Best educational toys 2022 for 2 Year Olds (2022 – 2023 update)
When on the quest to discover the most suitable educational toys for 2-year-olds, the abundance of options can be overwhelming. With a plethora of toys saturating the market, ensuring that you’ve chosen the perfect one might seem like a challenging feat.
To simplify this endeavor, we’ve meticulously curated a catalog featuring the top 25 educational toys tailor-made for 2-year-olds. These toys not only facilitate your child’s learning and development but also promise hours of delightful amusement.
The compilation encompasses a diverse range of educational toys, strategically grouped into four distinct categories for your convenience:
- Literary Toys
- Environmental Toys
- STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Toys
- Motor Skills Toys
This thoughtfully categorized list aims to streamline your search for the ideal educational toys, ensuring that each toy selected contributes meaningfully to your 2-year-old’s cognitive growth and overall enjoyment.
Literary toys
“Good Night, Gorilla” by Peggy Rathmann
Transforming learning into a delightful experience, “Good Night, Gorilla” by Peggy Rathmann offers an engaging platform for 2-year-olds. The repetitive texts not only foster phonological awareness but also highlight individual sounds, rhymes, and patterns. With its repetitive use of the phrase “good night” and the identification of each zoo animal, this book serves as both a captivating read and an educational tool, refining toddlers’ language skills while keeping them immersed in the story.
“Press Here” by Hervé Tullet
Undoubtedly one of the most captivating books in the market, “Press Here” by Hervé Tullet sparks children’s curiosity in discovering patterns, making predictions, learning colors, and recalling sequences. Beyond its educational value, this book provides a delightful experience for both parent and child. With repeated readings, 2-year-olds can grasp the interactive elements, ensuring that the enjoyment derived from the book remains ever-present.
“Caps for Sale” by Esphyr Slobodkina
For a book that doesn’t explicitly guide children through actions like “Press Here,” “Caps for Sale” by Esphyr Slobodkina offers an alternative approach. This classic tale allows children to act out elements of the story, providing a fun method for learning new skills, particularly in language and listening. As the tale unfolds, with a hat vendor encountering mischievous monkeys, children can actively engage by mimicking the character’s actions. This interactive and educational toy guarantees hours of entertainment for your little ones.
Lego Duplo My First Alphabet Truck
Designed with baby-sized fingers (and mouths) in mind, Lego Duplo’s “My First Alphabet Truck” introduces a perfect blend of entertainment and education for 2-year-olds. Duplos, the larger bricks, cater to the developmental needs of this age group. By combining a child’s fascination with trains and automobiles with vibrant colors and the alphabet, this toy offers a delightful and educational experience. It serves as an endlessly entertaining way to enhance color and shape recognition, while also introducing toddlers to the fascinating world of letters.
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Environmental Toys
Green Toys Doctor Kit
Pretend play takes center stage for toddlers around the age of two, marking an opportune time for role-playing activities. The Green Toys Doctor Kit transforms children into the familiar figure of a doctor. Crafted entirely from recycled plastic, this kit includes authentic doctor equipment, fostering motor skills, creativity, and prosocial behavior. It also serves as a tool to alleviate any anxieties associated with doctor visits, offering a holistic and eco-friendly play experience.
Brainstorm Astro: Projector Torch
Bring the wonders of the universe into your toddler’s nursery or playroom with the Brainstorm Astro Projector Torch. This captivating torch projects stars, planets, and spacecrafts with a simple flick of the switch. 2-year-olds are sure to be enthralled by the glow-in-the-dark space patterns adorning their walls. Beyond its mesmerizing visuals, this educational toy facilitates learning about planets, the solar system, and the broader cosmos, all from the comfort of home.
Melissa & Doug Let’s Play House Dust! Sweep! Mop! 6-Piece Pretend Play Set
Designed to be well-made and safe for toddlers, the Melissa & Doug Let’s Play House Set introduces a pretend play cleaning experience. This cleaning set not only enhances a 2-year-old’s hand-eye coordination but also encourages imaginative play and social interaction with peers. With its mini-sized cleaning instruments, this toy provides a unique opportunity for refining fine motor skills, all while adding a splash of bright colors for added enjoyment.
Folkmanis Mini Skunk Finger Puppet
Finger-puppet toys, exemplified by the Folkmanis Mini Skunk, captivate 2-year-olds with their high level of realism. Beyond entertainment, puppets contribute to critical skill development, including speech skills as children can use the puppet to speak through it. Additionally, these puppets serve as an engaging introduction to different animals, initiating early learning about the diversity of the natural world.
