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3 years old

Age 3

two young boys dressed as super heros
Your 3-year-old: Milestones and development
Find out how to transition out of that afternoon nap, and learn about bed-wetting and night terrors. Teach your 3-year old some new skills - from cutting with scissors to party manners.
girl sitting on a bench and praying with her eyes closed
Your 3-year-old: Manners
Preschoolers love to party. See how to help your child stay on the guest list.
girl lying on the couch, with a textbook and a teddy bear in front of her
Your 3-year-old: Imaginary friends
Been asked to set an extra place at dinner for an imaginary friend yet? As many as half of preschoolers have a pretend buddy.
girl laying on a couch and looking at the ceiling while holding a notebook
Your 3-year-old: Story time
Picture books are still the mainstay of a preschool reading diet.
four boys and two girls lying on the carpet and smiling
Your 3-year-old: Friendships
Your ever-more-independent child is probably starting to develop some friendships.
boy sitting on the bed with his hands crossed, looking sad
Your 3-year-old: Bed-wetting
Even if your child is basically potty trained by now, you can expect accidents, especially at night, for months or even years to come.
girl cuts a paper with scissors, while sitting at a table
Your 3-year-old: Using scissors
Skittish about scissors? Learning to cut promotes fine motor development.
mother observing her child count fingers
Your 3-year-old: Counting
Ask most 3-year-olds how old they are and they'll proudly raise the correct number of fingers.
girl drawing while sitting at a desk with her mom
Your 3-year-old: Learning colors
Three-year-olds are beginning to learn colors. They can usually point to a color when asked and may be able to name a few.
boy with a soccer ball
Your 3-year-old: Playing ball
Some call it the perfect toy. What is it?
smiling boy resting his head on a pillow
Your 3-year-old: Pearly whites
Your child probably has a full set of primary teeth by now.
boy playing with creative toys
Your 3-year-old: Power of play
Preschoolers often work out complicated emotions in their play with animals.
boy playing string phone with his father
Your 3-year-old: Little chatterbox
No more games of charades to decipher what your child wants, thanks to his improved diction and amazing grasp of grammar.
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Age 3 1/4

father reading to his little boy
Your 3 ¼-year-old: Milestones and development
Get ready for the birds-and-the-bees talk, and learn how to handle whining, nudity, and dawdling. Find out why whispering is often a great parenting strategy.
girl sitting in the bus and looking through the window, holding her index finger on the glass
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Understanding differences
Three-year-olds are keenly attuned to the differences between themselves and others. Learn how to teach your child acceptance without the need for judging.
girl sitting on the bed while reaching her hand out
Your 3 1/4-year-old: The art of conversation
It takes time for your child to learn how to describe what he wants to do or have someone else do.
girl hanging from gymnastics bar in toes to the bar position
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Team sports
Your little one dazzles you with her strong kick and confident run. Is she ready for an organized sports team?
parents helping their daughter paint a coloring book
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Getting handy
Ten great ways to help your child develop coordination in his hands and wrists.
boy sitting on the ground with mouth wide open
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Storytelling
As language skills evolve at age 3, kids start to tell more elaborate stories. Listen and enjoy.
girl lying on the bed and holding her hand on her cheek
Your 3 1/4-year-old: The birds and the bees
Are you prepared for "Where do babies come from?"
mother trying to give her crying daughter vitamins
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Why regression happens
Why kids sometimes regress after mastering a skill.
girl using outdoor faucet
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Hand washing
Good reasons for making hand-washing part of your child's daily routine.
father preparing a light meal with his son and daughter
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Family traditions
Read up on traditions that revolve around birthdays.
mother holding her daughter in her arms and looking at the photo album
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Reading skills
Recognizing symbols is one of the first steps in learning to read.
father and son watching tv
Your 3 1/4-year-old: TV time
No one can deny the power of television. The question is how much power you want it to have in your child's life.
father measuring son's height
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Tracking growth
Time to get out some pictures or videos of your child at 1 or 2 and compare how much bigger and stronger she is now.
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Age 3 1/2

