Three years old: most children now chat back and forth with you, ask “why?” and “where?”, say their own name, draw a circle when you show them and use a fork. Here is what most children do by 3 years, four easy ways to play this week, and the labels worth checking as your child eats more of what the family eats.
What most children do by 3 years
From CDC's 2022 checklists: things at least 3 in 4 children do by this age. A guide for a chat with your pediatrician, not a test.
Calms down within 10 minutes after you leave, like at a daycare drop-off
Notices other children and joins them to play
Talking and listening
Talks with you with at least two back-and-forth exchanges
Asks “who”, “what”, “where” or “why” questions
Says what is happening in a picture when asked, like “running” or “eating”
Says their first name when asked
Talks well enough for others to understand, most of the time
Thinking and exploring
Draws a circle when you show how
Keeps away from hot things, like the stove, when you warn them
Moving
Strings things together, like large beads or macaroni
Puts on some clothes alone, like loose pants or a jacket
Uses a fork
Play together this week
Five or ten minutes each, with things already in your home. Do them in any language you speak at home.
1
Macaroni necklace
10 min · nothing to buy
You need: Dry pasta tubes or big wooden beads, and a shoelace with a knot at one end
Show how to push the lace through one piece.
Let them thread the rest, counting as they go.
Tie it off and let them give it to someone.
Stay close. Sit together while they thread, and put the loose pieces away after — some children still mouth small things.
Strings things together
Talks back and forth
2
Round and round
5 min · nothing to buy
You need: A crayon and the back of an old calendar or a slate and chalk
Draw a big circle slowly, saying “round and round”.
Hand it over: “Your turn!” Then add eyes and a smile to theirs.
Turn circles into a sun, a ball, a roti.
Draws a circle
3
What's happening?
5 min · nothing to buy
You need: A picture book, a newspaper photo or the view from the window
Point at a person or animal: “What is he doing?”
Take their answer and add one more thing: “Yes, running — to the bus!”
Let them ask you the questions next.
Says what's happening in a picture
Asks “why” questions
4
Getting-ready race
5 min · nothing to buy
You need: Tomorrow's loose clothes, laid out
Lay the clothes out in order on the bed.
“Can you put on your shorts by yourself?” Help only with buttons.
Say their full name like a winner: “Aarav did it!”
Puts on some clothes alone
Says their first name
What your child eats and uses now
At three, your child eats mostly what the family eats, plus the snacks that come home from school and parties. Pikabee covers children up to 36 months, and checks this age for 12–36 months. On the back, check for:
Scan a label
Free. No sign-up. Pick 12–36 months on the result to check it for this age.
Simple choices — “the red cup or the steel one?” — and small jobs at home give a three-year-old practice at both talking and doing.
If something worries you
You know your child best. If your child is not doing some of these things yet, or has stopped doing something they used to do, tell your pediatrician — at the next visit, or sooner. CDC's advice is not to wait: acting early is what helps most.
Born early? For the first two years, pediatricians usually count from the due date — the corrected age.
In India, your pediatrician can also refer you to the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) at your district hospital, part of the government's Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram.
Questions CDC suggests taking to the visit:
What do you and your child enjoy doing together?
What does your child like to do?
Is there anything your child does, or does not do, that worries you?
Has your child stopped doing anything they used to do?
Was your child born early, or do they have any special health needs?
Pikabee