31 Best Toys and Gifts for 2-Year-Olds
31 Best Toys and Gifts for 2-Year-Olds
When kids turn 2 years old, there's so much more they can do — which makes playing all the more fun. When shopping for the best toys and gifts for kids of this age, there's so much more they can handle. "This is a huge jump in their thinking skills!" says Rebecca Parlakian, M.A., E.D., a parenting expert from Zero to Three, an organization that focuses on kid development during the early years. "As they are 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. Usually the first pretend play parents see is 'playing house,' since it’s what children know best, but really children act out any familiar scenario — like when my daughter picked up a toy phone and said, 'Shhh, I have a conference call.'"
Parlakian also says roleplaying items can encourage pretend play, including toy kitchen items, dolls and strollers or vehicles with chunky figures that can fit inside. In addition, she suggests looking for toys that encourage problem-solving like wooden blocks, building toys and puzzles. Toys and games that support open-ended play and can be used multiple ways are good, too.
But the best toys and gifts for toddlers still have a lot of safety considerations, too. Two-year-olds are still too young for toys with small parts that can be choking hazards, and they still don't have enough motor coordination for some complicated toys and games.
With all this and in mind, and to help prepare kids for pre-school and beyond, the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute test hundreds of toys for safety, functionality and fun factor. They look for toys that build on these developmental skills, toys that are well constructed and playthings toddlers will return to again and again. Some of our recommendations are even previous Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award winners! With all that in mind, these best toys and gifts for 2-year-olds in 2022.
Puzzles, educational toys, interactive games and gifts that inspire open-ended play did best with our testers, as did toys with some of their favorite characters from shows like Peppa Pig or CoComelon. Here are our testers' faves, sure to please any 2-year-old on your list.
1) Pinkfong Baby Shark Tablet
WowWee
amazon.com
$16.99
Your toddler is probably obsessed with "Baby Shark," so this Good Housekeeping Award Winner will have them practicing their letters and numbers. During toy testing, kids loved that they could play the song over and over again. (Don't worry, it also has an adjustable volume button.) Ages 2+
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2) Roar! I’m a Dinosaur
HarperFestival
amazon.com
$8.99
Little paleontologists will love hearing the short descriptions of different dinosaurs on the pages of this book, like, "Stomp! I'm a stegosaurus! I can shake the trees!" But the real fun comes when readers or listeners look through the two die-cut holes in the top of the book, turning each page into a dinosaur mask. Ages 0+
3) Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart
LeapFrog
amazon.com
$37.99
This full-service cart was a Good Housekeeping Toy Award winner in 2018, and we still think it's awesome. The scooper picks up the ice cream, and 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, or by using the syrup pump. Plus, the cart can actually be pushed around, so kids can play and move at the same time. Ages 2+
4) CoComelon Ultimate Learning Bus
Just Play
amazon.com
$59.50
Toddlers can revisit all their CoComelon faves without turning on Netflix or YouTube. There are many features of this bus that helps with school readiness: It comes with letter tokens, and the bus says phrases about each letter when kids put them in the slot on top. The side has number buttons to practice counting. And the whole thing acts like a push toy, getting kids familiar with the idea of riding the school bus. Ages 2+
5) Crayola Washable Finger Paint Station, Less Mess Finger Paints for Toddlers, Kids Gift, 2 ounces
6) Weighted Stuffed Animal
HUGIMALS
amazon.com
$64.00
This is a stuffed animal with one unusual twist: It weighs four and a half pounds, so it also acts as a sort of weighted blanket, with the aim of reducing anxiety. And when it gets dirty, the inner weighted insert can be removed and the outer plush can go in the wash. Ages 2+
7) Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog
Learning Resources
amazon.com
$13.49
