The 42 Best Educational Toys For 2 Year Olds

What Are Learning Toys & What Do Two-Year-Olds Need?

Learning toys are educational or instructional toys designed to help your child learn a new skill or understand a particular concept.

Educational toys for two-year-olds can teach them critical skills ideal for their developmental milestones:

Hand-eye coordination
Fine motor skills
Critical thinking
Math
Science – such as cause-and-effect toys (toys that make a sound when hit)
Matching (also teaches letters, colors, and numbers)
Language and speech

How Do You Mentally Stimulate A Two-Year-Old?

Some ways to encourage your child’s brain development:

Problem-solving toys like puzzles and shape sorters
Sensory toys that let them differentiate different textures
Musical toys or other things that make a sound when used (so they can learn cause and effect)
Toys for role play to let them use their imagination

Skills: Why Do Toddlers Need Learning Toys?

These educational toys can help in brain development and teach them the basic concepts:

Math
Literacy
Speech
Cognition & problem solving
Imaginative play
Writing
Music
Creative thinking and visualization

Do All Toys Have An Educational Benefit?

Many toys are made for a specific educational purpose, but any toy can still have some educational benefit to your child.

For example, you can teach a 4-year-old about numbers by counting their toy cars or colors by pointing to these on their ride-on toys.

The 42 Best Educational Toys For Toddlers

We grouped these learning toys according to the following categories to help you choose the best for your little one:

STEM & Montessori-inspired toys
Toys for learning life skills
Educational building sets & blocks
Words, ABCs, numbers, & colors
Puzzles
Matching toys
Imaginative play, role play, & pull toys
Musical toys
Creative & sensory toys for learning new skills

Learn more about each educational toy below.

STEM & Montessori-inspired Toys

Lovevery The Block Set

Best features: 70 block pieces, including toggle strings and threading blocks
Product safety: Water-based paint and finishes
Materials: Sustainably harvested FSC-certified wood
Type of toy: Educational
Age range: 18+ months
Extra features: Includes little people figures, pieces to create a cart, and a drawstring bag
Certification: FSC
Product recall: None
Cons: It’s pricier than plastic block sets. For example, a Mega Bloks playset (80 pcs)

Best features: Play kit for language, independence, and social-emotional skills
Product safety: Free from phthalates and toxic heavy elements
Materials: Sustainably-harvested wood and other child-safe materials
Educational value: Problem-solving, balancing skills, learning numbers, imaginative play, and real-life skills
Age range: 34-36 months
Extra features: Includes a wooden counting box, land and sky puzzle board, wooden camper van, etc.
Certification: FSC
Product recall: None
Cons: It can be pricey.

Pros & best features: Box with different arts and crafts, toys for imaginative play, and science activities
Product safety: Materials passed safety standards
Materials: Mixture of paper, wood, and cloth
Educational value: Imaginative play, fine motor skills, STEM learning, memory, and creativity
Recommended age range: 2-4 years old
Extra features: Random box with different preschool materials for hands-on learning
Product recall: None
Cons: You can’t choose what items should be included in the crate.

Montessori Generation Busy Board

Best features: Bag filled with various activity options, including buckles, snap pockets, laces, buttons, and zippers
Product safety: High-quality, child-safe materials
Materials: Cloth
Educational value: Creativity, coordination, attention, memory, and fine motor skills
Age range: 1-4 years old
Product recall: None
Cons: It can be pricey.

Educational Building Sets & Blocks

Montessori Generation Rainbow Block Set

Best features: Rainbow-shaped block set with little people figures
Product safety: High-quality, child-safe materials
Materials: Wood with non-toxic paint
Educational value: Creativity, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, logic, and problem-solving skills
Age range: 1+ years old
Product recall: None
Cons: It can be pricey.

Lego Duplo My First Alphabet Truck

Pros & best features: Block set with a toy truck and small people
Product safety: Non-toxic, BPA-free plastic (bisphenol-A)
Materials: ABS plastic (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), a scratch-resistant, non-toxic plastic
Educational value: Cognitive skills, learning ABCs, and role play
Recommended age range: 1½ years old
Extra features: 36 block pieces
Certification: EU and US standards
Product recall: None
Cons: Some customers complained about duplicates and missing letters.

