He's 3, don't overthink it. When I was 3, one of those Balsa wood gliders was the most fun thing in the world.
This is the first thing that came to mind. I used to get them at the dentist as a kid
https://www.amazon.ca/Glider-Assorted-Birthday-Stocking-Stuffers/dp/B07WHM33X1
Didn't realize how cheap they were, maybe I'll get more...
These things are so awesome. I had one once and it’s burned into my memory far more than it should be.
I can't seem to find them on Amazon, but there used to be those air pump powered planes that were a lot of fun if you had the room to fly them.
Maybe one of those paper airplane building books.
Thank you, that sounds like a great idea!
Someone also makes one of those “page-a-day” calendars with instructions for a new plane every day, typically with designs printed on them so the planes look cool after being folded.
I helped a friend’s daughter make paper airplanes once. She was all excited about making all sorts of new airplanes but none of them were flying.
So over the course of a few weeks I had her repeat the same basic airplane again and again, until she mastered it. At first she hated the idea of going back and doing the same airplane again, but as her folds got better and her airplanes started to fly better, she got really into it.
The grin that spread over her face when she realized she could get better at things was amazing.
And she was six. I’m not sure if an airplane a day would be appropriate for a three year old.
This!
My kids have had a few of these over the years and they're great. At 3-4yrs, they'll needs some help with instructions and folding, but it's still a great gift.
Maybe see if you have an aviation museum in your area. Some cool planes for the kid to see (or maybe even touch!) and also something for you to enjoy as well. Some also have gift shops as well which would probably be of interest to him.
Yup. Museum of Flight (seattle) or NASM in DC are AMAZING and you can easily spend multiple days just taking in their static displays.
I noticed when I fly a lot of airlines include models of the plane you're on in the in-flight purchase pamphlet. They're pretty simple, probably fine for a kid - on the off chance you're flying somewhere for the holidays.
A poster with pictures of airplanes, that you hang up on his playroom wall. And then you look at the planes together and name them every time you visit. That's awesome fun for a 3 year old.
Amazon has these cool airport play mats. Bundle with a couple toy planes to takeoffs and land with.
Has the child flown on a commercial airline, yet? My son loved having a Southwest branded toy airplane - realistic looking one - after he had flown on that carrier. It let him relive his flight and expand on it in his imagination.
There is a new LEGO set of the Concorde ;-)
See if you have a small, local air field that you can get him a flight in a Cessna.
Matchbox used to make a line of plane toys, not sure if they still do. Been a few years since I paid attention to toy cars
On theme though not literally an aeroplane; the parachuter toys, like little army men that have a parachute on them that you throw out of windows/down the stairs, they were always an absolutely favourite of mine.
Make sure to get the type with netting that connects the parachute to the person as opposed to strings as it can never tangle
This was the first thing i thought of. They also come as fireworks that will launch the little guy into the sky and pretty much always get him stuck in a tree. 9/10 would recommend
A shirt with an airplane on it. Get one that's a few sizes too big so he can wear it for a while.
I don’t know if the Air & Space Museum has an online gift shop, but they have stuff for all ages. Even if you’re not close to the ones in DC, they have storage hangars all over that they open to the public. Keep an eye out for that.
Is there a minimum age to fly a lightweight aircraft? Seems like the lighter you go, the less restrictions. Maybe make a drone for him to fly in and you can control it, that has to be legal somewhere.
You can get trinkets made from the skins of older, real airplanes.
They could be a cool collection starter and they're shiny
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