If you’re wondering how to celebrate your 3 year olds birthday this year, we have 27 awesome 3 year old birthday ideas that are sure to excite your little one!
Hi friends,
Turning 3 years old is such a huge milestone! No longer a baby or small toddler, officially a big kid!
There are truly so many ways to make your child feel special on their 3rd birthday! Whether you’re throwing a big birthday party or keeping it low key there are still so many endless ways to celebrate and make it a great day!
Best 3 Year Old Birthday Ideas
Things To Do On Your 3 Year Olds Birthday
Let’s start with a few fun but simple 3 year old birthday ideas to make their day the best day ever!
1. Wake them up to balloons!
Kick off your 3 year olds big day with tons of balloons!
Fill their entire bedroom floor with balloons or even make a “balloon avalanche” to surprise them when they first open their door. This is a no-fail way to make them smile and laugh as soon as they wake up!
2. Make an extra special birthday breakfast
Next, get the day started right with an extra special birthday breakfast!
You can make it fun and colorful, load it up with whipped cream or make something in the shape of a three! An easy idea is to make cinnamon rolls and lay them out in the shape of a three.
Obviously they won’t be eating the entire tray of cinnamon rolls but it’s still a fun way to present them. Add a candle to their roll for their first birthday wish of the day!
3. Order an “I’m 3” shirt for them to wear
Three Rex Dinosaur 3rd Birthday T-Shirts
I’m a huge fan of personalized shirts for special occasions! They’re just so much fun!
If you’re a super crafty kinda mom and own a Cricut, you’re probably already thinking about cute birthday shirt ideas! No time or not crafty? Places like Amazon and Etsy so many options for cute 3 year old birthday shirts!
4. Give your child a birthday interview
Three years old is the perfect age to start doing birthday interviews!
Your kiddos finally old enough to give you some really good answers on fun questions about themselves! This is one of my favorite 3 year old birthday ideas and a great birthday tradition to start and continue though out the years.
Birthday interview sheets also make the perfect keepsake stash away until their 18th birthday.
Places To Take Your 3 Year Old For Their Birthday
Here are a few great 3 year old birthday ideas for easy ways to get out and do something fun for your little one on their big day! Some of these birthday ideas can be turned into 3rd birthday party ideas or kept as just as fun, low key ways to celebrate.
5. Take a trip to the zoo
If you have a zoo somewhat local to you, the zoo is always a great place to take your three year old!
Check beforehand to see if there are any extra special things they can do that day. Some zoo’s have a carousel rides, face painting, camel riding, etc. Our local zoo even has different special events going on pretty much year round like nighttime light displays and such!
Look into these kind of activities that you might normally pass on and surprise them with it!
6. Go to a waterpark
Of course this option is only available depending on what time of the year your child’s birthday lands on! If you have a summer baby though, going to a waterpark or even a free splash park is always a lot of fun.
7. Have a picnic at the park
Hitting up a local park is definitely a no-fail option for some birthday fun!
Consider making in an extra special visit by having a mini picnic or “pizza party”. Pretty much all parks have tables where you can bring some pizza or a packed lunch and hang out in the shade. You can even bring balloons to set up just for fun!
8. Visit a local science center
We absolutely love our local science center!
I know science centers might seem like things for older kids at first but many of them have so many fun options for little ones too! Our kids ages 1.5 to 6 years old could seriously spend ALL day at the science center!
10. Look for open gyms in your area
No, I’m not talking about your local planet fitness lol
If your little one is already enrolled in gymnastics, dance, etc. you probably already know all about open gyms!
Many gymnastic centers have something called open gym where kids are allowed to come and use gym equipment like ball pits, trampolines, balance beams, and such. Often times they even have certain times for different age groups which makes this a much safer option than going somewhere like an indoor trampoline park!
Open gyms are fantastic way to get a ton of that birthday energy out while having loads of fun!
11. Take them bowling
I feel like three years old is the perfect age to visit a bowling center for the first time!
If this something you haven’t done with your little one yet, I definitely recommend it! Watching them push their bowling ball down the little ramp is just way too much fun to miss out on!
Best 3 Year Old Birthday Gifts
Here are some of the best 3 year old birthday gift ideas out there! These are tried and true gifts that are wildly popular with 3 year olds.. All links are from Amazon!
12. Trampoline
If you don’t have room for a giant trampoline outside, these are perfect! This Little Tikes trampoline has been around forever and is definitely a must have. We have this one and love that it folds up for easier storage!
13. Balance bike
We absolutely LOVE balance bikes over here! They don’t have pedals on purpose. My three old has had his balance bike since he was around 2.5 and is so good at it! He glides around like crazy and can really pick up speed.
14. Think-roll-play
This game is a favorite in this household! It’s basically cards with small, fun tasks like “find something red” or “make a silly face”. They roll the dice and pick a card that matches the color it lands on.
15. Blow up fort
I got my 3 year old this for Christmas last year after seeing it go crazy viral on TikTok and it’s hands down his favorite gift! We’ve had so many tents like pop up tents, stick build-a-fort but this is the best! It’s extremely spacious, all 5 of us (3 kids, 2 adults) can comfortably fit in it. The best part is it only takes seconds to blow up and put away!! I seriously cannot rave about this fort enough!
16. Magnatiles
Do you have Magna-Tiles yet? If you have older kids I already know the answer is yes but if not, you NEED these. Ask any Facebook mom group and you’ll receive tons of feedback about how wildly popular these are in everyones household! These are without a question the most played with toy in our entire house. The kids can play with these for hours building the coolest stuff.
17. Stomp Rocket
Looking for an outdoor toy? Here’s the perfect one! These rockets are seriously so cool and can really catch some air!
18. Stepping stones
Balance Stepping Stones for Kids
If you’re more of a minimalist, non-toy gift, kind of mom, you’ll love these stepping stones. These are great for balancing, running trucks up and over, playing the floor is lava on and more. Our kids get really imaginative with these!
19. Sky lite
You’ve definitely seen this recommended before but I’m going to recommend it again too! It’s definitely worth the money and is so fun! We love to use this in the blow up fort I mentioned earlier!
20. Wobble board
Lastly, a great open ended toy! Don’t let the looks fool you, it’s not just a boring piece of wood! Wobble boards are seriously great for open ended play.
{Related Post: 150+ Insanely Good Non-Toy Gift Ideas To Limit Clutter!}
3 Year Old Birthday Decorations Ideas
Even if you’re not looking to throw a full on 3 year old birthday party, decorating the house up is such a great way to celebrate your little one. We always do a balloon garland, streamers, balloons and a birthday banner! We can get the house looking pretty dang festive for under $50 using a few of these ideas!
21. Number 3 Foil Balloon
Colorful Big Size Number Foil Balloon
22. Balloon Garland
Rainbow Party Balloons Garland Kit
23. Party streamers
Star Hanging Streamers24. Birthday crown
25. Birthday banner
26. 3rd birthday cake topper
27. Birthday yard sign
Happy Birthday Yard Sign with Stakes
