11 Things Our 3-Year-Olds Can Do (that surprise every adult they meet)
Don't miss the special invite at the end of the post - an opportunity to experience our system
Tara and Tashi turn 3.5 years old this month.
The first question everyone asks us is - ‘Which school do they go to?’
And when we say - None; they are even more curious on how TT do what they do.
Well, it’s simple. Not easy, but simple - it takes just two parents, a bunch of principles, and a whole lot of trust.
And here’s what that looks like right now.
1. They get ready on their own. Fully.
We don’t stand over them giving instructions. They walk into the bathroom, bathe themselves while managing the hot water tap, dry off, apply oil and lotion, pick their clothes, get dressed, and show up ready. At three and a half.
They even help each other with things such as buttons on the back. The only thing that they need us to do is their hair, that too, if we are not okay with their self-made hairstyles.
Most mornings, they’re ready before we are.
2. They make rotis. Every single day.
This isn’t a cute one-time “let’s play kitchen” moment. This is daily. They knead the dough (on somedays), roll the rotis, and help place them on the tawa.
Are the rotis perfectly round? No. Are they made with focus, effort, and pride? Absolutely. And they eat their own rotis and are happy to share it with us as well.
People see this and their first reaction is always, “How is this safe?” It’s safe because we taught them how. Step by step. With patience. Not by keeping them away from the kitchen.
3. They sit. And do nothing. And that’s the point.
This one shocks people the most.
In a world where adults can’t go two minutes without reaching for their phone, our girls can sit with boredom and not panic. They don’t need constant stimulation. They don’t need a screen shoved in front of them every time there’s a quiet moment.
They sit. They think. Sometimes they stare out the window. Sometimes they hum to themselves. Sometimes they just... be.
This is deep work. At three years old. And it didn’t happen by accident. It happened because we never filled every silence with noise.
4. They communicate with reason, not tantrums.
Tara and Tashi don’t just express emotions. They explain them.
“I’m upset because Tashi took my book and I was still reading it.”
“I don’t want to eat this right now. Can I eat it after some time?”
They negotiate. They articulate. They reason. When something goes wrong, they can sit down and talk about what happened and why. Not perfectly every time. But the foundation is there.
This is emotional intelligence. And it matters more than knowing the alphabet.
5. They are physically active. Really active.
Every Saturday, we’re at Sanjay Gandhi National Park by 6 AM. Walking. Jogging. Climbing. Exploring trails in the early morning mist while Mumbai sleeps.
They don’t sit still all day and they’re not supposed to. Their bodies are meant to move, jump, run, fall, get back up. We don’t restrict that. We encourage it.
The result? Two kids who can walk for hours, who have stamina that tires out most adults on these trails, and who sleep deeply because their bodies are genuinely spent by the end of the day.
6. They clean up after themselves.
Toys go back where they came from. Plates go to the sink. Spills get wiped up.
Not because we threaten or bribe. Because this is just how things work in our house. You take something out, you put it back. You eat, you clean your plate. It’s not a chore. It’s a habit. And habits formed at three stick around a lot longer than rules imposed at thirteen.
7. They run on a rhythm that would impress most adults.
Up around 6:30 to 7 AM. Excited. Not groggy, not cranky. Genuinely excited to start the day. No battles. No negotiations. No “five more minutes” on repeat.
Asleep by 7:30 PM.
This didn’t happen because we got lucky with “easy” kids. It happened because we built a routine and stuck to it, even when it was hard. Especially when it was hard. Consistency is the most underrated parenting tool that exists.
8. They are self-sufficient in a way that surprises everyone.
Eating independently. Using the washroom. Wearing their own footwear. Cutting some fruits and veggies. Making their bed.
People visit our home and watch them for ten minutes and say, “They’re like tiny adults.”
They’re not tiny adults. They’re children who were trusted to learn. There’s a difference. We didn’t wait for them to “be ready.” We gave them opportunities and stood back.
