The Storyteller Play Kit is the perfect theme for the 3-year-old age group. Right when my daughter turned 3, I started noticing her imagination take flight. She’d create these make-believe worlds of horse families going on trips and Barbies giving each other hugs. Her storytelling was fairly simplistic, but watching her play like this independently was so much fun.

I love that this Lovevery play kit includes items that support the budding interests of 3-year-olds. Now, can we find suitable alternatives to these items on Amazon? Join me to see what we uncovered!

Check out other age ranges in the series: Lovevery Amazon Alternatives for Every Play Kit

Easy Connect Fort Set

The Easy Connect Fort Set was an instant hit with both of my kids, even though my son was only 2 when my daughter got this play kit.

They had a blast fitting the wooden dowels into the sleeves and brackets, although it is a little bit tough. I often have to help my kids apply enough pressure to get the dowel firmly into the connecting pieces.

I’m pretty pumped that I found a very affordable, and likely easier to maneuver, fort kit on Amazon for around $10 (Amazon prices fluctuate).

While this kit isn’t wooden, it has more pieces than the Lovevery version and can be used indoors and out. This honestly might be the best Lovevery Amazon Alternative yet!

Puppet Theater & Fort Covers

The nice part of the Lovevery puppet theater is it works with the fort set. Your kiddos can follow instructions to make a puppet theater, and they can clip on the puppet theater cover. I do love how different components of this kit work together.

That said, there is a very popular puppet theater on Amazon from Melissa & Doug. It’s on the pricier side (around $80, though Amazon prices fluctuate), but it is made of wood and includes some extra features, like a clock and chalkboard.

Storytelling Puppet Set With Changing Emotion Eyes

Lovevery definitely has a unique toy in the emotion puppet set. With these puppets, you can swap out the eyes to change the emotion of the puppet. This allows your child to explore emotional literacy through play.

I could not find any puppets with distinctive emotions on Amazon. That said, there are lots of puppet options, including the Melissa & Doug Safari Buddies set. 

If your child is a fan of Mickey Mouse, you may also be interested in the Mickey Mouse & Friends puppets.

Finally, you could get a DIY Make Your Own Puppets set. This way, you could have more control over how the puppets look – you may even be able to add your own emotions!

Squeeze & Spray Mop

The mop that comes with this Lovevery kit is genius. It’s actually functional! My 2 and 3.5-year-old love this thing, and I love when they use it.

Having this kid-sized mop also reminded me to involve my kids in clean-up. For example, my daughter took a crayon and started drawing all over the floor.

Instead of just sighing and wiping it up myself, I thought, “Hey – let’s see if I can involve her with that Lovevery mop!” She was actually excited to clean up her own mess. That was a big moment for us.

A common Montessori suggestion is to get a Swiffer and attach the handle directly to the base. By not using the two center rods, it’s the perfect height for kiddos.

Letter Sounds Animal Puzzle

The Letter Sounds Animal Puzzle, which is double-sided, is a pretty unique concept. I really liked watching the video from Jessica Rolph, Lovevery Cofounder & CEO, as she described how to play with it. 

The product designers were very careful to make sure all animals in the puzzle represent the right phonetic sound. For example, there’s a goat instead of a giraffe, because the “g” sound at the beginning of “goat” represents the letter “g” appropriately. 

I couldn’t find anything quite like this puzzle on Amazon, but a fairly good option is this Melissa & Doug Animal Alphabet Floor Puzzle. You can practice the same educational concepts while doing this puzzle with your child – “d, d, dog!”

‘Adela Comes Home’ Book

I love this book, ‘Adela Come Home,’ because it allows me and my daughter to explore and learn about a culture different from ours.

My goal in finding a good alternative on Amazon was to find a great story that introduces children to the Native American culture, just like this Lovevery book. 

I believe I found that in Powwow Day, a hardcover picture book by Traci Sorell, a member of the Cherokee Nation.

We get to explore some emotions in this story as well as an introduction to the powwow, a North American Indian ceremony featuring feasting, singing, and dancing.

Lovevery vs Amazon Price Comparison

Here’s the final price breakdown of the $120 Lovevery kit vs our best Amazon alternatives:

• Easy Connect Fort Set alternative: $9.99
• Puppet Theater & Fort Covers alternative: $76.95
• Storytelling Puppet Set With Changing Emotion Eyes alternative: $20.49
• Squeeze & Spray Mop alternative: $29.09
• Letter Sounds Animal Puzzle alternative: $15.09
• ‘Adela Comes Home’ Book alternative: $14.29

*Please know that Amazon prices fluctuate.

The total cost to recreate The Storyteller Play Kit on Amazon is $165.90, or $45.90 more than the Lovevery kit itself. 

If I had to pick and choose here, I’d definitely suggest the fort set alternative – you can’t beat the Amazon price, the Swiffer, and the book Powwow Day. My local library had this book, so I was able to request it – you may look into that as well as opposed to purchasing it.

The puppet theater and puppets are definitely a lot of fun, but they’re pretty pricey. Save it as a birthday or Christmas gift idea if your budget doesn’t have room for it. It’s age-appropriate and will be used for years to come.

Conclusion

The Storyteller Play Kit encourages emotional literacy, independence, and imagination. I especially love that the fort kit helps build early engineering understanding. 

We love this Lovevery kit, but I do think I’ve found some great alternatives on Amazon for those who can’t afford the kit or only want a toy or two from it.

Happy shopping! I’ll be back soon with the final two installments in this Lovevery Amazon Alternatives series. Thanks for joining me!

Check out the series: Lovevery Amazon Alternatives for Every Play Kit