What is it like to be 3 year old? A Glimpse into an often overlooked age.
- Frédérique and the Wooden Fellows
Earlier this year, Mme Rigolotte and I launched a new series inviting everyone to step into the shoes of a young child at various ages, from birth to five. Our goal is to raise everyone’s curiosity about young children—whether or not you regularly spend time with little ones.
So far, we have explored what it’s like to be a 4-year-old, and what it is like to be 2. We also explored infancy last month. Today, we are elevating an often overlooked age: being 3-year old!
Quick note. While we base this series on milestones from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), the wooden Fellows and I would like to remind everyone that every child develops at their own pace. We hope you know we aim to celebrate here each child’s uniqueness, whether or not they meet traditional milestones, as well as their neurodivergence, physical or cognitive disabilities, or health conditions. And actually, this is another reason why raising curiosity is so critical to us – when you become curious about young children, you naturally start appreciating the individuality of every child, and find joy in celebrating those differences.
Having taught 3-year-olds for a while, I am excited to join Mme Rigolotte to elevate an age that often gets overlooked, caught somewhere between the “Terrible Twos” and the more structured, preschool-ready age of four. But three is a fascinating age, when children start blossoming into little personalities, mixing social interests, growing independence, and one-of-a-kind voices.
Becoming social bees
At two, children may be curious about others, but by three, many are ready for more. While parallel play may be common—each child doing their own thing—one can start seeing genuine interaction: a soft animal passed back and forth, a shared giggle, a dance move.
Their growing language skills open the door to surprising, often heartwarming conversations, with turns of back-and-forth dialogue, even though just a lucky few close ones may have the superpower of understanding every single word. As their curiosity blossoms, their more complex questions are pure gold, offering us little windows into their thinking.
It is time to start recording those words and thoughts, whether you witness them throughout your daily routine, in the car, or while reading a book or telling a story at night. For instance, Paul, Rosie’s brother, once called the garbage truck a poubelle truck—a blend of his French and English vocabulary. Being three is full of these little treasures. Any stories you want to share?
Learning like sponges
Three-year-olds are learning sponges, soaking up new words and language expressions, routines and emotions, and thriving in a rich and supportive educational environment that fulfills their natural curiosity.
It’s a great time to dive deeper into picturebook, reading the same story again and again as every repeat brings new discoveries. One day, the focus can be about the story, and the next, it can be on early mathematics. Once you engage in conversation, picturebooks become springboards for language, early math, and beyond.
Puzzles, beads, drawing—these quiet, focused activities can sometimes hold a 3-year-old’s attention longer than you would think. Offer them tools, and their exploration will take off!
Embracing independency
3 year old is also the age where they become more independent, embracing the Montessory philosophy of “Help me do it myself”. Three is also the age of “I want to do it!”—and they will, with a bit of time and patience. They start putting some clothes on their own, love becoming ‘big kid’ and use fork or other ustensils.
Give them a little extra time to dress, let them carry their own backpack—this is how independence grows. Catching balls might still be a work in progress, but give them bubbles and watch the delight as they chase and pop them. So joyful!
___
Three-year-olds are fiercely independent, yet needing support; talkative, yet sometimes unintelligible; playful, yet serious little learners. This in-between age is often skipped over in conversation but it deserves celebration!
What is your favorite aspect of being 3?
The post is based CDC’s Developmental Milestones, as well as stories from my experiences as an early childhood educator, researcher, and parent.
