Shopping for a 2-year-old’s birthday can be difficult. After all, they have quite discerning tastes! If you’re a doting aunt, proud grandparent, or family friend trying to decode the mysterious world of toddler toys, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. The below list provides some brilliant ideas on educational toys for 2 year olds – sure to delight both the recipient and their parents!
At this magical age, little ones are curious, energetic, and constantly learning, so the perfect gift needs to be more than just adorable. It should spark imagination, encourage exploration, and ideally survive at least a week of toddler enthusiasm.
As the leading authority in lovely toys, we’ve curated a list of joyful, age-appropriate presents that are going to earn you big smiles (and possibly a sticky hug)!
Best Tried & Tested Toys
- My Countdown Racer – Numbers and Music
- Forest Magnetic Maze – FSC Wood
- Fruity Fractions – Wooden Set
- 1-2-3 Build It – Rocket, Train, Helicopter!
- Locking Door – Wooden Matching Game
- Cookie Jar – Learn to Count!
- Dinosaur Alphabet Wooden Puzzle
- Geometry Peg Puzzle – For Little Hands
1 My Countdown Racer – Numbers and Music , £29.99 £29.99
Listen to numbers in 7 different languages, play piano & zoom off!
Basic numbers can be learned in seven different languages including English, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, German and even Mandarin – impressive! The countdown keyboard can also be used as a piano, with the numbers becoming keys, as well as a melody player with ten different tunes. With additional light and sounds effects, this interactive car will zoom off at the press of a button, the higher the number the further it goes – superb!
2 Forest Magnetic Maze – FSC Wood , £25.99 £25.99
Guide the balls through the wooden maze with a magnetic pen
Explore the forest with this colourful magnetic maze. Guide the 16 balls along the path, through the turnstile and around the sliding log. Sort each colour into the right space – brown for the squirrel, red in the strawberry patch… Tilt the 25cm board from side to side or use the magnetic wand to roll the balls along. From top company Janod, the board is made of sturdy FSC-certified wood and is excellent for coordination. Tree-mendous!
3 Fruity Fractions – Wooden Set , £14.99 £14.99
Cut fruits into sections to explore early number skills – pear-y cool!
This brilliant wooden set features 23 pieces, including six colourful and familiar fruits. Using the colour-coded indents to guide you, insert the pieces into the sturdy 30cm board. From 1/2 an apple to 1/3 of a kiwi and 1/6 of a watermelon, little ones are sure to enjoy sorting all the pieces! Then use the yellow wooden play knife to split the sections up again, counting fractions as you go. Great for co-ordination, maths skills and more. Tutti fruity fun!
4 1-2-3 Build It – Rocket, Train, Helicopter! , £29.99 £29.99
Build 3 colourful modes of transport with this easy 17 piece set!
This brilliant building set has 17 colourful pieces that easily snap together. Blast off in your rocket, fly away in your helicopter, or Choo-Choo down the tracks on your train! With chunky, durable and easy to assemble pieces made perfectly for little hands, mix and match your way to wonderful creations. From Learning Resources, a lovely gift to introduce little ones to the fun world of engineering!
5 Locking Door – Wooden Matching Game , £12.99 £12.99
Slide the blocks onto the string, then open the door and say hello!
This clever sorting toy is sure to excite little learners. Select one of the ten pattern cards, then find the blocks that match the shapes and colours shown. Thread them onto the string and use the key to open the door in the 13cm house board. The yellow door really functions – open it and say hello! Sustainably made from FSC-certified wood and great for dexterity skills too. There are so many ways to play with this sweet set. Knock knock!
6 Cookie Jar – Learn to Count! , £29.99 £29.99
Feed cookies to this talking toy as you count to ten – brilliant fun!
Practice number recognition with the Count & Learn Cookie Jar! In ‘Let’s Learn’ mode, the friendly 16cm jar counts out loud as you slot the cookies in the top. Switch over to ‘Find It’ mode and the jar will say a number – find the corresponding cookie by counting the chocolate chips and pop it in. Happy sound effects play when little learners get it right! Great for dexterity skills too, this cute cookie jar makes learning fun. Chip chip hooray!
7 Dinosaur Alphabet Wooden Puzzle , £21.99 £21.99
Lovely 56cm wooden jigsaw with 26 pieces & lowercase letters too!
Hand painted in shades of the rainbow, this lovely puzzle is specially designed for little learners. Simply slot together the chunky pieces to reveal a smiling dino measuring a whopping 56cm! Each of the 26 segments is painted with a lowercase letter, so little ones can practice their ABCs. The puzzle is also sustainably made from FSC-certified wood and wonderfully durable. Develop key motor skills, letter recognition and more. Dino-mite!
8 Geometry Peg Puzzle – For Little Hands , £8.99 £8.99
Wooden puzzle with 8 sturdy & colourful shapes to sort – great fun!
Measuring 30cm, this sturdy puzzle features eight simple shapes in a variety of pastel colours. From circle and square to a five-pointed star, simply match each element to its spot on the tray. Each chunky piece is specially designed for little hands to grab, with a handy peg for grasping. Sustainably crafted from FSC-certified wood, this fun puzzle is a brilliant way to introduce colour and shape matching concepts. A timeless toy for little learners.
For more great toys for 2 year olds, check out our website!
What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear!
