Essential Toy Box Guide for 2 Year Olds
We believe these toys are essential members of your family's toy box. Our extensive toy experience (over a decade!) plus years of customer feedback inform this no fluff guide to the very best. Explore consistent favourites that build essential life skills like creativity, emotional intelligence, problem solving and grit.
Browse the collection below for our customers' favourites or keep scrolling for a deeper dive into which toys are best at this age and why.
What Do 2 Year Olds Need Out of Their Toys?
Your toddler’s brain is developing at a truly astounding rate, and play is an essential part of that development. They’re learning about relationships with loved ones and they’re still playing rough with their toys, so look for toys that support connection with you and can handle rough play.
Top considerations for toys for this age:
Durability. Toys that can withstand the enthusiastic “crash and bash” play stage are essential for 2 year olds.
Brain Development. The right toys can help build strong, healthy brains. Choose toys that focus on exercising developing brains like Toddler STEM toys (see below).
Connection. Stress can stunt brain development. Stress is inevitable, but a close relationship with you helps your child develop resilience to stress and gives them a sense of calm and security. While you don’t need a single thing from a store to build a strong connection with your kiddo, toys and books can be wonderful connection building tools (especially for exhausted parents!!). Playing age appropriate games and reading books together supports a strong connection with your child.
Toddler STEM
Build critical thinking and problem solving skills through play! Toddler STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) toys build strong, healthy brains by getting toddlers excited to stack, build or sort. When your child figures out how to stack a few blocks or which spot to put a shape into, they’re building essential critical thinking skills that will serve them well for life. Bonus? Many of these durable toys (like wooden rainbows or blocks) will only become more useful members of your toy box for many, many years.
Books
Sure, reading to your child boosts their brain development and literacy. But even more importantly it builds a strong connection between you and your child so make reading together a daily routine. You are the most important playmate your child will ever have! Having a selection of books makes for a perfect cuddly moment.
Stuffies
Encourage nurturing skills and emotional intelligence while comforting your 2 year old with stuffies and dolls. Remember not all stuffies and dolls are safe for this age, so look for ones safety rated for children under 3 years old. Click below to read all about why stuffies are important to child development.
Games
Spend quality time connecting with your kiddo through play and boost their brain development at the same time! These toddler games focus on developing emotional intelligence, critical thinking and motor skills. Many of these games have pieces that double as imaginative play pieces making them all stars for play value (for example the Acorn Soup game pieces can also just be fun play food).
More Top Collections
Looking for more beneficial toys to build your child's skills and create fun family play opportunities? We have so many incredible educational toys for 2 year olds. Here are some more favourite collections:
Puppets for 2 Year Olds
Boost language skills & creativity as well as strengthen emotional intelligence. And, they are so fun!
Vehicles for 2 Year Olds
Vroom! Pushing vehicles around builds motor skills now and imagination later.
Play Figures for 2 Year Olds
Choose sturdy figures at this age for motor skill development and imaginative play.
Favourite Brands for 2 Year Olds
These top toymakers excel at creating engaging, skill building toys that 2 year olds love to play with. These toymakers are committed to toys that encourage healthy childhood development.
