Best toys for two year olds 2024
Wow, hasn’t a lot changed in the past year? Toys for one year olds are all about making them curious and keeping them moving. But two year old toddlers don’t need any help with that! Now, they’re finessing those skills, getting to grips with real world problem solving and telling the world how they feel – whether we want to hear it or not. Here’s my top 10 toys for two year olds…
Water table
Probably more suited to warm, summer months than Christmas time, a water table provides hours of sensory play. They’re completely open-ended but can help with fine motor skills and build imagination. I like this one from Vertbaudet as there’s a water and sand compartment with different toys like a rake, shovels and boats. I’ve also added a turkey baster to mine to help create a mini water pistol. My advice: put lentils in the compartments and you can take the table indoors. Just expect things to get messy – but lots of fun.
Duplo
I mentioned Mega bloks in my list of gifts for one year olds. The next stage up is Duplo, with more studs to fit bricks together. They’re great for curious toddlers as they’re less likely to be swallowed but encourage their building skills. I like this Duplo ‘My First Number’ train, as it’s a push-toy yet helps with counting as well. I used it to build all the numbered bricks as a tower, then ask my toddler to take a certain colour from it, allowing me to test her understanding before her words appeared.
Wobble board
According to Kiddy Moon, their balance boards are designed to ‘encourage imagination, boost physical activity, and provide hours of fun’. They also help to build strength and balance. I like that they provide lots of physical play from the comfort of your living room, perfect for when it’s too cold or wet outside. They even come in a range of colours so you can match your toddler’s board to your home decor.
Play kitchen/ tea set
We love playing pretend cafe in our house. It was the first type of imaginative play my two year old really got involved with. We use the Bluey play kitchen and the Chad Valley teapot set, where my toddler takes turns at being the customer or the chef, depending on what she feels like at the time. There’s also so many learning opportunities: we’ve practised using a real knife and fork and she’s named different parts of the kitchen thanks to our games. She’s even learned to pour from a teapot!
Scooter
There’s plenty of scooters and push-along bikes for two year olds. They’re very popular as they build gross motor skills and encourage independence. If you don’t want to break the bank, I recommend the Scuttlebug, which folds away for travel. It also allows you to see if your toddler is into moving on wheels before investing in a bigger option.
Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles help children with hand-eye coordination, fine motor and problem-solving skills. Not only that, they’re great for building language, as you can describe what’s on each part. I only use wooden puzzles as cardboard just doesn’t survive my toddler’s hands. This one from John Lewis is great at teaching your child the different animal names or this collection of six from Amazon include vehicles, shapes and the alphabet.
Toddler tool kits
Fine motor skills become so much more advanced at two years old. As toddlers move onto using cutlery, you can use their newfound skills in other areas – like helping you prepare dinner. This 13-piece cooking tool set from Jackie’s Kids Shop has knives, cookie cutters and peelers designed to keep your toddler safe. Adding to this, you can also try this set of textured rolling pins from Amazon and have your toddler making patterns with the biscuit dough.
Little People
The Little People range from Fisher Price is a toddler-safe version of a doll’s house and comes in a variety of different scenarios such as a pizza place, school bus and princess castle. While the toys are typically suitable from 12 months plus, I’ve found that it takes another year for toddlers to enjoy these for imaginative play, rather than just press the flashing buttons. My top tip is their Animal Farm as it’s a great way to learn about farm animals.
Toy cars
Toy cars are great at building your two year olds gross and fine motor skills. They help with problem solving and encourage imaginative play. Plus there’s nothing like gliding them across your living room floor – no matter how old you are. I like this Vtech garage with cars as it comes with a track to push the cars around and they can link it to real life experiences like when they see you get petrol or go through the car wash.
Imaginative play on wheels
This is a bit of a vague one. Basically, two year olds love playing with small wagon type toys – and it helps with their problem solving too. So it could be a doll’s pushchair, like this one from John Lewis, or a shopping trolley like this one from Chad Valley. They could try this mini toy Dyson or the Early Learning Centre’s bubble lawn mower. Whatever the option, it’s great for your toddler’s imagination and gross motor skills.
Books
Books are great for any age but at this age your toddler might benefit from an ‘I’m Starting Nursery’ book or Feelings: A lift-the-lap board book of emotions. Another option is ‘No More Nappies’. If your toddler has a speech delay, or you want to expand their vocabulary, they might benefit from these books to help with talking.
