It’s a really bad idea to give 3-year-olds LEGO from the “standard” series we used to play with when we were kids. Most people don’t know this but the smaller LEGO blocks are actually aimed at kids 4-year-old and above.
These smaller LEGO bricks are too small for 3-year-old hands and pose potential choking hazards for toddlers.
Here’s the most important thing you need to get out of this article: Don’t give LEGO to a 3-year-old, buy LEGO DUPLO instead.
The LEGO Group brought out a range of LEGO blocks specifically designed for 3-year-olds in 1969, this is the LEGO DUPLO line. The blocks are twice the size of normal LEGO and they come in a variety of themes and designs to capture the imagination of younger kids.
The starting point when shortlisting the best LEGO DUPLO sets for kids of 3 years of age was my own experience as a dad of a now 4-year-old, who got into LEGO when he was around three. In addition to my kid’s own first hand experience, I also used data analysis to uncover which LEGO DUPLO sets are the most popular with parents right now according to real online reviews to ensure I wasn’t missing any highly rated options.
Top 3 LEGO Sets For 3-Year-Olds
As usual, we tried to cover as many bases as possible as we know that every 3-year-old is unique in their likes and interests. Budget is also something we always think about, so I tried to include a variety of sets covering different price ranges.
Read on to find out what are the best LEGO DUPLO sets 3-year-old kids available right now.
1. LEGO DUPLO Disney Pixar Toy Story Train
The Pixar Toy Story is an interesting set with a steam train, cactus, and several other pieces to make the gameplay complete. The toy is large enough, five-inches high, so the small hands can hold them with ease without the risk of swallowing them. Kids will develop their fine motor skills and develop their creativity. Kids will have different Pixar Toy Story characters to make gameplay interesting. Kids will learn to solve problems.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ The train is tough enough for toddlers that play rough games
❤️ The pieces are large enough and have beautiful colors for interesting play
❤️ The price of this piece is reasonable compared to the prices at the Disney store
What We Don’t Love:
💔 Some pieces are challenging to attach to the others
2. LEGO DUPLO Town Modular Playhouse
The second best option was this DUPLO townhouse as it had so many options that tons of kids could enjoy it.
The Town Modular Playhouse introduces your kids to everyday life activities, such as cooking, bedtime routine, and homemaking. This simple townhouse has different rooms a living room, bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen. These rooms have realistic details so that kids can build, dismantle, and rebuild the rooms. The main playhouse is 14 inches.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ The rooms can be created in different ways
❤️ Interesting colors and realistic details
❤️ The interesting details help grow a kid’s motor, social, and language skills
What We Don’t Love:
💔 Older kids will damage this LEGO faster
3. LEGO DUPLO Jurassic World Building
Does your kid love dinosaurs? If they do, this T-Rex and Triceratops set allows them to stage a breakout of these two dinosaurs. The set comes with a buildable entrance to the Jurassic World, T-Rex with its mouth open, and a baby Triceratops. There is also a trainer figure, Owen, and his motorcycle. Kids aged two years or older will enjoy playing this game.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ Kids love the dinosaur and motorcycle combination in this set
❤️ The pieces are sturdy, so the kid can throw them around
❤️ Only 36 pieces, so toddlers can assemble them without help
What We Don’t Love:
💔 Costs a little more than other 64pc sets
4. LEGO DUPLO Steam Train
Nothing beats that first toy train that your kids play with. It’s not a coincidence that train sets are one of the most popular toys for all ages and this set from LEGO DUPLO allows your 3-year-old the chance to get into this hobby from a young age.
This is a 59-piece LEGO DUPLO set including a train track made of 16 LEGO pieces, a train, and action pieces. Even better, the train is electronic which allows you to control it from a remote control. Everything is easy to build, so your child will not have a challenge putting it together.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ Great opportunity to play with trains without the challenges of most train sets on the market
❤️ There is an optional app to teach kids more
❤️ Everything is easy to assemble and run
What We Don’t Love:
💔 The optional train app is slow
💔 Hard to find fault as it was unanimous across all the parents who had this that this was a favorite both with our team and the wider customer analysis.