young children having fun in class
Your 3 ½-year-old: Milestones and development
Still dealing with tantrums? Learn some triggers and tactics. Find out how to take better photos of your child, ways to praise him, and why you should limit his time outs.
girl sitting on the carpet and crying
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Facing fears
Bedtime fears are common for preschoolers, but children can be frightened of all sorts of things.
girl with helmet and scooter putting on knee-pads
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Preschool-proofing
As your child becomes more physically capable, you can establish basic safety habits.
boy running on a playground
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Mastering motor skills
Your child's growing bravery on the playground may startle you.
girl throwing high five to her mom while playing with wooden toys
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Your little mimic
Three-year-olds like to imitate adult conversations and use different kinds of voices.
girl sitting on the bed and holding a clock in her hand
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Understanding time
At 3, your child may understand sequence (he did it first or last) and how long something takes (a long or short time).
mother blowing bubbles while her son is watching
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Magical thinking
Learning to distinguish between fantasy and reality is a gradual process for kids.
father reading a story book to his daughter
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Read it again!
Why your preschooler wants to read the same book again…and again.
mother and son watching each other and talking outside
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Grammar quirks
Instead of pointing out the mistake and correcting it, model good grammar by repeating the sentence back using the proper verb tense.
angry looking child
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Tantrum tamers
When your child is in full-meltdown mode, don't try to reason with her, no matter how advanced her language skills are.
mother helping her son to load the dishwasher
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Starting chores
Three-year-olds are eager helpers. Everything -- even household chores -- looks like fun.
girl playing with a puzzle game
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Puzzle time
Puzzles can be great teaching tools.
girl writing
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Writing skills
It's exciting when your child's scribbles begin to look more like real letters. Some threes even start writing their name.
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Age 3 3/4

students listening carefully to their teacher during story time
Your 3 ¾-year-old: Milestones and development
Learn why your 3-year-old might lie, what to do if she's a picky eater, and whether or not she should have screen time. Find out which physical milestones she should have reached.
mother and her son smiling while outside
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Getting silly
Is there any happier sound in the world than your child giggling uncontrollably?
boy sitting on the floor and drawing with a marker
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Art lessons
How to help your child benefit from making art.
girl covering her mouth while yawning
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Preschool comedy
Funny-sounding words or names, rhymes, and silly songs amuse young children endlessly.
girl showing her mother something on a laptop
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Computer ready?
Do 3-year-olds need to use computers?
mother feeding his son
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Picky eaters
Preschoolers are seldom gourmands — they're too busy to be too interested in food.
boy playing with a cardboard box
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Pretend play
What's one of the all-time best gifts you could give your child? A box. Seriously!
boy hugging his dad
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Handling lies
If you haven't heard your child tell a whopper yet, you will.
girl sitting at a table and playing with paper letters
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Name recognition
How to help your child learn to read his own name.
preschoolers sitting at the table and smiling
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Classes for preschoolers?
How many planned activities are too many for a 3-year-old?
happy girl
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Language play
What sounds like nonsense coming from your preschooler's lips is actually a sophisticated kind of language experimentation.
boy in the rubber boots splashing in the puddle
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Coordination
If your child can't do some physical things that her peers can, should you worry?
boy listening to his father play the guitar and touching his hair while sitting in a bus
Your 3 3/4-year-old: Sensory learning
Did you ever find it easy to learn a new scientific principle or rule of grammar because it was set to music?

Latest in 3 years old

father reading to his little boy
Your 3 ¼-year-old: Milestones and development
By Karen Miles
young children having fun in class
Your 3 ½-year-old: Milestones and development
By Karen Miles
two young boys dressed as super heros
Your 3-year-old: Milestones and development
By Karen Miles
students listening carefully to their teacher during story time
Your 3 ¾-year-old: Milestones and development
By Karen Miles
father preparing a light meal with his son and daughter
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Family traditions
boy playing with creative toys
Your 3-year-old: Power of play
girl hanging from gymnastics bar in toes to the bar position
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Team sports
four boys and two girls lying on the carpet and smiling
Your 3-year-old: Friendships

Community

  • Rio for a 3 year old?
    By toastingparadise in Bargain Hunters
    I'm thinking of taking our 3 year old to the movies this evening to see Rio.  Is that a good movie for a 3 year old? They have the 3D option...is he old enough for that? 
      04-28-11
      6
      0
    • 3 years old today!
      By NickBender in February 2018 Birth Club
      post imagepost image
      🎂 3 years old today, he will always be our baby boy.
        03-01-21 by Aucella
        3
        3
      • Dreadlocks?? and 3 years old.
        By Gabriel's Mom1985 in African American Moms and Moms to Be
        My son will be 3 years old next month.  My brother would like to get my son's hair dreaded for his birthday.  What is your take on getting a 3 year old hair dreaded?  His dreads will be well maintained.  Would age 3 be appropriate for dreads??  
          04-05-21 by treble7
          26
          1
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