Melissa & Doug 100 Piece Wood Blocks Set

Best features: 100 pieces of solid wood blocks in nine shapes and four colors
Product safety: Free from lead and phthalates
Materials: Sustainably sourced wood
Educational value: Early math concepts, engineering skills, color and shape recognition, fine motor skills, and dexterity
Age range: 2+ years old
Extra features: The box converts into a carrying case
Certification: FSC, US, and EU conformity certificates
Product recall: None
Cons: Some parents complained about the block pieces being smaller than they expected.

Words, ABCs, Numbers, & Colors

Melissa & Doug ABC-123 Abacus

Best features: 36 pieces of abacus wood blocks with ABCs and numbers or figures
Product safety: Free from lead and phthalates
Materials: Sustainably sourced wood
Educational value: Learning ABCs, math concepts, colors, patterns, and fine motor skills
Age range: 2+ years old
Extra features: Different illustrations include animals and common objects or food items
Certification: FSC, US, and EU conformity certificates
Product recall: None
Cons: Some parents complained about their kids’ fingers getting stuck between the blocks while turning them.

Battat Wooden Activity Cube

Pros & best features: Different activity options on each side
Product safety: Sturdy and smooth construction
Materials: Wood with water-based, non-toxic paint
Educational value: Cognitive and problem-solving skills
Recommended age range: 1+ years old
Certification: EU, US, and Canadian safety standards
Product recall: None
Cons: Having too many activities to do in one toy might overwhelm your child.

Fat Brain Toys Shape Factory

Pros & best features: It’s a unique shape-sorting puzzle that lets your child mix and match the slots to change their shape.
Product safety: Meets US product safety requirements
Materials: Child-safe plastic
Educational value: Problem-solving, spatial reasoning, and learning shapes
Recommended age range: 2+ years old
Product recall: None
Cons: Some customers think it’s too complicated for a two-year-old.

Fat Brain Toys Count & Sort Stacking Tower

Pros & best features: Color-coded stacking and sorting tower for learning about numbers and colors
Product safety: Child-safe materials that meet international, US, and European safety standards
Materials: Wood
Educational value:Cognition, sequencing, memory, counting, number recognition, and fine motor skills
Recommended age range: 2+ years old
Extra features: Number tiles with a stacking peg and 45 color-coded discs
Certification: ASTM, CPSC, European Safety Standards Commission, and International Council of Toy Industries
Product recall: None
Cons: The brand doesn’t offer spare parts, so you can’t get new rings if you misplace any.

Leapfrog Storytime Buddy

Pros & best features: Cute plushie with light-up tag button that makes Buddy talk and sing
Product safety: Soft cloth plushie
Materials: Soft cloth and certified RoHS-compliant plastic (Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances)
Educational value: Early reading, role play, and cognitive skills
Recommended age range: 2-5 years old
Extra features: Comes with five read-along books.
Certification: RoHS
Product recall: None
Cons: Some complaints about the toy’s sound breaking down after a few days.

Puzzles

Hape Farmyard Peg Puzzle

Pros & best features: Puzzle with easy-to-grab pegs
Product safety: Passed quality and safety tests, including bite force, small parts, sharp points, and drop tests
Materials: Wood with water-based, non-toxic paint
Educational value: Cognitive and fine motor skills
Recommended age range: 18+ months
Certification: ASTM
Product recall: None
Cons: The manufacturer doesn’t sell replacement parts for lost pieces.

BeginAgain Cat Family Color Names Puzzle

Pros & best features: It’s a 3D puzzle
Product safety: Non-toxic, child-safe materials
Materials: Sustainably harvested rubberwood with water-based stains
Educational value: Cognitive and problem-solving skills
Recommended age range: 2+ years old
Extra features: The colors also have labels for identification.
Product recall: None
Cons: Some parents complained that the puzzle pieces were smaller than expected.

Matching Toys

VTech Mix and Match-a-Saurus

Pros & best features: Cute dinosaur toy with puzzle spikes for matching
Product safety: BPA-free
Materials: ABS plastic
Educational value: Cognitive and fine motor skills
Recommended age range: 2-5 years old
Extra features: Dinosaur moves around and makes sounds (requires batteries)
Certification: US and European safety standards
Product recall: None
Cons: There are some complaints about the dinosaur playing the same song even with different puzzle combinations (it’s supposed to make different sounds with the different combinations).