4. LEGO DUPLO Construction Truck and Tracked Excavator
This is for kids who love construction stories. The LEGO set allows kids to create LEGO trucks and excavators as they develop different skills that will last them a lifetime. The set features construction worker figures, a boulder, and a rotating digger. Assembling the truck and excavator will help kids develop fine motor skills and kids aged as young as two years can assemble it.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ Kids are able to create the trucks in different ways
❤️ Young kids can easily pick out the parts and assemble them according to the simple instructions
❤️ The boulder on the set opens and closes with easee that many kids will already have
What We Don’t Love:
💔 The rotating piece of the truck wears off with ease
5. LEGO DUPLO Marvel Spider-Man Headquarters Building Set
This set comes with three superhero figures that kids will love. The kids can enjoy endless imaginative play with Spiderman, Ghost-Spider, and Miles Morales. There is also a cool motorcycle and a host of other accessories to make the gameplay interesting. It is a great game when you need your kids to develop their hands-on skills. Even better, the toys are large enough for a three-year-old to enjoy.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ Kids love superheroes, this game has three of them
❤️ There are 36 pieces, giving kids the versatility they need to play different games
❤️ The pieces hold up just fine then the kids play rough games
What We Don’t Love:
💔 There is a blank piece that the kid may not know where to place
💔 After a few turns, the wires at the bottom of the cars need readjusting or the vehicles come off the track
6. LEGO DUPLO Town Airplane & Airport Building Toy
Your kid will build an airport with this set. The set has 28 pieces, so the kids can create the airport how they want it, making the set versatile. There are three figures, a dad, a girl, and a pilot. There is also an airplane and several other pieces to help you create an airport. Your toddler will enjoy the fun accessories, such as a teddy bear, a flag, and a suitcase that will make their gameplay interesting. Kids can create imaginative stories and get into exciting adventures.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ The set features bright colors that kids will love
❤️ The airplane opens up, so kids can place their fingers in it to enhance gameplay
❤️ There are only 28 pieces, so even a two-year-old will love it
What We Don’t Love:
💔 The plane construction is weaker than the other pieces
7. LEGO DUPLO Town Space Shuttle Mission Building Set
This is a set for budding astronauts. It is a versatile set that allows kids to exercise their imaginative play. The set comes with a male and a female astronaut figure, a buildable space shuttle, a ladder, and other pieces. The toys are large enough for toddlers from age two. There are several ways to combine LEGO pieces to make the set versatile.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ You can combine this piece with any other Duplo set
❤️ Most kids love the space building kit as it works their imaginative self
❤️ The plastic construction is tough enough for rough play
What We Don’t Love:
💔 The instructions might be a little challenging to follow for toddlers
| TIP 💡 If you want to save money you can avoid the sets and just go with a LEGO DUPLO Classic Heart BOX 10909. This box includes 80 pcs of DUPLO that can be made in so many different ways and are often found for less than $20. |
8. LEGO DUPLO Disney Mickey & Minnie Birthday Train Building Playset
Mickie and Minnie are the favorites of many toddlers. Kids who may have watched this movie will have so much interest in the playset. Duplo offers 22 multi-colored pieces that are easy for toddlers to assemble and dismantle. The versatile piece will have all a kid needs to enjoy creating different scenes.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ The pieces are just perfect for the small hands of toddlers
❤️ Most kids love Mickey and Minnie, making the gameplay interesting
❤️ The instructions and illustrations make the LEGO pieces easy to assemble
What We Don’t Love:
💔 You may need to buy a container to hold pieces as you play as there is no carrying cases
9. LEGO DUPLO Town Airport
Toddlers will have so much fun building this set, especially if they love airport-themed playsets. The set includes an airplane, suitcase, boarding gate, and a luggage slide. There is also a traffic control tower, so kids can role play. The airplane is buildable and kids can fly it with their hands all around the tiny airport and beyond.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ With 29 pieces, this is a versatile building set for toddlers
