Around 3 years
Games for 3 year olds
Around three, many children enjoy games with a little goal: find the pair, put it in the right place, finish the pattern. They also love being in charge. Here are ideas for home and the gentle Glowbug games for this age, where nothing can go wrong.
Games for home
- Sorting laundry: all the socks here, all the t-shirts there
- I spy with colours: “I spy something red”
- Simple matching pairs with a few picture cards face up, then face down
- Treasure hunts with picture clues
- Counting stairs, apples or ducks on a walk
- Big-piece jigsaws with four to twelve pieces
Glowbug games for this age
Glowbug’s oldest age group is 2 to 3 years. Its games have a gentle goal but no score: a wrong try just floats back to try again.
- Shape Friends: smiling shapes slide into their matching homes
- Shadow Match: slide each friend onto its shadow
- Colour Baskets: sort friends into baskets by colour
- Count With Me: tap friends and count them, one, two, three
- Pairs: turn cards to find two the same
- Big, Middle, Small: put friends in order of size
- Little Puzzle: four big pieces make a picture
- What Comes Next: finish the pattern with the right friend
Keep it playful
Talk about what they are doing rather than whether it is right: “You found the blue basket!” If a game becomes frustrating, stop and try something else. There is no level to finish.
Questions parents ask
What games are good for 3 year olds?
Many three-year-olds enjoy sorting, matching, simple puzzles, I spy, treasure hunts and counting games, especially when a grown-up plays along.
Is Glowbug suitable for a 3 year old?
Glowbug is made for 6 months to 3 years. Its 2 to 3 years games, such as Shape Friends, Pairs and Little Puzzle, are the ones most three-year-olds will enjoy.
Do the games have scores or levels?
No. There are no points, levels, timers or winning. Every game simply carries on gently until the session ends.