Reading helps three-year-olds start to recognize letters and helps them learn to love literature. Read picture books each day, but go further by having "free book time" each day in which children are allowed to explore books on their own. Let children flip through books, look at the pictures or make up their own stories to go along with the photos. Encourage them to get creative by pointing at pictures in unfamiliar books and asking them to guess what they think is happening.
Young children enjoy exploring new textures and sounds. Go on a texture hunt to see how many different "feels" children can find. Ask them to collect items from the classroom that have different feels. Do this yourself by collecting soft teddy bears, hard plastic spoons, sticky glue sticks and any other interesting objects you find. Ask each child to feel the objects and try to describe them. Teach them vocabulary words relating to texture. Ask children to compare the objects and decide which item is the scratchiest or softest.
Rather than flashy toys that run on batteries, blocks require children to play actively rather than staring at a blinking, talking toy. Blocks also teach children about building. Provide wooden or foam blocks, or even make your own by covering small, empty cardboard boxes with paper. Let children build freely or suggest certain structures they can create, such as buildings or rocket ships. Provide dolls, small toy people and cars so children can create entire towns out of blocks.
Playing pretend allows children to learn to work together and also helps them understand the thoughts and feelings of others. Provide dress-up clothes and props, along with pretend food, money and empty boxes. Children can use all these things to play house, restaurant or pretend to go shopping. Encourage children to decide among themselves what characters they will play and what scenario they will act out. Three-year-olds may need adult help to agree on these. Sit back while they play, and only jump in if children can't solve a fight or they are being unsafe.