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The toys my 3- and 5-year old actually play with
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items I have two daughters, and these are the toys they go back to again and again above all others, whether when they’re playing together or independently.
Sections
6
Babies and Dolls
Building Toys
Art
Stuffies
Electronics
Games
Babies and Dolls
They never want the gorgeous, expensive dolls I like best, so I gave up the fight and just go with what they want! These are the dolls and accessories that get played with daily at our house
My daughters fight over this $10 doll. We have a couple variations of it, but this one with a pacifier (or just its paci, specifically, is especially coveted).
14" Girl Baby Doll - Black Hair + Brown Eyes - Gigglescape™
We have two of these $11 strollers (actually the previous version without the sunshade; I pray my girls don’t see this one because they we’ll absolutely want it instead). They walk with them outside on family walks in good weather, and in our house i...
Pink Dot Bear Fold-Up Doll Stroller for 14" - 16" Dolls - Gigglescape™
I got this for my oldest (2 at the time) when my youngest was born, so she could carry her dolls like I carried her sister. She didn’t play with it as much then, but she loves it at 5 and her now 3 year old sister also loves a turn with it.
Baby Doll Carrier for 14" - 16" Dolls - Gigglescape™
I’ve seen much spendier versions of this carrier at our local toy shop, but this one has worked great for us and our girls who love to play “working moms” and take their babies to “daycare”.
Gray Dot Dog Doll Car Carrier for 14" - 16" Dolls - Gigglescape™
This is a great set with all the accessories. My girls love these tiny babies as well, and we often use them as travel toys (we take them on vacation and put them in our restaurant activity backpack).
8" Little Baby Doll Set - Brown Hair + Brown Eyes - Gigglescape™
Building Toys
These are great for literally hours of open ended, imaginative play. We take them on vacations with us, they’re perfect for independent play during rest time, and you can always add to the collection when you need gifts!
You can’t go wrong with these; any set, any amount. There’s never enough. We started with this large set and have collected the various themed sets to go along with them over various birthdays and holidays.
MAGNA-TILES Metropolis 110-Piece Set
Magnatiles cheaper, and just as good, cousin. We have some of these as well! They are the same size and work well together.
PicassoTiles 100pcs Clear Magnetic 3D Blocks
I LOVE THESE SO MUCH! We use them for travel (plane and car) as well as keep them in our restaurant activity backpack all the time. Each girl has her own set. The build with them, and then also do imaginative play (my youngest likes to use the square...
MAGNA-TILES microMAGS 26-Piece Travel Set
My five year old has been playing with this since she got it for her 3rd birthday. Currently she likes to “design” her own house layouts and then use this combined with the animals and people from other sets.
LEGO DUPLO Town Playhouse 10929, 130 pcs
Art
We have all the standard art supplies, but here are some of our standout choices that you might not have tried yet.
We have SO MANY color wonder sets. Both girls love them and I love that there’s no mess. This one is particularly fun because it’s finger paint!
Crayola Color Wonder Mess Free Fingerprint Ink Set
These were a gift and we LOVE them. I even let my five year old use them unsupervised during her rest time to paint on her own!
Crayola Spill Proof Washable Paint Set for Kids
My five year old loves these! They make practicing writing fun and she thinks it’s super cool to have her own special pens
Paper Mate InkJoy Metallic Gel Pens, 10 Ct
Stuffies
You can’t go wrong with a stuffy… my kids certainly have too many! These are their favorites, though, the true “lovies” of the bunch.
My youngest has two of these, and a small one. She sleeps with them all and absolutely adores them.
Jellycat Bashful Blush Bunny 12in Plush
This is my oldest’s favorite comfort stuffy. My husband grabbed it for her second Christmas at the last second because it was so soft and it’s held a place of honor ever since.
GUND Snuffles Teddy Bear, Pink, 10”
My girls each got a slumberkin as a first snuggle toy. It was the one we let be in the bed with them at an early age, and then was what they took to daycare as their comfort stuffy. My youngest is three and still sleeps with her yak at school nap. Th...
Lynx Plush & Children's Self-Expression Books | Slumberkins
Electronics
My girls’ love to pretend to go to work on their laptops like mommy. I like that this one makes a few noises but doesn’t have an actual electronic screen!
Disney Princess Play Click & Swap Laptop
My daughters each got one for Christmas that we immediately marked with their initials 😂 They love having all of the same “work” items I have, and use these phones in pretend play almost daily.
Disney Princess Style Collection Play Phone & Stylish Clutch
We started with one tonie box, and then my youngest got her own for her birthday. We set the volume so even though the girls share a room (in bunk beds), they can each listen to what they want. Of course, they always both seem to want the same room t...
Tonies Disney Frozen Toniebox Audio Player Starter Set
We try to limit screen time, so these are a great option for planes, long car rides, and our oldest gets one hour of games on weekend days during her rest time. This tablet is a great balance of price and function, with good controls to limit what ki...
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Tablet 8" 3GB 32GB Grape
Games
I loved this game as a kid, and my daughters love, too! My oldest took it into her kindergarten for a board game day and it was reportedly one of the most popular games that day, as well, for all the kids!
Pretty Pretty Princess Game
I love this game, because the whole family can play, even the three year old. The girls also like to play with the cupcakes as part of their imaginative play, as well, so it’s two in one for that!
Wonder Forge Disney Princess Enchanted Cupcake Game
This is such a fun matching game. Little littles might need some help, but my older daughter has done a great job on her own with it since she was 4.
University Games Pizza Party Dice Game Ages 6+