Lifestyle Fun Arts & Crafts 7 Easy Educational Crafts for 3-Year-Olds Looking for some educational arts and crafts for 3-year-olds? These seven clever options promote growth and development while keeping your little one entertained. By Nicole Harris Updated on February 3, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player TomsickovaTatyana/shutterstock.com When a child turns 3, their growth and development are well underway. Indeed, the 3-year-old brain is capable of orchestrating ever more complex cognitive and physical skills, like jumping and hopping on one foot, pedaling a tricycle, walking up stairs, completing three- or four-piece jigsaw puzzles, naming colors, and following simple directions, says Laura Phillips, PsyD, ABPdN, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Learning and Development Center for the Child Mind Institute. One great way to encourage learning and fine motor skill development is through at-home crafts and learning activities. When doing crafts with your 3-year-old, it's important to facilitate reciprocal verbal and non-verbal exchange. For example, when a toddler is coloring and chatting about their yellow sun, even if the chatter is nonsensical, Phillips encourages parents to make comments and reflections. Try asking open-ended questions. "These rich and meaningful exchanges facilitate language development, attachment, self-concept, and lay the foundations for continued learning and growth," she says. Here are seven easy educational craft ideas for 3-year-olds you can do at home. These engaging projects encourage learning at home, helping your child reach important milestones before starting school. Once you've mastered one, why not try the rest? 01 of 07 Get Creative With Art Supplies Eleonora_os/Shutterstock Three-year-olds have the capacity to create art with markers, crayons, paint, and pencils—all of which improve fine motor dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Handing your child a blank canvas also inspires imagination and joy. “Open-ended art—as opposed to specified crafts or projects—encourages creativity, flexible thinking, and problem-solving,” says Phillips. She adds that playing with art encourages kids to take risks. Turn Everyday Household Items Into Creative Art Projects 02 of 07 Make Homemade Playdough StockPlanets/Getty Images Search for an easy taste-safe playdough recipe online. Your 3-year-old can help make it. They’ll practice patience when waiting for the playdough to cook and cool and playing with the finished product improves fine motor skills, encourages creativity, and provides an engaging sensory experience. Your kid can also learn to follow directions by imitating your movements: rolling out the play dough, flattening it like a pancake, rolling it into a ball, etc. 03 of 07 Make Recycled Collages Photographs by Todd Meier Gather items to recycle as art supplies from around the house, like buttons or newspaper clippings. Have your preschooler glue them onto paper for a makeshift collage. “While working with different materials, you can encourage awareness of basic concepts and categorization,” says Phillips. “Talk about and play with texture, size, shape, color, letters, and numbers.” (For example, tell your toddler to glue two buttons to the paper, and then have them attach something blue or bumpy.) 23 Fun STEAM and STEM Activities for Kids 04 of 07 Trace Letters, Shapes, and Numbers Getty Images “Many 3-year-olds are learning about letters, especially those in their names. They may be interested in and capable of tracing letters and numbers,” says Phillips. You can print out tracing worksheets or make your own template. Here’s another idea: Draw your child’s name in large letters on a poster board, and have them “trace” the letters with stickers, buttons, or pipe cleaners. Or write their name in glue on paper and have your child attach bits of colorful paper or sprinkle glitter on each letter. This craft for 3-year-olds will teach them about spelling and writing, and it’ll also improve their fine motor skills. 10 Playful Math Activities for Preschoolers 05 of 07 Sort Stickers by Color Aaron Dyer Give your child a stack of stickers. Have them divide them based on color. This fun sticker activity helps with primary and secondary color recognition and sorting skills. Then, they can use fine motor skills to stick them onto paper. You can also complete this sorting craft with buttons, pompoms, paper cut-outs, or any other small colorful crafting items you have around the house. 06 of 07 Stamp With Potatoes Ivee Stephens Have extra potatoes on hand? Cut them in half and carve shapes like a heart, diamond, triangle, or smiley face into the flat, cut surface. Then, supply your child with paper and ink pads in a variety of colors. These potato stamps are a unique way to craft, and they can also teach your child shapes. Your 3-year-old will be delighted with the unexpected use of old produce! 8 Creative Egg Carton Crafts for Kids 07 of 07 Cut Straws and String Bracelets Ivolodina/Shutterstock Children need lots of dexterity for writing, and using scissors can be a precursor to holding pencils. Have your 3-year-old cut up drinking straws, which make a satisfying snap when the scissors break through. Then, they can string yarn through the straw pieces to make an easy DIY bracelet. This craft relies heavily on fine motor skills and coordination—and your child will also learn patience and frustration tolerance. (You can also make jewelry with pasta, beads, or O-shaped foods!) Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Optimizing Fine Motor Coordination, Selective Attention and Reaction Time in Children: Effect of Combined Accuracy Exercises and Visual Art Activities. Children (Basel). 2023.