Let’s count
Tap each thing and the voice counts along.
Games for 3 year olds
Three year olds learn through play, listening and movement. These games are short, a voice leads them, and no reading is needed.
What three year olds learn through play
- Counting to three, then to five, touching each thing.
- Seeing two or three things without counting.
- Listening and telling sounds apart: high and low, this one and that one.
- Repeating songs, rhythms and movements.
Games for three year olds
How many?
Count by eye, then tap the number. Includes a quick dice look.
Feed the bunny
Give the bunny exactly as many carrots as it asks for.
Number train
Put the carriages in order from 1 to 10.
Sounds around us
Who makes this sound?
High and low
Is it a bird singing or a bear humming?
Copy the beat
Listen to the drum, then play it back.
Rhymes for little fingers
Five little fingers
A finger rhyme to five · Ages 2 to 4
One little finger points up high,two little fingers wave to the sky,three little fingers hop, hop, hop,four little fingers never stop,five little fingers, count with me:one whole hand for you to see!
Drip, drop
For the youngest, to three · Ages 2 to 4
Drip, one drop,two drops, plip, plop,three drops, here comes rain,jump in puddles once again!
In the meadow
Counting to ten · Ages 2 to 5
One, two, a cow says moo,three, four, green grass grows more.Five, six, a bee so small,seven, eight, lands on a flower tall.Nine, ten, that’s us, my friend,we counted right up to the end!
Games away from the screen
Count the stairs
Say a number out loud on every step. At the top, ask: how many stairs did we climb?
Sound hunt
Close your eyes and listen: what ticks, what buzzes, what rings? Then go and find it.
Carrots for teddy
Let your child give a toy two or three things and count how many they gave.
High and low
Sing high like a bird and low like a bear, and point up and down with your hands.
How much screen time?
The World Health Organization recommends no more than one hour of screen time a day for children aged 2 to 4, and less is better. These games last a few minutes each and are best played with an adult.