Our favorite picks include a hedgehog that fosters fine motor skills from Learning Resources, bristly building blocks from Battat, and an interactive gaming chair from VTech.
Here are the best toys for 2-year-olds.
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Indulge excavator-loving toddlers with this John Deere water and sand play table! Great for indoor and outdoor fun, this farm is equipped with drawbridges for tractors to cross and basins for digging sand and dirt! There’s even a washing facility for cows to keep clean! You can rest assured this well-equipped play table features smooth and sturdy plastic to keep small fingers safe. Toddlers will have a ton of fun while honing their motor skills and understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.
Price at time of publish: $82
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The spikes are rubber, so you don’t have to worry about hard pieces or sharp edges. Reviewers love how this high-quality toy is suitable for a variety of ages. Babies can practice grabbing the quills before graduating to placing them into the holes. Once they master that, use the numbers on Spike to begin practicing counting for a more advanced lesson. The only downside is some reviewers found their children go tired of the toy after a while. Still, Spike is worth it for toddlers to play, practice, and learn in an engaging and affordable way.
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Little visitors will love this interactive grocery cash register. The register opens at a press of a button to hear fun sounds and encouraging food phrases. It will introduce numbers and colors, Parents report that v-tech has delivered on durability and design. The product can survive toddlers’ release skills while maintaining its volume settings intact.
Price at time of publish: $43
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Save big on this Fat Brain Toys bundle that includes two of the brand’s most popular sensory toys! Whirly Squigsz suction toys are safe for teething. They double as bath and high chair toys! Easily suction on smooth flat surfaces and keep toddlers engaged for hours. Introduce the MiniSpinny for cause and effect learning. Toddlers will fixate on the gears spinning freely.
Price at time of publish: $35
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Safety
When shopping, keep an eye out for toys with small parts that can be a choking hazard—generally, these toys are labeled 3+, suggests Morency Goldman. Though 2-year-olds seem much more advanced than babies and younger toddlers, they’re still too young to handle toys with small parts.
Longevity
As any parent knows, babies and toddlers grow into new stages, and their interests change in a flash. Consider how long they’ll be able to use the toy you buy. And, whenever possible, look for toys with multiple applications since these items will be more likely to hold your little one’s attention for a longer time.
Educational Value
Similarly, your 2-year-old is rapidly developing all kinds of important language, social, cognitive, and motor skills. Look for toys—ones with letters, colors, numbers, and other educational components—that help foster the skills they’re working on when you begin shopping. “As toddlers get older, they begin to enjoy pretend play sets, trikes and scooters, puzzles, building sets, coloring books, basic craft supplies, early games, trains and racetracks, and musical instruments,” says Dr. Natasha Burgert, a pediatrician in South Overland Park, Kansas. Why? These toys can help your toddler develop motor skills and social play before they start school.
Why Trust the Spruce?
This roundup was written by Brigitt Earley, who has written and edited hundreds of gift guides for various publications over the course of the last 10 years. Additional research was done by Julia Fields, a lifestyle writer for The Spruce covering all things surrounding toys, gifts, and the holidays since October 2021. Before that, she covered similar topics including toy reviews, product round-ups, interviews with experts, and more.