Nature Gear Window Bird Feeder
A bird feeder serves as an excellent tool for 2-year-olds to explore and observe their surroundings. While they may not actively participate in filling the feeder, the joy of watching birds feed, especially if the feeder is placed near their nursery or playroom, offers an educational and entertaining experience. This bird feeder provides a window into nature, keeping toddlers engaged for extended periods.
Insect Lore Butterfly Garden With Live Cup of Caterpillars
For hands-on exploration of life cycles, the Insect Lore Butterfly Garden offers a captivating experience for 2-year-olds. This kit includes a cup with five baby caterpillars, caterpillar food, a pop-up mesh habitat, a chrysalis holding log, butterfly feeder, food droppers, and a STEM journal. While adult assistance is required for setup, toddlers will delight in witnessing the transformation of caterpillars into butterflies up close, fostering an early appreciation for the wonders of nature.
Lego Duplo Town World Animals
Lego Duplo Town World Animals stands out as an excellent manipulative toy for 2-year-olds. Featuring large bricks designed for tiny hands, Duplos encourage open-ended, creative play and sequential learning. Connecting and disconnecting Duplos aids in fine motor skill development, and this particular set, with pandas, giraffes, airplanes, pilots, and a canoeing father-son duo, ensures a delightful and safe play experience for young minds.
SmartGames Bunny Boo
Bunny Boo, a smart and engaging toy, introduces toddlers to concepts like above or below, inside or outside, visible or hidden. Through challenges that prompt critical thinking, children learn to distinguish between different shapes and refine their spatial insight skills. This interactive toy cultivates concentration, language development, logic, problem-solving, and spatial awareness in 2-year-olds, providing an entertaining and educational playtime experience.
Steam toys
Hape Kids’ Wooden Toy Ukulele in Blue
Introduce your toddler to the enchanting world of music with the Hape Kids’ Wooden Toy Ukulele in Blue. Designed with their little hands and bodies in mind, this wooden ukulele is the perfect size for 2-year-olds, offering a fun and accessible way to nurture their musical abilities. The durable material withstands drops and throws, ensuring resistance against scratches. Tunable and crafted in vibrant blue, parents can enjoy a harmonious playtime without the fear of off-key twangs.
Step2 Flip and Doodle Desk With Stool Easel
Transform art time into a delightful exploration of colors and textures with the Step2 Flip and Doodle Desk. This fold-up easel seamlessly converts into a desk, providing 2-year-olds with a spacious canvas for their creative endeavors. Recognizing that young artists tend to paint with their entire bodies, this versatile desk offers ample room for expressive movements. When not engaged in artistic pursuits, the desk serves as a functional space for other activities such as reading or play.
Wood City Ramp Racer
Ignite your toddler’s fascination with cause-and-effect through the Wood City Ramp Racer. This car racing ramp delivers an exciting visual experience as two cars zoom down the ramps, zigzagging past each other. The vibrant rainbow racetrack showcases seven vehicles in corresponding colors, creating a delightful “jumping” effect from one ramp to the next with a satisfying click sound. This toy not only captivates your child’s attention but also introduces fundamental concepts of physics and science in an engaging manner.
Crayola Color Wonder Mess-Free Coloring Kit
Art is an essential component of toddler learning, but the associated mess can be a concern for adults. The Crayola Color Wonder Mess-Free Coloring Kit presents an ingenious solution. Equipped with Mess-Free Markers, the ink only appears on a designated pad of paper, eliminating the risk of unwanted scribbles on walls or upholstery. Whether on a plane or at a restaurant, your toddler can enjoy doodling without the worry of creating a mess, providing them with creative freedom while offering you peace of mind.
Magnetic Drawing Board Toy for Kids
Enhance the classic Magna Doodle drawing board with the Magnetic Drawing Board Toy for Kids. This innovative toy includes four magnetic stamps that imprint shapes on the drawing surface, featuring multiple colored sections for creating vibrant, multicolored pictures. Lightweight yet durable, the board is designed with a convenient handle for easy portability. Perfect for on-the-go creativity, little hands can carry it effortlessly into cars, airplanes, or any adventure destination.
Moto skill toys
Foamnasium Gymnasium Playset
Elevate playtime at home with the Foamnasium Gymnasium Playset, designed to teach 2-year-olds the art of climbing and bending their bodies. Crafted from easy-to-clean vinyl, this three-piece set introduces a cute toddler step, ensuring climbing is a simple and enjoyable activity. While sparking creativity, this playset aids in the development of gross motor skills. As with any climbing equipment, parental supervision is recommended for a safe play experience.
