toddler fun box?

[pinkytoe]

Help me think of some fun things to add to my 3yo grand-twins fun box for Christmas. DD tells me they prefer playing with regular stuff vs commercial toys so I want to put together a box of items to encourage creativity and maybe a few laughs. Magnifiying glass, dollar store kitchen stuff, whoopee cushion...Any ideas?

[iris lilies]

Oh, fun!

i got nuthin. But they will like whatever you send.

[catherine]

I would just springboard off of their personalities. My 3 y.o. and 2 y.o. grandkids were coming up for dinner, and DH and I happened to be at the dollar store. As it turned out, they were selling a "Paw Patrol" car, and they also had a little plush doggie and doggie carrier with grooming things. My 3 y.o. grandson LOVES Paw Patrol, and my 2 y.o. granddaughter LOVES animals, so these cheap toys were a no-brainer. They were a real hit!

I have a 3 y.o. GS who loves worms and nature, so I've bought him little explorer things, like binoculars and magnifying glasses and little plastic boxes for bugs. My 7 y.o. loves to build things, so Legos are good or anything STEM related.

But I love your list. You are definitely on the right track! DH likes the real cheap stuff, like lollipops, balsa gliders, kites. His latest hit was a pair of "flying chickens"

[Tradd]

Maybe some plastic kitchen utensils, small plastic bowl, cup, etc.

[happystuff]

I always remember those big pop-beads and wooden blocks/lincoln logs - just stuff to build and stack. Then throw in a few little cars to drive around the buildings they create.

[iris lilies]

Maybe some plastic kitchen utensils, small plastic bowl, cup, etc.
Our three-year-old nephew was super into his play kitchen at age 3.It wasn’t a gendered
toy because that was a house full of boys.

This three-year-old nephew grew up to be a chemical engineer so apparently he was always interested in chemical reactions starting with those in the kitchen.

[razz]

Hand puppets? popsicle sticks to stack? Things with different textures like sponge, fur, silk?

[ToomuchStuff]

I am having a flashback to Putt Putt's, however, you already mentioned one thing that I have always seen kids have fun with (from my generation on), and that is the boxes the stuff comes in. (large appliance box for fort, etc)
At 3, I would say they are too small for Lego's, but there used to be larger building blocks for smaller kids.

[Tradd]

Duplo blocks are the bigger ones for smaller kids.

[mschrisgo2]

I made a “Busy Box” - a small 8x8 plastic box with a handle that opened like a clam shell. We started with fat crayons in lots of colors and I cut 8.5 x11 colored papers into fourths, added some dollar store stencils, and 2 tiny dinosaurs. Those dinosaurs drew and colored and narrated their creations for many, many years, keeping grands and guests busy creating.

[Chicken lady]

Wooden spoons, wood or metal bowls, pine cones, empty spice containers, fabric squares, scaled down housekeeping or gardening tools, balls, blocks, dress up clothes, seeds, a pot, and some potting soil. Hit the thrift store, not the dollar store.

[Tybee]

thrift shop a great idea--cookie cutters!

[Tybee]

fun shaped soap and cute toothbrushes
new socks!

[lmerullo]

Home made building dough. Like play doh, but child safe if they eat it. Can be used with all the cookie cutters. I also saw a tiny rolling pin the other day, so you might be able to find one that will go into your kit.