40 Best Toys for 2-Year-Olds Who Love to Have Fun
When it comes time to buy a toddler gift, choose from these expert-approved and kid-loved block sets, games, and open-ended toys.
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By the time they reach 2 years old, there's so much more they can do. "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."
But balancing toddler interests, the need to stay away from toddler hazards, and the desire to nourish all their new skills can make it hard to find gifts for kids this age. The Good Housekeeping Institute tests toys with real toddlers throughout the year to determine the Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards. To their suggestions, we added in some editor's picks and best-sellers to come up with the best toys and gifts for 2-year-old toddlers this year.
Melissa & Doug Blockables Farm
Melissa & Doug's new Blockables snap together with easy-to-grasp connectors, so kids can build side-to-side instead of just stacking up and down. Parent testers reported that their toddlers were able to grasp the concept easily. One noted her 2-year-old “figured it out herself, and it did help with hand-eye coordination.” Ages 2+
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+
The youngest LEGO fans can work on their critical thinking skills and motor coordination with this set, which has a rounded base that tips if the builders don't balance out the weight. It comes with two owl figures (each has a sleeping face and an awake face) and two eggs, so kids can perch them on the tree, place them inside the treehouse, put them to sleep inside the eggs, or discover their own ways to play. "[My son] tried to match bird to the egg colors and make stories with the two birds," one parent said. Ages 18 months+
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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Lakeshore Learning Mix & Match Magnetic Wild Animals
Kids can use these big figures—the giraffe is more than 9 inches tall—in their wild-animal-related imagination games. But the real fun comes when the kids mix up the heads, bodies, and legs of the animals and create their own new creatures. (They're held together by magnets.) "He loved getting to 'mash' the animals up," one parent tester said. "He thought it was funny to put the wrong animal legs or head with the body." Ages 2+
This is the one scooter they'll need throughout toddlerhood, and it grows with them in three different stages: First, it's a ride-on with a seat, then the seat comes off and it becomes a beginner scooter with an O-shaped handlebar, and finally it becomes a scooter with a T-shaped handlebar. It also comes in several colors. Ages 1+
A classic that parents may remember from their own childhoods, this lets kids twirl and twirl to their hearts' delight. Along the way, they'll work on their balance, coordination, and arm strength. One parent of a 2-year-old toy tester told us her child would spin for up to 10 minutes at a time! Ages 18 months+
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+
Excite their imaginations with this farm play set, which has lots of fun cause-and-effect features: the chicks can hatch, the corn can "pop," the bell rings, a button turns the outdoor light on and off, and—best of all—there's a trap door in the hayloft that sends characters down to the first floor. It also plays sounds and songs and folds up when not in use. It comes with a farmer and four animals, but if you want more Little People farmhands, you can fill out their collection with Disney princesses, DC heroes and villains and various Barbies. Ages 1+; 2 AA batteries included
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+
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 a 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+; three AA batteries included
These figures are blocky enough to stand on their own, so they can be used as figures for imaginary play. Or, if they want to get their STEM hats on, they can also be stacked in a variety of configurations. They also look cute as shelf decor. Ages 2+
For families 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+
Fisher-Price has debuted a new line of Montessori toys, which received the prestigious AMS Montessori Seal of Excellence by the American Montessori Society. For this wooden puzzle, the 1 is in one piece, the 2 is in two pieces, and the 3 is in three pieces, so kids get a physical representation of each number. Ages 3+
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
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Kids can connect words, pictures, and pronunciations with every toddler's favorite celebrity, Ms. Rachel. It comes with cards for 100 common first words, and when kids hit the yellow button, the card reader will say the word. Ages 1+; two AAA batteries included
Kids can practice nurturing and empathy during their imaginative play with this toddler-friendly baby doll. And, if they love it too much, it can also go in the washing machine. It comes in several different outfits and skin tones, too. Ages 1+
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+
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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They'll get a lesson in cause-and-effect when they see these cars zip down the slanted ramps, and Montessori enthusiasts say watching the cars is good for eye-tracking. But for kids, it feels like a cool stunt each time the cars reverse direction. It comes with seven cars in different colors of the rainbow. Ages 18 months+
RELATED: Best Car Toys for Kids of Every Age
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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