Thoughts on Leap Pad 2 for My 3 Yr Old Bday What to Get Kid Who Has a Lot

I agree with Mrslavallie - Books
or
art supplies
things to build with - not only physically build but to build his imagination. Help him to create on his own - not just follow another electronic screen.

With the coming birthday, it may be time to par down the toys, donate gently used ones; the ones he does not use often; or has outgrown.

When my son was three he loved workbooks - you remember those - the books that they practiced writing and such in, with a pencil.

Belay the electronics. I really think they stymy our kids when introduced too early.

I second books, stuffed animals, PlayDoh, anything that is hands-on vs. electronic.

Along the lines of books, stuffed animals, art supplies, maybe pair them with one of his favorite characters.

I.E. My soon-to-be 3-year-old loves Clifford, and he's very educational. We got her some Clifford books and an accompanying Clifford stuffed animal.

She also loves to paint so we got her bath paints.

Get in tune with the theme/character of the year :-)

Books...that's all I buy my toddler, pretty much, because we already have all the toys from her older sister. Grandparents still buy toys, and I do on rare occasions...but mostly, it's books.

If you'd like book suggestions, please pm me and I'll give you a list. I have found some great books that my children love, that aren't necessarily main stream.

My son had some experience with my phone and a cheap tablet we got for $30 that had 3 games. I researched for months and decided to get one for his 3rd bday. He's now 4-1/2 and has played with it 3x, two of those times were to show his friends and see if they wanted it. The touch is not like phones/tablets, they have to push harder and hold. The games are very repetitive, costly and boring. For us, it was a waste of money and instead of returning it when I could, I kept trying to make it likable and then lost my window. So, if you do get it, make sure to keep everything so you can return it if it's not used.
For other ideas, can you do memberships to zoos/museums? With warmer temps arriving, a big wheel/scooter/bike? Good luck :)

We bought a Leap Pad for my 5 year old last summer. She loves it, as does my three year old son. I didn't think he would be able to play it, but he LOOOOOOOOOVES it. He loves it so much we had to get him one for Christmas to avoid the fighting. I think its a good investment because it will grow with them for at least 3, hopefully 4 or 5 years.

It comes with games already loaded onto it, especially the very popular "Pet Pad" where they can create a pet and take care of it. So you might not need to get any cartridges right away. It has a camera built in so they can take pictures, an "art studio" where they can free hand draw and use stamps. My son loves it all.

I don't know if its "too soon" to introduce electronics or not. Let's face it, these children of ours will be "digital natives". If you've got a Smart Phone you already know what I mean.

We could get easily 60 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time out of the Leap Pad... which is a really good thing on a long car ride or a rainy afternoon.

My son loves art supplies. Even from a young age. Play-Doh, some fun kitchen items from the dollar store to use with the playdough, a ream of paper and some crayons, paints (look online, you can find deals on tempera paints). I also love blocks for kids. There are a lot of different block sets out there. I really like unit blocks, but any kind of building toy is fine so long as your child has the ability to maniuplate it. Wait a bit on tinkertoys and lincoln logs (they have to learn pattern concepts and have fine motor skills to have success with these toys).

If you don't have a sandbox outside, that might be another great option.

Give him some seeds. Making things grow is a powerful experience for young children. Even a pot can hold some flowers like bachelors buttons or some calendula or marigolds. Easy to grow and it's fun for them to make a posy for the dinner table.

Books are our favorite gift to receive, to be truthful. I'd encourage you to find a place that has a wide selection of childrens books and take time to browse. One of my favorites for this age is "Apple Farmer Annie" by Monica Wellington. It's one kids get excited about and relate to in their way. Annie has an orchard and grows apples. Pretty simple, but great text and lively illustrations. Another great one is "The Important Book" by Margaret Wise Brown (the author of "The Runaway Bunny" and "Goodnight Moon"). The board book version of "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" (it's abridged) by Virginia Lee Burton (author of "The Little House" and "Life Story") was one of my son's regularly chosen bedtime stories at this age. The story of the anthropomorphized Mary Ann, Mike's steam shovel, and their race against time is compelling and a testament to the values of hard work and loyalty. Can you tell I like it?:)

My son is almost six and we haven't started him on a computer yet, so I really can't advise in that area. (His teacher said this wasn't necessary yet, and he's not interested. We'll have plenty of time for it later.)