Best Toys For A 2 Year Old

How To Choose Toys for A Two Year Old

At this age, your child is likely becoming more clear in their interests, whether it’s cars, letters, art, sensory/tactile activities, gross motor activities, nature, animals... the list goes on and is probably changing regularly!

Children’s interests will start to vary so much after age 2. Alongside the suggested toys below, we recommend paying close attention to what your child gravitates to, what work they want to repeat over and over, and what skills they seem to be developing. 

Then if you’re looking for something new to engage them in, simply provide variations or opportunities to explore those things. 

Not only will it help them fulfill a developmental need they feel the urge to improve, but it will help improve their concentration, as they’re likely to become engrossed in activities they’re interested in. 

Enriching and Developmentally Appropriate Toys for a Two Year Old

Here are skills and activities that most two years are interested in:

• Climbing toys - most children at this age enjoy moving their bodies. You've probably noticed! They also enjoy physical challenges, like climbing and  maximum exertion, like lifting or carrying heavy things. They're learning more about the limits of their bodies every day and moving & experimenting is how they do that. The Pikler, Waldorf Rocker, and Balance Beam are especially popular for this age group.
  
  
• Sorting toys - children around this age are trying to create order and make sense of the world. Simple sorting activities are often calming. 
  
  
• Matching toys - matching items by colours, shapes, and size is often very satisfying for 2 year olds. Matching games with 2-8 sets is a great way to develop focus at this age. TOOBs with the matching downloadable nomenclature cards are perfect for this.
  
  
• At two, children are just beginning to engage in imaginative play. Open-ended toys are the perfect developmental tool to encourage more creativity. Compared to close-ended toys with one function, i.e. push the button, turn this knob, etc, open-ended toys have unlimited play possibilities. Our best sellers for this age are simple block sets and Holztiger animals.
  
  
• Real life books and puzzles - at two, children often still struggle to distinguish between fantasy and real life. Books that focus on the real world tend to make more sense to this age group. Our National Geographic board books are perfect for two year olds.
  
  
• Sensory tools - most toddlers love sensory play so our natural play dough kits and wooden play dough tools are very popular gifts.