The Learning Journey: Matching Heads & Tails Flash Cards

Pros & best features: 15 self-correcting puzzle pieces
Product safety: Eco-friendly recycled paper
Materials: Cardboard
Educational value: Cognitive and problem-solving skills
Recommended age range: 2-5 years
Extra features: Child-friendly illustrations
Product recall: None
Cons: Some customers complained that the pieces don’t click or fit snugly together.

Imaginative Play, Role Play, & Pull Toys

Lovevery Play Kits (The Investigator)

Best features: Science experiment kit, with lessons for volume and liquid conservation
Product safety: Free from phthalates and toxic heavy elements
Materials: Sustainably-harvested wood, other child-safe materials
Educational value: Problem-solving, creativity, cognition, memory, fine motor skills, and basic science and math concepts
Age range: 31-33 months
Extra features: Includes match-and-tap hammer box, memory game, board book, and countdown timer with color indicators
Certification: FSC
Product recall: None
Cons: It can be pricey.

Step2 Rain Showers Splash Water Table Playset

Pros & best features: Two-tier toddler water table designed to make showering splashes and waterfalls
Product safety: Free from phthalates and heavy metals
Materials: Polyethylene and/or polypropylene plastics
Educational value: Pretend play, sensory exploration, social development, and STEM learning (e.g., cause and effect, gravity, water flow, volume, etc.)
Recommended age range: 1½ years old
Extra features: Can be cleaned using household cleaners or disinfectant wipes
Certification: ASTM
Product recall: None
Cons: The lack of pre-drilled holes can make assembly difficult.

Little Tikes Go & Grow Dino Ride On Toy

Pros & best features: It’s a dinosaur ride that can grow with your child.
Product safety: Free from BPA, latex, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and/or phthalates
Materials: High-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, & polypropylene
Educational value: Imaginative play and gross motor skills
Recommended age range: 1-3 years
Extra features: Oversized back wheels for stability
Certification: CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act)
Product recall: None
Cons: Some customers complained that it’s too small for their two-year-old.

WowWee Pinkfong Baby Shark Song Puppet

Pros & best features: Puppet that sings the popular “Baby Shark” song
Product safety: Not made of plastic
Materials: Soft plush fabric
Educational value: Pretend play
Recommended age range: 2+ years old
Extra features: Kids can control the tempo by fast or slow they open the shark’s mouth
Product recall: None
Cons: The shark’s mouth has to be moved so the song will play at normal speed; otherwise, it’s too slow and sounds like it’s running out of batteries.

Pros & best features: Colorful ramp with toy cars
Product safety: Child-safe, BPA-free plastic
Materials: ABS plastic and beechwood
Educational value: Learning about colors, cause-and-effect, gravity, numbers, and colors
Recommended age range: 18+ months
Extra features: Two-direction cars so they can move forward or backward
Certification: ASTM and European EN71 standards
Product recall: None
Cons: Some complaints about toys getting stuck on the ramp.

Pros & best features: Colorful animal pieces your kids can move around on magnetic/metal surfaces
Product safety: Durable construction, no plastic pieces
Materials: Wood and magnet with non-toxic paint
Educational value: Pretend play
Recommended age range: 2+ years
Extra features: Your kids can still play with these toys (such as guessing games) even without metal surfaces.
Certification: CPSC
Product recall: None
Cons: The wood box doesn’t have a cover.

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Servin’ Up Food Truck

Pros & best features: It’s a pretend food truck with an activity-filled dashboard and food preparation area.
Product safety: Child-safe, bio-based plastics
Materials: Sugarcane-based plastics
Educational value: Pretend play, learning songs and sounds, social skills, counting 1-20, ABCs, etc.
Recommended age range: 18-36 months
Extra features: Comes with a toy cash register with menu cards
Certification: CPSC
Product recall: Recall
Cons: Some complaints about the lack of storage compartments for smaller items.