This cutie walked away with a Good Housekeeping Institute Toy Award because the 12 pegs were easy for little hands to grasp. Parents will love how every piece stores neatly away inside the hedgehog's body, making for easy storage (and on-the-go transportation). And if they become Spike fans, they can get even more toys, including a fidget toy, a sensory treehouse play set, a rainbow stacker and a puzzle. More Fine Motor Friends are in the offing, too. Ages 18 months+
8) Me and My Mama
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
amazon.com
$4.99
A Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Award winner, the slice-of-life story follows moms as they go about their daily routine with the kids. The illustrations are brilliant and the rhyming is fun for parents, too. Ages 0 – 3
9) John Deere Build-a-Buddy Johnny Tractor Toy
TOMY
amazon.com
$23.25
John Deere fans with 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+
10) Create Your Potato Head Family
Mr Potato Head
amazon.com
$22.99
Good Housekeeping testers loved combining and re-combining all the Potato Head pieces to make different families. The set comes with two big potato bodies and one small one, plus 45 pieces to switch up between them. It gets very silly very quickly! Ages 2+
11) Dressed to Nest Cloth Dolls
Constructive Playthings
amazon.com
$26.05
Toddlers love nesting dolls, but they often have little pieces that can be choking hazards. This one comes with a set of five cloth dolls perfect for little ones. To get to each layer, kids have to undo zippers, buttons or bows, so it works on fine-motor skills, too. Ages 2+
12) Wooden Peg Puzzles
Melissa & Doug
amazon.com
$26.29
Kids will learn about matching, shapes and animals with these educational puzzles from Melissa & Doug. They're easy to grasp for little hands, so they help develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Plus, the picture quality is excellent. You get three different wood puzzles (pets, ocean and farm animals) that each have six pieces. Ages 2+
13) Indoor Slide
WowWee
amazon.com
$49.49
Make an at home playground on a budget with this indoor foldable slide. This one-time Parenting Award winner is available in a rainbow or sunny print is made with strong cardboard that holds up to 50lbs. The best part—it won’t take up much space when not in use. Simply fold the slide flat when your child is done playing, and it is thin enough to fit into super tight spaces. Ages 2+
14) Hand Sign Alphabet Tiles
Plan Toys
kidochicago.com
$40.00
Kids can practice their language skills with these rubberwood letter tiles. One side has the letter written out in upper and lowercase, and the other has the hand position for that letter in American Sign Language. They can experiment with putting them together and spelling words. Ages 2+
15) DUPLO My First Number Train
LEGO
amazon.com
$33.95
When they assemble this 23-piece train set, your little one will practice how to count from zero to nine. Once that challenge is accomplished, it can chug-chug-chug around the living room. The pieces can also be taken apart and reassembled in open-ended play. For Duplo fans, there's also the My First Alphabet Truck. Ages 18 months+
16) Peanuts Long John Pajama Set
Hanna Andersson
hannaandersson.com
$29.00
Celebrate the winter months with this Peanuts pajama set, featuring an ice-skating Snoopy. The 100% cotton PJs are soft and warm, and it comes in enough sizes to do a family match, so you can get a cozy family photo.
17) Scoot About Sport Trike
Radio Flyer
amazon.com
$37.49
Your toddlers can ride anywhere on this sporty scooter. It features wide-set front wheels that help with stability, while the handlebars help them steer. There's even a storage compartment under the seat. It holds up to 42 pounds, so they can ride around starting at age 1 and until they're about 3 years old. Ages 1+
18) Rainbow Pop It
Kido
kidochicago.com
$8.00
Everyone, from teens down to the youngest, are mesmerized by popping these silicone fidget toys. This one comes in bright, eye-catching hues, and it's perfectly sized for toddlers. Ages 2+
19) Tool Set
Green Toys
amazon.com
$23.50
This 15-piece set is perfect for your little builder. It comes with screwdrivers, a hammer, a saw, a wrench, pliers and other tools, so they can imagine building their biggest projects. The set is also made from 100% recycled plastic for a lower overall environmental impact, and it's dishwasher-safe just in case the tools get dirty. Ages 2+
20) The Block Set
Lovevery
amazon.com
$90.00
This isn’t your average wood block set. The 70-piece learning set promotes STEM learning as it is made with over 18 different bright colors and features over a dozen fun features like shapes, wheels, ramps, magnetic rods, shape sorters and more. What makes it even better is you can turn this set into a storage car for easy containment of all the pieces. Ages 18 months+
