.

      to Nancy" aria-label='reply to this comment to Nancy'>reply to this comment
  3. carola says

    August 2, 2014 at 9:28 pm

    Thnx for this great list! I love the painting ideas! We’ve already painted with cars, but it never crossed my mind to paint with kitchen stuff, plastic bugs or feathers. I also love the jelly sensory play.
    Thanks again for this list (and the pictures really do help!)

    to carola" aria-label='reply to this comment to carola'>reply to this comment
  4. Jagriti says

    April 10, 2015 at 12:42 am

    I love the listing of ideas- it’s simple and with photographs. What will really help is if you could add a line on the preparatory time to playtime ratio (I understand both will be either ball parks or averages). I have tried a few of the ideas and the preparatory time for me has been far longer than the time my baby (23mo) stayed interested in it. Thanks.

    to Jagriti" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jagriti'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      April 10, 2015 at 9:36 pm

      I think you will find that most things take longer to set up than the actual play time at this age. BUT this won’t last they will last longer and longer as they age.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  5. anastacia spencer- little says

    July 26, 2015 at 10:16 pm

    my 3 and 4 year olds love the art activities for the summer, thank you soooooo much. I really loved the ( jello ocean as they called it, lol!)

    to anastacia spencer- little" aria-label='reply to this comment to anastacia spencer- little'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      July 28, 2015 at 9:14 am

      Awesome!

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment

Trackbacks

  1. Summer: ready, steady ... go! | Kids Love English says:
    June 17, 2014 at 3:43 am

    […] 50 Activities for 3 years old […]

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  2. Summer Camps For 5 Year Olds – Camping Best Deals says:
    September 25, 2019 at 12:23 am

    […] Download Image More @ http://www.notimeforflashcards.com […]

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