Green Toys Ambulance & Doctor’s Kit

Pros & best features: 10-piece set encourages
Product safety: Free from BPA, phthalates, or PVC
Materials: 100% food-safe recycled plastic
Educational value: Imaginative play, motor skill development, and pro-social behavior
Recommended age range: 2+ years old
Extra features: The ambulance has a flip-up handle (using the lights) for your child to create a unique carrying case for their doctor’s kit.
Product recall: None
Cons: Printed with soy inks (some kids might be allergic to soy)

Madame Alexander My Little Girl Doll

Pros & best features: Realistic doll with a weighted bottom, soft body, and molded legs, arms, and head
Product safety: Free from PVC or phthalates
Materials: Mixed materials
Educational value: Pretend play
Recommended age range: 2+ years old
Extra features: Available in light, medium, or dark skin tone
Product recall: None
Cons: It’s pricier than other dolls.

Constructive Playthings Dressed to Nest Cloth Dolls

Pros & best features: Playset with five culturally-diverse cloth dolls
Product safety: Eco-friendly materials
Materials: Cloth
Educational value: Imaginative play and fine motor skills
Recommended age range: 2+ years old
Extra features: Each doll features a different learning skill (e.g., zipping, tying, buttoning, etc.)
Product recall: None
Cons: Some parents complained about the nesting dolls being too complicated for their two-year-olds.

Folkmanis Polar Bear Cub Puppet

Pros & best features: Cuddly hand puppet with movable mouth
Product safety: All materials meet safety standards
Materials: Plush cloth
Educational value: Pretend play
Recommended age range: All ages (as a plushie for younger children)
Extra features: Other animals available
Certification: CPSIA, ASTM, and EU EN71 standards
Product recall: None
Cons: It can be too big or heavy for use as a puppet for younger kids.

Brio World Classic Figure 8 Set

Pros & best features: Train set with a figure 9 rail track
Product safety: 100% FSC-certified beechwood
Materials: Wood
Educational value: Imaginative play and fine motor skills
Recommended age range: 2+ years old
Extra features: Some trees, a train station, and a switching track bridge
Certification: FSC
Product recall: None
Cons: Some complaints about the tracks not fitting properly.

Pros & best features: Toy boat with animals and two people figures
Product safety: Child-safe plastic
Materials: ABS plastic
Educational value: Imaginative play
Recommended age range: 1½+ years old
Extra features: There’s a handle at the ark roof to convert this into a take-along toy.
Product recall: None
Cons: Some complaints about the ramp not staying in place because the hooks are too small. The toys don’t float and can take in water that you can’t drain out without dismantling the pieces.

Fisher-Price Little People Friends Together PlayHouse

Pros & best features: Dollhouse with different figures and furniture pieces
Product safety: Child-safe, bio-based plastics
Materials: Sugarcane-based plastics
Educational value: Imaginative play and fine motor skills
Recommended age range:1-5 years old
Extra features: Some activation points (e.g., a toilet that “flushes,” light switch, etc.)
Product recall: None
Cons: Some complaints about the music not playing in their dollhouse.

Leapfrog Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart

Pros & best features: Cute ice cream food cart with different toppings and designs
Product safety: FDA-approved non-toxic ink
Materials: Certified RoHS-compliant plastic
Educational value: Memory and sequencing, cognitive, role play, and motor skills
Recommended age range: 2-5 years old
Extra features: It’s also a push toy.
Certification: RoHS
Product recall: None
Cons: It requires assembly. There are customer complaints about the music not working despite having fresh batteries.

LEGO Duplo Bath Time Fun Toy: Floating Animal Island

Pros & best features:A 14-piece bath toy with a floating island, floating ring, four animals, and an activity bucket
Product safety: Meets global and US safety standards
Materials: Polyethylene made from sustainable sources (elements from sugarcane)
Educational value: Promotes imagination, fine motor skills, and creativity
Age range: 1.5+ years
Extra features: The floating island can convert into a container for keeping the toys when they aren’t in use.
Certification: FSC and US quality standards
Product recall: None
Cons: It can be pricey.