21) Laugh & Learn Pull & Play Learning Wagon
Fisher-Price
amazon.com
$48.99
Any toddler would love to get their hands on a pull-along wagon — and this Fisher-Price toy has multiple activity levels, so it can stay with them as they grow. It has songs, sounds and phrases to help kids practice the alphabet, shapes, counting or learning Spanish words, so there's something new for your toddler to learn each time. Even though it's an educational toy, it'll keep them entertained for so long! Ages 6 months+
22) Smart Sizzlin' BBQ Grill
LeapFrog
walmart.com
$25.00
Complete with skewers, plates and food, this interactive BBQ set lets kids pretend to grill just like Mom and Dad do in the summer! When your little chefs puts an ingredient on the skewer, it recognizes the food and names the color. It can also help your 2-year-old get familiar with numbers — the temperature dial can be adjusted from one to 10, and the grill might even tell them to lower the heat if its too high. Ages 2+
23) Learning Avocados
Learning Resources
amazon.com
$12.49
This cute toy works on a bunch of skills at once. Toddlers can open them and pull them apart, working on their fine motor coordination. They can sort them by color, working on matching skills. And they can use the faces to work on social-emotional development practice identifying and naming emotions. No toast needed! Ages 18 months+
24) My Take Along Noah's Ark
Playmobil
amazon.com
$43.45
As expected, you get two of every animal (including giraffes and zebras) in this Noah's Ark play set. When playtime is over, they all fit neatly into the inside of the boat, and the ark can actually float on water! Ages 18 months+
25) Baby Shark's Big Show! EEL-ectric Guitar
WowWee
amazon.com
$23.99
Now your kids can jam out to Baby Shark with their own instrument and join the band with this light-up guitar. With features like play along and free-play your kids will have a blast making music. To top it off — it can even go from electric to acoustic or silly sounds to make it even more fun. Ages 2+
26) Shape Factory
Fat Brain Toys
amazon.com
$24.95
This toy takes shape-sorting to the next level. How do you fit 10 shapes into four slots? Press the plunger on top, which rotates the upper half of the base so that the slots themselves change shape, too. Now, toddlers have to match the right shape and construct the right hole. Ages 1+
27) Squishmallow 8" Felexine The Rainbow Fox - Official Kellytoy Plush - Cute and Soft Fox Stuffed Animal Toy - Great Gift for Kids
28) Cat Family Color Names Puzzle
BeginAgain
amazon.com
$12.99
With its free-form design, this is more of a challenge than your typical toddler puzzle — but so much more satisfying when the colored pieces lock together. It's a great gift idea to improve your little one's fine motor and language skills, since the colors on the side are printed in English and the other is in Spanish. Plus, this bilingual toy for 2-year-olds does double duty — the wooden animals are also thick enough to act as stand-alone animals, perfect for pretend play. Ages 2+
29) Elsa’s Enchanted Lights Palace by Little People
Fisher-Price
amazon.com
$40.99
Kids love toys that tie in with their favorite movies and characters, and this castle from Frozen will definitely help them take an imaginary journey into the kingdom of Arendelle. It comes chunky with Elsa and Anna Little People figures dolls, so they can act out their favorite scenes. The set has three floors, lights up, makes sounds and, of course, plays "Let It Go!" Ages 1+
30) Doctor Visit
LEGO
lego.com
$19.99
Parents loved how this clinic play set lets children use their imagination to explore and role-play a variety of scenarios at their doctor’s office. With figures that include a doctor, parent and child and a fun office setup complete with a giraffe height chart and flexible stethoscope, kids can figure out what to expect at a doctor’s visit. Parents loved that it included story starters to introduce even the littlest patients. Ages 2+
31) Peppa Pig Wooden Car and Wooden Boat
Peppa Pig
amazon.com
$26.10
These wooden vehicles are big and sturdy — just what a toddler needs. They also have wheels on the inside, perfect for bringing Peppa and George to their favorite muddy puddles. Ages 2+
Find the best toys for 2-year-olds, including educational gifts and Good Housekeeping Institute award-winners, to help your toddler develop new skills.