The Parent's Guide to Third Grade

How does a third grader think? What happens this year in the classroom? You've got questions, we've got answers! Whether you're interested in learning about developmental milestones, or want fun activities to do with your child after school, start with our third grade guide.

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Our Essential Third Grade Gift Guide

We've looked high and low for the best toys, books, games, and gadgets to make gift-giving easy. Check out our gift guide for top picks that combine learning value, staying power, and major kid-appeal!

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Is it a science lesson or a toy? Kids can usually tell you in no time flat. But this ingenious set actually had our testers fooled. With a little adult assistance, (but not much!), kids can assemble a miniature working air hockey set and learn about the science of air ...and a good hockey game, too.

Has your child always dreamed of going on safari? At this wildlife preserve in the California wine country, visitors pile into jeeps and hit the road for close encounters with zebras, rhinos, wildebeests, and more than a dozen varieties of African antelope.

Are your children interested in learning the ancient art of weaving? If so, then there's no better product on the market. Large and sturdy, this loom should last through more than its fair share of creative crafting sessions, whether kids decide to make a purse, weave a belt, or whip up a scarf.

Think Connect 4 for up to four players. Sounds fun and easy right? Well, there's one extra feature that makes this game super interesting: a coordinate marker that governs where players can put down a piece! Boost logic, sequence, and strategy skills, and give your kid a jump on thinking visually.

With 48 challenges and 4 levels of difficulty, this strategic maze game can be adapted to any child's capability, and occupy them for as little as 5 minutes or as long as a few hours. Kids pick a challenge and arrange tiles to build a "road." Wonderful for cognitive thinking and reasoning skills!

FlapDoodle involves lots of ridiculous trivia and even sillier tasks. Play involves moving through a beautifully illustrated “factory” using one of the deliciously absurd character game pieces. Quick, creative, and endlessly amusing, this is an absolute must for any family's board game collection.

When you imagine your child 10 years from now, do you imagine her reading The New Yorker? Then you've got to get your hands on this magazine! Every story, poem, and illustration is penned by a kid ages 8-13, but it's edited by a professional. Inspiring reading, perfect for a budding author or poet.

If you've spent time in an elementary classroom, you've probably seen "tangrams". Teachers use them to introduce geometry and build visual-spatial perception. This puzzle game brings tangrams into three dimensions, challenging kids to configure blocks into arrangements designed by real architects.

All children need to know how to do to create the scarf and hat projects outlined in this kit is to tie a simple knot. That's it. And the projects come out looking like something you might find at your local craft fair! A brilliant introduction to the world of crafting.

This building toy comes with 454 individual pieces that can be interconnected in a huge variety of ways, allowing the player to use her creativity to construct anything she can dream up. Switch on the electric motor and watch it spin around like the real carnival ride, but without the nausea!

This kit hearkens back to a time when little kids learned to sew magical things out of modest means. Complete with yarn for hair, patterns, a muslin figure, and a sack of sewing accoutrements, it will teach your child to sew her own "eco" doll using materials made in America.

No need to lug a duffel bag full of boardgames on your next vacation: this little volume packs fifteen of the greatest games of all time into a slim little package that can slide into a suitcase with room to spare. A great way to get your game on, on the go, and sneak in a little culture, too!

Kenny and the Dragon

by Tony DiTerilizzi

Kenny Rabbit doesn't have too many friends, until he meets a poetry-spouting, creme-brulee-eating, peace-loving dragon. What will Kenny do when Grahame is designated a scourge by the townsfolk and marked for imminent extermination?

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

by Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwick sisters are back! The new installment, fresh on the heels of the National Book Award winner "The Penderwicks", resumes the story of Rosalind, Skye, and Jane, with the addition of new little sis, Batty. A sure bet for family read-alouds and individual page-turning alike.

Emily Windsnap: 3 Swishy Mermaid Tales

by Liz Kessler

This boxed set of three mermaid adventures has a sweet innocence missing from so many of the books written for this age group. While it's not exactly fine literature, Emily's journey to the deep, full of danger and adventure, is a fun and frothy escape, especially for reluctant readers.

School and Academics

3rd Grade Writing: What Happens

In third grade, writing becomes more complicated. Not only will your child be writing book reports, he will learn to do research papers. Third graders are asked to respond in writing in almost every subject, even math, so they need to know how to write their thoughts and ideas. Third graders will ...

According to the School Psychologist: 3rd Grade

By the time your child reaches third grade, he is well immersed in and influenced by the culture of school. Peer relationships are of increasing importance, and third graders may shy away from taking risks or exhibiting individualized or unique behavior for fear of being teased. They may shun the ...

3rd Grade Social Studies: What Happens

In third grade, social studies moves from the back seat, to a more visible part of the school week. What will your child learn? Read on.

3rd Grade Math: What Happens

Third grade is a flagship year for math, as it's the bridge from simple computation to more complex skills. What do children typically learn this year? Read on to find out.

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3rd Grade Reading: What Happens

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Social and Emotional

Your 3rd Grader's Social Life

It's easy to see how third grade spells new social challenges: smack-dab in the middle of elementary school, third graders are eager to be bigger, older, and cooler than can be. Third grade is the time when the social attitudes that will characterize the years to come, are defined.