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn 3-in-1 Smart Car

Pros & best features: Interactive ride-on car with a smart learning system
Product safety: Child-safe, bio-based plastics
Materials:Sugarcane-based plastics
Educational value: Imaginative play, gross motor skills, and learning ABCs, numbers, and colors numbers, and colors
Recommended age range: 1-5 years old
Extra features: The interactive dashboard features songs, sounds, and lights
Product recall: None
Cons: The steering doesn’t actually have steering capabilities

Step2 Heart of the Home Kitchen

Pros & best features: Kid-sized mini kitchen playset designed with real shelves and cabinets
Product safety: Free from phthalates and heavy metals
Materials: Polypropylene and/or polyethylene plastics
Educational value: Pretend play, social development, and life skills
Recommended age range: 1½ years old
Extra features: Also teaches about recycling and caring for pets
Certification: ASTM
Product recall: None
Cons: Adult assembly is required, but some parents complained about experiencing difficulty in assembling the product due to the lack of pre-drilled holes.

Musical Toys

Hape Pound & Tap Bench With A Slide Out Xylophone

Pros & best features: Musical toy with different play options (xylophone or pound & tap bench)
Product safety: Passed quality and safety tests, including bite force, small parts, sharp points, and drop tests
Materials: Wood, metal, and water-based paint
Educational value: Musical toy, cause-and-effect, and memory skills
Recommended age range: 12+ years old
Extra features: Pounding on the bench also causes the xylophone to make a sound.
Certification: ASTM
Product recall: Recall
Cons: Some complaints about the toy being out of tune.

Vtech KidiBeats Kids Drum Set

Best features: Freestyle drums or play along with nine preset melodies
Product safety: Meets US and EU safety standards
Materials: Child-safe materials
Educational value: Musical creativity, visualization memory, coordination, auditory, sensory development, and phonics
Age range: 2-5 years
Extra features: With lights to teach ABCs and numbers
Certification: ASTM, EN71, and Canadian Hazardous Products Regulations
Product recall: None
Cons: Some parents complained that the toy is too small.

Plan Toy Solid Wood Drum

Pros & best features: Wooden drum
Product safety:
Materials: Rubberwood
Educational value: Auditory perception, pretend play, coordination, auditory, and fine motor skills
Recommended age range: 18+ months
Extra features: Allows free play with a drum that isn’t too loud on children’s ears
Certification: ASTM and EN-71
Product recall: Around 2,100 units of the solid wood toy drum were recalled over safety issues on November 06, 2003. The three rubber feet at the bottom of the drum could detach, posing choking hazards. The manufacturer changed the design afterward. This recall is no longer active. (1)
Cons: It had a recall. Some complaints about the drumstick easily breaking apart if your toddler bangs the drum too hard.

Toys For Learning Life Skills

Lovevery The Helper Play Kit

Best features: Independence kit
Product safety: Free from phthalates and toxic heavy elements
Materials: Sustainably-harvested wood, other child-safe materials
Age range: 25-27 months
Extra features: Includes bio-based cups and plates, felt flowers for “planting” in a row, washable painting sticks, etc.
Certification: FSC
Product recall: None
Cons: It can be pricey.

Creative & Sensory Toys For Learning New Skills

Step2 Flip and Doodle Desk With Stool & Ease

Pros & best features: Your little artist’s activity center with medium and large-sized bins to keep art supplies
Product safety: Free from phthalates and heavy metals
Materials: Polyethylene and/or polypropylene plastics
Educational value: Creativity and visualization, fine motor skills, coordination, and self-expression
Recommended age range: 24+ months
Extra features: The easel also flips down and turns into a desk
Certification: ASTM
Product recall: None
Cons: Some complaints about the difficulty of trying to assemble this activity center.

Easy Clean Finger Paint Station

Pros & best features: Easy-clean finger paint set
Product safety: Non-toxic coloring materials in bold hues of red, blue, and yellow
Materials: Washable
Educational value: Creativity, sensory play, and fine motor skills
Recommended age range: 1+ years old
Extra features: Comes with a finger-painting case
Product recall: None
Cons: Although it isn’t a choking hazard, it requires supervision to ensure your child doesn’t try to eat the paint set.

Honeysticks Originals

Pros & best features: 12 jumbo crayons for little hands
Product safety: 100% natural, non-toxic food-grade ingredients
Materials: Beeswax
Educational value: Creative learningand imagination
Age range: Suitable for all ages
Extra features: Difficult to snap by your little one (reduced choking risk)
Product recall: None
Cons: It can be pricey.

