The 31 Best Toys for 2-Year-Olds (Parent & Toddler Tested)

What's a 2-year-old's favorite word? They get to tell the pigeon "no!" over and over again as the crazy bird begs, cajoles and tries to trick the reader into letting him drive. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is a favorite of so many families that we know, and if your kid loves it, there are more, such as Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late.

Hape's harmonicas have great sound, and are easy for 2-year-olds to hold and play. I mean, they won't play it perfectly, but boy, will they ever have fun trying! The rave reviews on Amazon speak for themselves.

This is a simple puzzle in that there's no picture to put together. The point is that, through the repetition of taking the pieces in and out, your child will learn number order from 1 to 10. They'll also see the words one, two, three and so on. Pictures representing the quantities give them a beginning of number sense.

Two years old is good age to introduce DUPLOs. This 65-piece set has everything they need to start building on their own, and honestly, you'll probably get years of play out of it before you'll even want or need to move to actual LEGOs.

Haba does early toddler games so well. Cambria's girls loved this magnetic fishing game when they were really little, along with the Haba's First Orchard game. The playing pieces are big and easy to hold, and the games are simple enough for toddlers to play while also teaching early skills like taking turns, counting, and cooperative play.

Water play can be very calming and therapeutic, and the bathtub is a great place to take a 2-year-old when they’re having a rough day. This bath toy makes bath time even more fun. The slide suctions to the side of the tub, and the penguins stack, float, and slide.

This waterfall set can be stacked to make one tall toy, or kids can take it apart to create four separate play areas. Take it outside on a hot day or set it up in the tub on a rainy day. This set will teach them about cause and effect, and it will also promote pouring skills.

Toddlers can kick the soccer ball, dunk the basketball — each score will put up a new number as the counter counts up from 1 to 10 with a lot of cheering sounds (and then starts over). It's a small sports center, best for toddlers, and the balls are safely lightweight. Parents like how engaged it keeps a kid, and that there's volume control.

In the sea of cute wooden play kitchens, this Tender Leaf Toys kitchen is our top pick. Cubby contributor Cara Strickland bought it for her daughter when she was 2 and wrote a whole review about it. It's well-constructed, well-priced (relatively, but fair for the quality), and comes with all the play kitchenware as well, which really makes it a solid buy. Use code GOSANTA to snag 15% off.

Little People toys have been a hit for decades. They're just the right size for little hands, and this sweet little house includes many fun touches for pretend play, like a toilet, tub, fridge and swing. It comes with three figures and has six activation points that set off more than 80 songs and phrases. Some of the furniture is built in, but other pieces can be moved around as your child's imagination starts to come up with scenarios for the friends.

LovEvery's Block Set is another worthwhile investment, particularly when you consider its awesome versatility. The set comes with 70 solid wood blocks in 18 different shapes, plus over 20 learning and developmental activities tailored to each developmental stage. Unlike most block sets, this comes with four people figures, plus wheels and dowels to turn the storage box into a pull car!

As Alicia notes in her Stapelstein review, her kids play with Stapelstein every single day. The nesting pieces are a fantastic space-saving gross motor toy that also encourages imaginative play. The play is totally open-ended, so toddlers can stand on them, sit on them, bang on them like drums, wear one like a helmet, take a few into the bath tub, flip them over to fill with other toys — their use goes on and on.

KiwiCo's height-adjustable water and sand table is a fabulous choice for 2-year-olds. It's more expensive than other sand and water tables, but it also comes with a ton of extras (water pipes! spinners! pitchers! washable paint crayons!) that make it an all-in-one, fun sensory experience.

These faux river stones help toddlers and preschoolers master walking and balancing, and can be used indoors or outdoors. Perfect for a game of "the floor is lava!"

Two-year-olds thrive on routine and stability. This book, affirmation card, and snuggler help kids understand the importance of routine. Reinforcing routines is especially important for a 2-year-old who might be facing a big change, like starting daycare, welcoming a new sibling, or learning to use the potty.

Essentially giant building blocks that double as a couch, tumbling mat or hideout, the Cloud Castle Fort can see a lot of active use as well as quiet time. (And it's cheaper than fancier play couches.) We've seen toddlers and preschoolers goof around with the blocks for long stretches of time.

We don't necessarily mean this in a bad way, but 2-year-olds are chaos agents. And they can not stop laughing with this toy, which, when they press a button, pauses before it ejects 16 colorful balls all over the room. Toddlers race after the balls, fill up the aptly named SpillAgain, and start another countdown.

If you've got the space for it, this all-in-one indoor climbing structure will get your 2-year-old moving. They can use it as a ladder, a tunnel, a balance beam, a slide or a climbing wall. The structure is quite sturdy (the most important part) but also pretty enough that you won't mind looking at it.

We've seen 2-year-olds practically live in their Cozy Coupe for long stretches of time, no matter if they are going up and down the driveaway or sitting parked in the living room. They love opening and closing the door, turning the wheel, beeping the horn and generally feeling like they have a car of their own.

To help my 2-year-old improve his memory and fine motor skills, I recently got him this Peek-a-Zoo Puzzle Box (another KiwiCo winner). He can match the shapes, colors, and animals while practicing his animal sounds, plus everything feels durable and sturdy. There's even an option with cars for those kids who love anything with wheels.

This number puzzle is more than just a puzzle. The numbers are cleverly arranged by height — for instance, stacking the five and the three results in a height equal to the number eight. This makes it fun for my number-loving 2-year-old, while also being a useful aid for my 5-year-old's math homework. Best of all, it's so aesthetically pleasing that I plan to keep it out as decor long after my kids outgrow it.