40 Best Toys for 2-Year-Olds
When it comes time to buy a toddler gift, choose from these expert-approved block sets, pretend props, games and open-ended toys.
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When it comes to buying the best toys and gifts for 2-year-olds, you'll have to balance the endless toddler energy with their need to stay safe, all while nourishing their newfound toddler skills. After all, there's so much a 2-year-old can do that a 1-year-old can't.
"This is a huge jump in their thinking skills!" says Rebecca Parlakian, parenting expert and Senior Director of Programs at Zero to Three, an organization that focuses on kid development during the early years. "As they're discovering that they, themselves, are individuals with their own thoughts and feelings, they are also learning that others have their own thoughts and feelings too. Pretend play gives children a chance to take on these different perspectives."
The experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute can help find something for kids this age. After all, they vet hundreds of toys each year, looking for toys that are safe, fun and engaging. Some of our recommendations are even current or previous Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award winners!
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Melissa & Doug Ms. Rachel Wooden Learning Blocks
Ms. Rachel fans will thrill to this block set, because they embody everything that makes her videos so engaging. Sure, toddlers can use them to stack and build like a regular block set. But the sides also help kids practice letters and sounds, counting and naming emotions. There are also some activity blocks that, when used like dice, encourage kids to get up and move. Ages 18 months+
Fat Brain Toys Bilibo by Moluk
What's a Bilibo? What isn't it? It can be a seat that they wobble around. Flip it over, and it's a tunnel or a shell. They can wear it on their heads like a helmet or use it as a landscape for their figures. The open-endedness means that kids can really be creative when they play with it. It also comes in several colors or in a set of six mini versions. Ages 2+
Jellycat fandom knows no age — everyone from babies to toddlers to teens and adult have been known to collect, reveling in the animals' super-soft fur. The Black and Cream Puppy is a best seller, but if the 2-year-old in your life is not into dogs, there are a ton of other animal shapes. Ages 0+
Step2 Rain Showers Splash Pond
When they're looking to do water play, this table lets them pour water into the upper tier and watch in delight as it "rains" down to the lower one. It also comes with creatures that float, tools to scoop and other cause-and-effect toys like ramps and water wheels. Good Housekeeping Institute testers say it takes some time to set up, but the results are worth it. Ages 18 months+
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Now they can bop to their hearts' content without a bounce house or a trampoline — building strong leg muscles and a sense of balance in the process. The menagerie can include a fox, bull, cow, dog, tiger or zebra, and when it's not in use, the cover can come off and be washed. Ages 18 months+
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Green Toys Dump Truck
Solid and sturdy, this construction vehicle lets kids fill and dump to their hearts' content. Good Housekeeping Institute experts love that it's made from recycled plastic milk jugs, and it's dishwasher-safe too. Ages 1+
Goliath Jelly Blox Creative Kit
These blocks offer more of a sensory experience than other building bricks. They can be squished or stretched, and some have beads, sand, stars or smaller bricks inside. Good Housekeeping Institute testers loved using them as fidget toys, and parents say kids liked exploring the different textures. You get 20 pieces in a set, so they're great to combine with other sets (Goliath or otherwise) for a true variety of sensations. Ages 2+
Little ones will just love the idea that they get to pull this funny chameleon around by its ribbon-like tongue — so silly! In addition to being a pull toy, which works on their muscles and gross motor coordination, this one is also a shape-sorter, and it plays more than 45 sounds and songs. Ages 1+
John Deere Build-a-Buddy Johnny Tractor Toy
John Deere fans will instantly recognize the green and yellow color scheme on this tractor, which toddlers can use alongside their favorite vehicles. But this one has a twist: It comes with a battery-operated toy drill that kids can use to take the tractor apart and put it together again, turning it into an early STEM toy. Ages 18 months+
'Number Train' Fold-Out Book
This book truly had a "wow" factor for Good Housekeeping Institute testers, because it folds out into a train that can be wheeled around the house. Each train car also has flaps to explore. “The book’s design makes it engaging to play with independently,” one dad said. Ages 2+
Help them learn about their letters, sounds and healthy foods all in one go! Each of these alphabet flash cards is illustrated with an adorable fruit or vegetable that starts with that letter sound. They're all held together on a ring, so it's a good take-along toy they can use in a car seat or during stroller walks. Ages 1+
LeapFrog Scoop and Learn Ice Cream Cart
This full-service cart was a previous Good Housekeeping Toy Award winner, and we still think it's awesome. The scooper picks up the ice cream, and it also recognizes colors and flavors. It comes with six different order cards and instructions, so your 2-year-old child can learn how to follow directions and boost their memory and sequencing skills. They can also practice counting with play money. Plus, the cart can actually be pushed around, so kids can play and move at the same time. It also comes in pink. Ages 2+
This toy give kids a cause-and-effect lesson — with a twist! First, they'll love slamming their hands down on the lever to get the wooden circus acrobat — complete with his curled mustache — to jump. Then, they'll be surprised when a magnet keeps him suspended, hovering above the platform. PlanToys, which prides itself on using sustainable rubberwood, also has a spinning ballerina top and a weightlifter toy to complete the three-ring circus. Ages 2+
Take the idea of stacking and nesting boxes to the next level with this early board game for kids. To play, parents and kids take turns hiding the bear under the different boxes, and guessing where it is. It promotes turn-taking and patience, and Good Housekeeping Institute testers reported that their kids wanted to play it again and again. Ages 2+
RELATED: The Best Board Games for Kids
Melissa & Doug Blockables Vehicles Snap and Play Set
Melissa & Doug's new Blockables snap together with easy-to-grasp connectors, so kids can construct their own creations. This set has wheels, wings and other pieces that'll let them make their own vehicles, which they can then wheel around for imaginary play. It comes with eight wooden blocks, two play figures, 17 connectors, felt wings, a propeller, a sail, a tractor hitch and windshield which they can put together in any way they can imagine. Ages 2+
If you're interested in trying out Montessori toys for 2-year-olds this is a good place to get started. There are 33 pegs in different colors, sized for toddlers' hands. The rest is open-ended: Kids can sort them by color, stack on the board as tall as they can, create patterns or find their own ways to play. Ages 2+
Toddlers learn best when they get a front-row seat to the action, and this learning tower lets kids get up to counter height. This is especially helpful for kids who want to get involved with cooking in the kitchen, and the Good Housekeeping Institute named it the best overall learning tower for its solid construction. When it's not in use, the bottom step folds up so it's not in the way. Ages 2 – 6
RELATED: The Best Learning Towers for Kids
LEGO DUPLO Mickey & Minnie Birthday Train
This Good Housekeeping Institute Seal-holding LEGO train set is just the right size for toddlers: only 22 pieces, with lots of fun accessories like gifts, a cupcake with a candle, balloons and a train to carry them all. There are even some numbered bricks so kids can practice counting and stacking. Ages 2+
These egg-shaped crayons are easier for toddlers to grip, but they'll still let kids draw whatever creations they can dream up. It comes with 12 colors, and one of these crayons is equal to 14 regular-sized ones, so they'll last a long time, too. Ages 1+
Playmobil Junior & Disney: Moana's Boat
The best bath toy for little Disney fans, this is a play set that doubles as a bath toy. The boat really floats, and it comes with Moana, Heihei, three flowers that can be stacked, a vase that turns a flower into a water squirter, and a boat with a sail, all sized for toddler hands. And if Moana isn't their fave, Playmobil also has Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh, and Mickey and Minnie bath toys, too. Ages 1+
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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