Best features: Child-safe, organic playdough
Product safety: Eco-friendly and organic
Materials: Organic rosemary oil, flour, cream of tartar, vitamin E oil, soybean oil, salt, coconut oil, potassium sorbate, and citric acid
Type of toy: Playdough
Educational value: Imaginative play, creativity, and sensory play
Age range: 2+ years
Extra features: Five colors in each tub, with coloring materials sourced from natural extracts (e.g., spinach, paprika, beets, red cabbage, purple sweet potato, carrots, blueberries, and tomatoes)
Certification: ASTM and CPSIA
Product recall: None
Cons: It can be pricier than non-organic playdoughs.

Factors To Consider When Buying Educational Toys for 2-Year-Olds

Most of the factors you consider in buying toys for 1-year-olds also apply to choosing educational toys for your two-year-old:

Educational Value & Child Development

Early learning (ABCs, numbers, colors, shapes, etc.)
Dexterity
Problem-solving skills
Imaginative play
STEM
Fine motor skills
Hand-eye coordination
Ride-on toys that promote gross motor skills but also used for imaginative play

Safety

Choking hazards
Harmful chemicals
Product recalls

Materials

Child-safe, organic materials are preferred

Age Range & Educational Milestones

Preschool kids (2-5-year-olds) have different needs from 1-year-olds or 7-year-olds.

Interests

Kids have different interests. For example, some 3-year-old boys might like train sets or wooden blocks, but others prefer crayons or musical instruments.

Quality & Durability

Some kids can grow along as your children age.

Although many toys might need adjustments, others (especially crayons and high-quality wooden toys) can be used by any kid, from 2-year-old boys to 8-year-old girls.

FAQs

What Are Appropriate & Must-Have Toys For A Two-Year-Old?

Developmental toys can make playtime interesting but also education for your little one. Some examples include:

Wooden puzzles
Shape sorters
Building blocks
Toys for pretend play

What Should I Gift A Two-Year-Old Boy?

Some gift ideas for boys this age:

Train sets
Toy cars
Crayons

How Do You Explain Gift Giving To Your Two-Year-Old?

Tell them what it means to share and how it can establish a connection with others.
Share how gift-giving can make you feel happy, kind, helpful, or even proud of yourself in a good way.

What Age Is Play-Doh For?

Because it can be a choking hazard, Play-Doh is only recommended for kids three years old and above.

Where Can You Buy Educational Toddler Toys?

There aren’t any restrictions or specific rules over where you can buy the best educational toys for your little ones. Many shops on Amazon and other online stores also offer high-quality toys.

We recommend these sites for the best gifts of educational toys for kids:

What Does The Average Two-Year-Old Know?

Some developmental milestones for two-year-olds: (2)

Most two-year-olds know how to talk, have a vocabulary of around 50-100 words, and can string two to three words to create a short but understandable sentence.
They can identify at least two body parts and explain their basic function.
Knows basic problem-solving skills, such as matching the correct shapes in sorting toys or completing a simple puzzle (2-10 large puzzle pieces).
They can run, kick a ball, and walk (not climb) up the stairs without help.

What Should A Two-Year-Old Know Academically?

Kids this age typically know: (3)

Numbers 1-10
Some letters of the alphabet, particularly A, B, and C
Basic colors
Basic shapes
Some concepts of time but usually vague or incorrect (for example, their “yesterday” might mean anytime in the past, even several days ago)

Should I Get Advanced Educational Toys For My Toddler?

Although it’s tempting to get your kids advanced educational toys, it might just frustrate them if they don’t understand the concept or know how to use the toy.

You can get the idea from Montessori toys, which are simple but lets your kids understand the concepts behind each one.

Other Learning Toys For Different Age Groups

Toy Recalls To Monitor

REFERENCES

(1) https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2003/cpsc-brio-corp-announce-recall-of-toy-drums

(2) https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-2yr.html

(3) https://www.understood.org/en/articles/developmental-milestones-for-typical-2-year-olds?_sp=cc14166c-a0b2-4e36-a09b-769fbeb19f8d.1648518052600