Mega Bloks First Builders Bag
Embark on an adventure of endless learning and imaginative play with the Mega Bloks First Builders Bag. This affordable toy boasts 80 plastic construction mega blocks, perfect for tiny hands. Toddlers can construct, create, and delight in the joy of knocking down their creations repeatedly. With a transparent see-through storage bag, cleanup is a breeze for parents. Handling these blocks enhances motor skills and spatial awareness, making it an ideal choice for toddlers aged 2 and up.
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Jumbo Knob Puzzle
Introduce your toddler to the world of puzzles with the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Jumbo Knob Puzzle. This jumbo wooden toy serves as an excellent beginner puzzle, fostering hand-eye coordination, visual perception abilities, and color and shape recognition. Equipped with large knobs for tiny hands and extra-thick hardwood pieces, this toy is safe and suitable for 2-year-olds, providing a valuable learning experience.
Strider Balance Bike
Transition seamlessly from tricycle to bicycle with the Strider Balance Bike, a key tool for kids learning the art of balance before mastering pedaling. This versatile bike accommodates a wide age range, suitable for 2-year-olds and beyond. The adjustable seat ensures a perfect fit, allowing toddlers to bypass the training wheel phase and dive straight into the joy of balanced riding.
Play-Doh Modeling Compound 10-Pack Case of Colors
Unleash your toddler’s creativity with the Play-Doh Modeling Compound 10-Pack Case of Colors. The tactile satisfaction of molding Play-Doh provides endless amusement. While your 2-year-old may not create intricate sculptures, the simple act of squishing and molding enhances fine motor skills, fostering dexterity in their hands and fingers. Easy storage in colorful jars ensures a mess-free playtime.
Moluk Bilibo
Encourage open-ended play with the Moluk Bilibo, a Swiss-designed oddity that invites endless possibilities. Whether sitting in, climbing over, or filling it up, this versatile toy sparks imaginative exploration. Your toddler can transform it into a hat, a chair, or whatever their imagination desires. Open-ended toys like the Bilibo empower toddlers to construct their own world, providing entertainment for kids of all ages.
Gonge Riverstones
Combine gross-motor skill development with make-believe using the Gonge Riverstones. Mimicking real stones found in nature, these rubber “stones” encourage 2-year-olds to balance and hop from one to the next. The pieces are easily arranged to create varying difficulty levels, promoting spatial skills while engaging your toddler in an afternoon of active play.
Heart of the Home Kitchen Play Set
Transform playtime into a culinary adventure with the Step2 Heart of the Home Kitchen Play Set. This play kitchen is a go-to spot for 2-year-olds, offering diverse components such as a stove, microwave, sink, fridge, dog bowls, and more. The rustic design adds a charming touch, creating opportunities for learning, imaginative play, and cooperative fun. Parents can enjoy a moment of respite while their toddlers explore the engaging features of this captivating play set.
In the quest for the best educational toys for 2-year-olds, the curated catalog provides a comprehensive guide to enriching your child’s early years with purposeful play. Navigating the myriad options in the market can be overwhelming, and this thoughtfully categorized list aims to simplify the selection process.
The literary toys section introduces captivating books like “Good Night, Gorilla,” “Press Here,” and “Caps for Sale,” seamlessly blending education with entertainment. These books not only enhance language skills but also encourage interactive learning, making them valuable additions to a toddler’s library.
Moving on to environmental toys, selections like the Green Toys Doctor Kit and Brainstorm Astro Projector Torch provide immersive role-playing experiences. Crafted from recycled materials, the doctor kit instills prosocial behavior, while the projector torch illuminates the wonders of the universe, making learning a visual delight.
For hands-on exploration, the Insect Lore Butterfly Garden and Lego Duplo Town World Animals bring nature and wildlife to the forefront. From observing caterpillar transformations to building with Duplo bricks, these toys engage 2-year-olds in tactile learning experiences.
STEAM toys such as the Hape Kids’ Wooden Toy Ukulele and Crayola Color Wonder Mess-Free Coloring Kit fuse creativity with skill development. The ukulele introduces toddlers to the joy of music, while the mess-free coloring kit allows artistic expression without the worry of cleanup.
Lastly, motor skills toys like the Foamnasium Gymnasium Playset and Gonge Riverstones promote physical activity and coordination. These toys, coupled with the Mega Bloks First Builders Bag and Strider Balance Bike, provide a holistic approach to motor skill development.
In conclusion, this curated list serves as a valuable resource for parents seeking to make informed choices in educational toys. Each selection is designed to contribute meaningfully to a 2-year-old’s cognitive growth, ensuring that learning is both engaging and enjoyable during these crucial early years of development.
