at three they like hands on tactile things. when i have my neice for the summer (she's 3 too ), we make things. i take a couple of slices of white bread and take the edges off and cut into crumbs, add white glue and knead until it is like play dough, we make christmas ornaments and tea sets and animals. you can add food collring but it is more fun to paint them after they are dry. it takes about 2 or 3 ays to get hard so you have 2 projects in one. we have also tried making homeade play dough with cornstarch. i got the recipe online just google it. this summer we made matching t shirts and wore them shopping and to the pool. we used white t shirts and fabric paints form wal mart they are about 6 dollars for a set of multiple colors. they have glossy and pugff paint. marisa liked the puff paint because after it dries you steam it or put it in the drier and it puffs up. we also have a lot of fun having tea parties. i collect procelain and china tea cups and she knows she cant play with them unless we have a grwon up tea party. we make cucumber shandwiches and pb and j sandwiches and cut them up in 4ths then we make herbal tea. i bought a box of several types like fruit flavored and we get dressed up in nice dresses and set the table and have a tea party. it is also a good way to teach manners. we also planted beans and watched them grow. she was here 2 weeks then went home for 2 and when she came back for 2 weeks they were up. i just took pictures of the plants and sent them to her email and last week i took a bunch of harvested beans to her house and we cooked them and ate them. we also went to a peach orchard and picked peaches. this way she knows where food comes from. we came back and made a peach pie and peach ice cream in an old fashioned ice cream maker. we went to a local cheese factory and took a free tour, we bought some cheese and came home and made quesadillas for dinner. she ahs started preschool so i dont get her until thanksgiving again but i miss her so much already. she talks constantly and the house seems so quiet now. she goes to my house for two weeks at a time and then goes to her house and my other sisiter watches her the next to weeks. we have been doing this since she was born. she is the only girl neice and the youngest of all . cant wait to have her again in november. her parents both work alot and dont have much time to devote to her but i think she gets more attention and does more fun stuff than any other little girl i know. have fun