She zips and glides around on the Micro Mini with ease, deftly navigating turns by shifting her weight, and using the foot brake on the back wheel to slow down and stop. Other models were wobbly, clanky, difficult to steer, and laborious to propel. And any doubts I had about the value of such a pricey scooter for a preschooler were blown away once I saw how my daughter handled the Micro Mini, compared with the cheaper scooters she’d borrowed from friends at the park. It’s Wirecutter’s pick for the best scooter for kids under 5.
When she was 3, my second daughter received a Micro Kickboard Mini Deluxe scooter for Hanukkah. The first one is included, but it will need to be replaced fairly quickly if your household enjoys robot bugs as much as mine does. (Adults get to just sit back and watch the cats and kids entertain each other.) The only downside is that each critter in this Hexbug Nano Nitro 5 Pack requires an AG13/LR44 button cell battery. (Just use caution around pets that aren’t discriminating about what they swallow.) For kids, the fun is in creating obstacle courses and elaborate containment chambers out of anything you can find, like train tracks, shoes, and boxes. For cats, the challenge is to chase them around. So if-like us-you live somewhere with actual big bugs that race across your floor (hello from Texas!), you might want to warn your family before you let a Hexbug loose. Propelled by the sheer force of their (amusing) vibrations, they skitter around corners, scale small obstacles, and right themselves. These thumb-sized, multi-legged robots are equal parts endearing and frenetic. More importantly, it encourages silliness. And the game also tests memory skills (since you can’t repeat another player’s choices) and helps young kids associate images with words (reading is not required). In our experience, the challenges are varied enough to keep the players engaged-when prompted, my son especially loves belting out his favorite songs. Eventually, all of the cupcakes are accounted for, everyone “wins” (there’s no way to lose), and the game ends with the whole group singing “Happy Birthday” to Pete. But if anybody lands on the dreaded Grumpy Toad space, a cupcake must be removed from the board. Depending on where they land on the board, they may have to sing, perform an activity, or act out a word, à la Charades. The object: Players try to collect 14 plastic cupcakes for Pete’s birthday party by working together on preschool-level challenges. But familiarity with the groovy feline and his friends (featured in this book and more) isn’t a prerequisite to understanding or enjoying this cooperative board game. If your child is a fan of this cool cat, then there might be some added excitement if you break out the Pete the Cat The Missing Cupcakes Game. And please share your own best ideas in the comments below. (We also have guides to gifts for tweens and teens.) Since kids vary widely in their personalities, interests, and development, we advise that you take these age recommendations with a grain of salt.
If you’re looking for more gift ideas for kids, check out our guides to the best gifts for 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, 6-year-olds, 7-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds, and 10-year-olds, as well as wonderful stocking stuffers for kids. We included toy suggestions from Singh and other educators below members of our staff added the kind of memory-making gifts that have gone over best with the 3-year-olds in their lives. And many kids at this age are ready for speedier, sleeker movement toys-like scooters and trikes-that reward their growing physical confidence. Toys and costumes that allow for role-playing and board games that encourage group interaction nurture 3-year-olds’ developing social skills. So open-ended playthings that inspire storytelling and creative engagement are better than one-trick ponies. Three-year-olds are ready for toys that foster lots of imaginative play, Singh said. “Often the idea of receiving a gift is what’s exciting for them, not necessarily what the gift is,” said Heather Singh, who until recently was the director of educational programs at the Thinkery, a children’s museum in Austin, Texas. But that doesn’t negate the thrill of a good surprise. Lots of them will have more opinions, interests, and language to express their excitement than they had in the past. Many kids are more likely to know what they want. When kids reach the age of 3, the gift-giving game changes.
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