The 8 Best Educational Toys for 2-Year-Olds (2024)

• Our Picks

• What to Look For

• FAQ

• Why Trust Verywell Family

The Fat Brain Toys Alpha Abacus ranks high on our list because this simple and well-made toy will encourage letter and number recognition and early reading and math skills. The full alphabet and numbers are printed on blocks that spin.

The double-sided blocks have the letter/number on one side and an illustrated example or word on the other. Made of wood, the Alpha Abacus is recommended for kids ages 2 years old and up and will lead to lots of learning and fun.

Perfect for little hands, this budget-friendly toy provides hours of endless play at an amazing price point. The Mega Bloks bag includes 80 different plastic building blocks.

Toddlers can build, create, and knock over their creations over and over again. At the end of playtime, the blocks all fit in the see-thru plastic storage bag. Playing with blocks is a big developmental milestone, so it is great to always inspire their learning. These blocks are ideal for ages 1 through 5.

A perfect first puzzle, this jumbo wooden toy is a great educational activity that encourages hand-eye coordination, visual perception skills, and color and shape recognition.

The large knobs are made for little hands, and the extra-thick wooden pieces are sturdy and safe. Recommended for ages 12 months and up, this is safe and appropriate for any 2-year-old.

Koala Crates are a monthly subscription service that sends prepackaged, play-based learning activities that are fun and hands on, crafted just for kids ages 2 through 4.

Choose a monthly subscription for as long as you like, and your toddler will love getting their very own package each month. While the activities are age-appropriate, most cannot be completed alone, so these do require hands-on adult help. This is a great way to get your kid working on their STEM skills.

For many toddlers, imaginative play begins around 2 years old, so it’s the perfect age to encourage role-play. A doctor kit allows kids to become someone they are probably familiar with: a doctor!

Made from 100% recycled plastic, the kit includes familiar doctor tools and encourages motor skills, imagination, and prosocial behavior (along with helping to eliminate any fear of a doctor’s visit).

For a splurge-worthy gift that’ll get tons of use, a toy kitchen is a smart buy. Kids love to imitate what they see, so toddlers will gain valuable motor skills and more by cooking and playing in their very own kitchen.

The kitchen, recommended for ages 2 years old and up,is stocked with a refrigerator, oven, microwave, tons of storage, and more than 40 kitchen accessories. Some adult assembly is required, but reviewers note that all you’ll need is a screwdriver, hammer, and some time.

Inspire their musical side with this banjo will help them jam out to their favorite tunes. This banjo is great to help teach them cause and effect and help keep their ear in tune with the sounds they are creating.

Get them moving at home with this foam gymnasium playset that helps tots to understand how to climb and manipulate their body. Young and big kids will love playing with this climbing set that can inspire lots of imagination and help them work on gross motor skills.

The colorful four-piece set comes with a cute little toddler step to make climbing a breeze and is made of easy-to-clean vinyl.

As with any climbing tools, you'll want to keep a safe eye on your child while they use this.

Final Verdict

For a toy that hones in on many skills, check out the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Jumbo Knob Puzzle (view at Amazon). This jumbo wooden toy is a great educational activity that encourages hand-eye coordination, visual perception skills, and color and shape recognition. There's also the Green Toys Doctor Kit (view at Amazon) which encourages motor skills, imagination, and prosocial behavior. A doctor kit allows kids to become someone they are probably familiar with: a doctor!

Frequently Asked Questions

• Should I buy advanced educational toys for my toddler?

  When shopping for toys that offer educational value to your child, focus your efforts on finding toys that will help them master milestones they’re working on now rather than investing in something they won’t be able to properly (or possibly safely) use quite yet.

  It’s tempting to want to purchase toys that encourage further development, but meeting milestones isn’t something that can be rushed. During the toddler and preschool years, there is always a new developmental milestone waiting to be reached so remember to support them where they are now, not where you’d like for them to be.

• Do all toys offer an educational benefit?

  With their rapidly developing brains, you could argue that just about anything offers some type of educational benefit for a two-year-old, whether it’s a toy or not. While toys that are designed with a specific educational purpose are wonderful for kids, toys that are just meant to be played with offer value as well.

  “Some of the best toys don’t have ‘educational’ labeling at all but still help children strengthen a developmental skill,” pediatrician Whitney Casares, MD, MPH tells VeryWell Family. To get the most out of your child’s toys, instead of focusing on labels, consider your child’s stage of development and look for toys that will support them in meeting upcoming milestones.

Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.