A friend of mine is coming to stay with my father and me, and is bringing his (nearly) 3 year old son. Not having children of my own, friends with children, nor babysitting experience in the past 20 years, what should I have on hand to entertain him? I’m hoping that some doper parents can give me some good advice!
My son just turned 4, and he really enjoys time on the computer, and has for a long time. Some good sites with kids games:
http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/home.htm
http://www.noggin.com/
http://www.straightdope.com/ (hey, it’s never too early, right?)
He also loves (and loved at 3) Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars, or any cars for that matter. Drawing, writing and learning to write his name, and the alphabet (still working on that last one). Also, books - any books with pictures. Doesn’t really have to be a kids book either, just one with lots of pictures.
Do you have a big dog? Lots of kids really like playing with dogs. They like playing with cats too, but cats aren’t all that crazy about little kids.
Coloring/drawing, play doh, hands-on type stuff. My youngest boy turns 3 on the 31st!
Three-year-olds can be very active and tend to interrupt any given conversation a lot, so you might want to be prepared. Some of this comes with the territory (being three) and some on the parenting.
You might want to swing by the dollar store, or similar, and pick up some crayons and a coloring book. Colorforms are a little pricier but also cool to play with. Remember that the average attention span of a three-year-old is about 15 minutes tops. Often, they can hold it together for about 5 in any given activity.
Mr. Furthur read once that 3-year-olds make demands of their parents/caregivers/passersby about once per minute on average ALL DAY LONG. I have found this to be fairly accurate. Just so you know.
Hide anything that would upset you if broken. Most 3-year-olds are not wilfully destructive – okay, many aren’t – but they’re very curious. Couple this with not being fully in control of your body yet, and the collateral damage can be considerable. Do not let the kid play with your PS2 unless you wouldn’t be upset if he broke the controller; he could easily do this accidentally, even if you would’ve sworn the controller was pretty tough.
3-year-olds come unglued when they’re tired. Major screaming tantrums from sheer fatigue, sometimes. Your friend’s kid may still take an afternoon nap and will probably need to be in bed somewhere in between 7:30 pm and 9 pm (latest). 3-year-olds love & need routine (think Rain Man) and it works better if you can flow with their schedule rather than vice versa.
That being said, 3-year-olds can occasionally be both cute and fun.
Hope you guys have a fun visit!
Mrs. Furthur
My best friend’s little boy turned 3 in late August, and I love the kid to death. 
I spend a fair amount of time with him, and have babysat him on several occasions.
In addition to what’s been mentioned here, I suggest renting a few DVDs: Dora The Explorer, The Wiggles, Thomas The Tank Engine, etc. Ask his parents what he likes to watch.
And I have to second the coloring/drawing/Play-Doh suggestions: Nick cannot write his name yet, but loves to scribble and play with creative things. Pretty much any toy with lights and noise is popular, too (I picked up a $10 toy helicopter from Target for him, and he played with it for hours!).
3-year-olds are straddling the line between baby and little boy: communication can be iffy, as can motor coordination, but they are amazingly perceptive and are able to understand far more than they can express. Have fun.
Also they are unaware of such concepts as “fragile” and “valuable”. Hide or remove from reach anything that falls into either category and you should be fine.
With respect to the comments about routine: this might extend to food too. Some three year olds like to eat mainly (or only) food they are familiar with. You might want to check with your friend ahead of time to find out if this is the case…if it is you would be doing everyone a huge favor by stocking up on essentials ahead of time.
Laughing Lagomorph, father of a soon to be five year old.
Thanks for all the good advice, I’m feeling much more relaxed about this, and I actually think my 73 yr old dad is looking forward to it as well.
I’ll be stocking up on colouring books and crayons, playdough etc. I’m venturing up to the attic tomorrow to see if any of my old blocks/toys/puzzles/etc have been saved. I’ve found a few children’s books from ‘back in the day’.
Laughing, that was going to be my next question, and I’ll be speaking to his dad about that later this evening. Having spent nigh on two hours this evening preparing a vegetarian nut roast for the dad this evening, I am confident that catering to a 3yr old must be easier!
I appreciate all the help very much, I tend to make mountains out of molehills and as I am feeling much better about this, I’m sure we will all have a lovely time.
Well, it depends on the situation and the degree of pickiness. Going to a Chinese restaurant with someone who will only eat chicken nuggets or hot dogs is not easy!
We have two 3 year-old boys (and a 2 year-old too). They love to play with all of the things mentioned in this thread. Another thing that they love and wasn’t mentioned are sticker books; you can get them anywhere - Target, Toys 'R Us, etc.
However, our guys often have more fun with stuff that isn’t a toy. They love to play with brooms and pretend to sweep, march around with big wooden spoons, or just climb and explore in the house. They also get a big kick out of “helping out” around the house or even helping cook.
But the thing that I think he will have the most fun with is your 73 year-old dad. If your dad is looking forward to the visit, then I bet they will have a lot of fun together.
Go through the house on your hands and knees so you have a kid’s-eye view of what can be run into, grabbed, knocked over, etc. You’d be surprised how many things you can get under…
Don’t just think breakables. Think…video cables and electric cords and outlets. Think things he can trip over, pull down onto himself…etc.
Dad’ll let you know about food, dont’ sweat buying blindly. Dad’ll likely watch him darned closely anyway. I remember that when my kids and I were in someone’s home, I didn’t sit down. Ever. Unless my kids were napping or playing with the other kids. Maybe.
Enjoy him !! I loved 3 year olds.
Cartooniverse
Father of a three year old boy chiming in - ditto to all of the above advice. Dunno if you have $2 stores where you are, but I’m guessing the equivalent - they’re great: cheapo toy cars, trucks, helicopters etc., and if they bust them, it’s only a couple of bucks. Little Case has got more enjoyment out of a couple of $2 diggers than he has out of stuff fifty times the price - at that age, they don’t care {although I’m a little miffed…}.
DVD’s: Pixar is your FRIEND. They can watch those movies for hours {not that I’m recommending just plonking him in front of the TV…}, and they won’t drive YOU mad {like, say The Wiggles will}.
You don’t need to BUY play-dough: this is a great, long-lasting home-made playdough recipe:
2 cups of boiling water
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
1/2 cup of salt
2 cups of flour
Food colouring to aesthetic discretion
Mix together, knead until smooth. Lay down LOTS of newspapers.
As for websites, try http://www.bbc.uk/beebies/
All UK TV stuff, but all good links to more kids’ shows than you can shake a stick at - lots of on-line games, but especially good for printable colouring in templates and the like. If you’re not familiar with British kids’ TV, I suggest Bob the Builder, Tractor Tom, Little Red Tractor and Postman Pat - all oriented to three year old boys, and guaranteed to keep Little Case enthralled for hours.
Hope this helps: just remember, they can SCENT fear. I’m only kidding - this stuff is great for getting in touch with your inner child/making colourful messes. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.
This is NOT my night for links:
OK, the last one works. Sorry.
I would take this opportunity to buy him a little present. Under $10. Wrap it up and make it fun. It is very difficult for some ( most) kids to meet new people. Giving them a little something lets them realize that the adult they were seeing was thinking about them. And They will probably warm up to you alot easier.
He may or may not like it immediately, but he will always remember you as the person who gave him such and such. They have memories like elephants at this age. More than likely, he will love it.
Books and a little stuffed animal are always a great gift.