❤️ The size is lathe enough for interesting play, but perfect for small hands
❤️ Up to three kids can play this set at the same time
What We Don’t Love:
💔 It lacks a female pilot figure that some toddlers might like
10. LEGO DUPLO Disney Frozen Ice Castle
Super Mario fans will love these plushies. The perfect plush toy for kids who like to cuddle on the couch or for The movie Frozen is one of the kids’ favorites. This set lets the kids build the Frozen castle. It has the two Frozen sisters as figures in the set and a host of other accessories to make the kid enjoy. The Olaf is part of the figures and there is also a light operated by a small button on the set that allows toddlers to get the illumination they need. In total, there are 59 pieces to keep kids engaged for a long time.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ The castle lights up with one lit brick
❤️ The castle and the figures are interesting
❤️ Figures have clothing that makes them appear as they do in the movie
What We Don’t Love:
💔 The one-lit brick does not light up the whole castle and kids would have wanted more
11. LEGO DUPLO Town Garbage Truck and Recycling
Toddlers love role play and, in this playset, they will be playing the garbage collector. The set comes with a recycling man and a boy and a garbage truck that tips to let out the garbage. There are also waste bins and waste bags and a large broom to get the game started. There are only 19 LEGO pieces so that kids as young as 2 years can play with ease. Better still, the pieces are in a realistic environment and figure colors to entertain kids.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ The color pallet makes the pieces interesting for kids to attach
❤️ The truck can take out any garbage collected
❤️ The realistic environment teaches kids the beauty of taking care of the environment
What We Don’t Love:
💔 Some parents note that they would have wanted a girl figure
12. LEGO DUPLO My First Number Train
This is a simple LEGO train set for kids who are just learning numbers. The different wagons of the train set have numbers, from number 0 to number 9. There are children figures and a cat figure that the kids can connect to the train set. The pieces are large enough for an engaging imaginative play. There are 23 pieces in total, so kids have several ways to play the game. The cat attaches to the top of the wagons, and they can attach to any part of the wagon.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ If you have other train sets, this LEGO piece will match them
❤️ The plastic construction is strong enough to last many developmental pieces
❤️ It is great for kids who are learning numbers, which is what a three-year-old might be learning
What We Don’t Love:
💔 The wheels are weak and few and the wagons are only a few
13. LEGO DUPLO Disney Frozen Toy Tea Party
This is another set from DUPLO featuring Elsa and Olaf and their tea party. It immerses the kid in imaginative adventures, allowing them to develop their creativity. The models and figures are cute and all colorful and easy to handle for all kids, including those as young as 2 years old. Both girls and boys will love the gameplay with 17 pieces.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ The figures are realistic, allowing the toddlers to create realistic setups
❤️ There are only 17 pieces, so toddlers find them easy to assemble
❤️ Most kids love Frozen, and they will enjoy creating the pieces
What We Don’t Love:
💔 The toy is usually not available in local stores, you have to get it online
14. LEGO DUPLO Minnie’s Birthday Party
A starter puzzle for kids who love Super Mario. It comes with 75 pieces and a cardboard base marked with the shape Kids will love helping Minnie celebrate her birthday, and kids love Minnie. There is a Minnie figure, a buildable toy car, and a Figaro cat. The idea is for kids to build a party house and help Minnie celebrate her birthday with the 21 pieces in the set. The set is interesting to play for both boys and girls.
| Recommended age: 3 years and up |
What We Love:
❤️ The colorful pieces are interesting for kids, especially those who love Minnie
❤️There are only 21 pieces, so toddlers will have different setups to create
❤️There is a car and a cake to make the party complete
What We Don’t Love:
💔 You will pay more for this DUPLO playset than you would for other pieces
So… Which LEGO DUPLO Should You Get For Your 3-Year-Old?
We tried to find an option that covers all the bases but you can’t go wrong with either the train or the modular house especially if this is the first set for your 3-year-old.
Did we miss any spectacular LEGO DUPLO set? Please, message us and let us know.
*Customer sentiment analysis was last updated 16th July 2022
