One of my favorite ages to take to theme parks is the three year old. While babies and younger toddlers are too small to really get into the vacation, a three year old is full of wonder, can walk longer distances, doesn’t need to go to bed as early, and recognizes things in the parks.
Heading to LEGOLAND with a three year old is exciting too, especially if they’ve had practice with lego duplos at home and have started to learn how to build and create.
Inside this guide we’ll cover what a 3 year old can do at LEGOLAND Orlando, plus tips from a recent trip and ideas to make your vacation that much more enjoyable.
Since most 3 year olds are 34 inches or taller, we’re basing the following guide on that height limit. If your three year old is smaller than 34 inches, you may have to make some adjustments!
Since Planning a LEGOLAND vacation does take some research, be sure to find check out the LEGOLAND Florida Planning Guide.
And if your staying on property at LEGOLAND, the Lego Hotel is the BEST option for a three year old.
Activity Areas and Rides for 3 year olds at LEGOLAND
If they are adventurous and ready to ride by themselves? You can send them away on a trip through DUPLO land on the Duplo Train. The ride is actually relatively short, they are buckled in with a child proof buckle, and it goes around the track twice for maximum fun. It’s definitely one of the things that should be added to your bucket list for LEGOLAND.
The rest of the rides require someone 14 or older as a ride companion. Other Fun things to do with a three year old include the Duplo Tractor and Safari Trek, both are mild and somewhat scenic rides. And we love love love the Boating School where you get to drive a boat around the lake and the NFPA Rescue Academy where you guide a firetruck to put out a fire!
Then there’s the Lost Kingdom Adventure and Lego Ninjago Rides. These are indoor style moving track rides (my toddler did think these were alittle scary and refused to ride them more than once!)
A classic is the double decker Grand Carousel at the front of the park. And it’s one of our favorite rides to enjoy as a family.
Related: Must have packing guide for LEGOLAND with toddlers!
Shows and Activities my 3 year old loves at LEGOLAND
There are ton of shows and fun things to do, like fun hands on things.
I think this is what really separates LEGOLAND from other Orlando theme parks, and something I really wish Disney would consider doing in the future.
At LEGOLAND there are so many ‘tot spots’ and lego/duplo building areas that I can’t even list them all! Seriously! We love that in every section of the park there is something for the younger crowd to enjoy (especially if you have older people in your group that are waiting in rides).
As far as shows, our three year old has enjoyed all of them and thinks the shows are one of the best things about LEGOLAND.
There’s the 4D theater, the special events theater at the back of the park by Ninjago land, and then the water theater (called the Special Event Theater or the Pirate Cove Theater) that has some wildly fun shows.Â
Special Events are so fun for three year olds
LEGOLAND has a TON of special events throughout the year. They have fun themed weekends, like Pirate Weekend, Friends Weekend and Heros Weekend. LEGOLAND also has festive holiday events for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fourth of July etc.
All of these events are friendly for three year olds (and their siblings!) as there are a number of activities to do! Plus most of the regular everyday attractions are open, which makes it easy to combine special festival activities with everyday options.Â
The LEGOLAND Water Park has it’s own toddler area that 3 year olds can enjoy
We LOVE the water park with our younger kids for so many reasons! We are big water park people and have taken them to the other Orlando Options… but the LEGOLAND one is especially easy for us to use.
For one, there is a dedicated toddler area at the front of the park, and it’s separated by a bridge. We’ve spent several trips just in the Duplo Safari Splash area without venturing over the bridge.
Once over the bridge, there is a wave pool (with islands for littles to stand on), a lazy river (grab a tube that has a bottom!) and a bigger kid splash area (good idea to pick them up so they aren’t lost when the water tumbles down!).
There is so much for three year olds at LEGOLAND!
There’s so much that you can’t do everything all in one day!
Instead, let each kid pick a few rides that they really want to do, prioritize those rides, and then enjoy any extras that you fit into your day! It’s one of the things we talk about in the LEGOLAND hacks list.