9. SGNP Saturdays are their idea of a great weekend.
Every Saturday. Rain or shine. Sanjay Gandhi National Park at dawn.
They look forward to it all week. They talk about the monkeys, the deer, the trails, the other people they meet. They’re building a relationship with nature that no classroom could replicate.
This is their classroom. Open sky. Real animals. Mud under their feet. Conversations with strangers who smile at two little girls jogging at 6 AM.
No curriculum. Just curiosity and the outdoors.
10. They do all of this without school.
Read that again.
No school. No structured program. No teacher deciding what they should learn and when.
They learn by living. By doing. By watching, asking, failing, and trying again.
And the outcomes? Look at the list above. Independence. Emotional intelligence. Physical fitness. Deep focus. Self-sufficiency. Routine. Responsibility.
These aren’t things you learn from a textbook. These are things you learn from an environment that was designed to let you grow.
11. They don’t want screens. Even though screens exist in our house.
We didn’t hide the TVs. We didn’t lock away the phones. There’s no dramatic “screen-free household” policy taped to our wall.
The screens are right there. Available. Visible.
And the girls just... don’t care.
You know what they do instead? They pick up the AC remotes and make imaginary phone calls. Full conversations. With characters and plot twists. One of them will hold the remote to her ear and have a five-minute call with someone who doesn’t exist, and it’s more creative and engaging than anything a screen could serve up.
That’s what happens when you never make screens the default. When boredom isn’t a problem to solve but a space to create from. Kids don’t crave screens. They crave stimulation. And if the environment gives them enough of the real kind, the digital kind just stops being interesting.
We didn’t ban anything. We just made real life more compelling.
Here’s what I want you to take away from this.
I’m not writing this to brag. I’m writing this because three years ago, none of this seemed possible. We were new parents with twin newborns and inconsistent help. We had the same doubts and problems that you probably have right now.
Can kids really be this independent this young? Yes.
Does it require some magical parenting superpower? No. It requires trust, consistency, and the willingness to let go of how you think things should look.
The environment matters more than any method. And the results speak for themselves.
Special Invite - Come see for yourself.
I know reading about this is one thing. Experiencing it is another.
Over the past few months, we’ve had so many parents reach out asking for a closer look at how our home actually runs. How the systems work. What the environment feels like. What their kids would do in a space like this.
So, we decided to honour that.
We’re opening our home to a small group of kids. Your child spends time in the same environment that Tara and Tashi live in every day. The same routines. The same systems. The same trust-based setup that led to everything you just read above.
No lecture. No slides. No theory session for parents while kids sit in a corner.
Your child actually becomes part of the system. They do what our girls do. They eat together, clean up together, play together, follow the rhythm of the day together. And you get to watch what happens when children are placed in an environment built on trust and independence.
This isn’t a workshop. It’s not a class. It’s a real day in a real home with real systems running in the background.
And here’s the part that matters for working parents, especially moms.
Imagine dropping your child into a space where they’re not just being “watched” but genuinely thriving. Learning independence. Building habits. While you get a few hours to focus on your work from home without the guilt. Without the constant interruptions. Without wondering if screen time is doing the babysitting.
This is what our system enables. Kids who don’t need constant supervision because the environment is designed to make them capable. Not dependent.
Most parents tell us they “get it” only after they see it in action. Reading about it is interesting. Watching your own child respond to it? That changes something.
We’re keeping the group small on purpose. Because this works when the environment stays intimate and personal.
If this sounds like something your child (and you) would benefit from, reach out. Let’s set it up.
💬 Let’s Redefine “Smart Parenting”
At Life of Pi Square, we believe that parenting is logical, and the smartest parents aren’t the ones using the latest apps.
They’re the ones who know when to pause and listen.
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I will be in Mumbai from 12th to 14th March,2026. Would like to visit you. Please let me know if it is possible.