Two Year Old Toy Gift Guide 2020
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” - Fred Rogers
The holiday season is quickly approaching! I know many of you are searching for the perfect gifts for your children or looking for some recommendations you can pass along to grandparents. Today, I will be sharing some of my favorite toys for two-year-olds! If you missed my previous toy gift guides you can find those here:
Before the age of two, toddlers largely participate in what is called functional play. Taking things apart, dumping toys out, knocking over blocks, shaking a rattle -- all these actions would be considered functional play. During this two-year-old year, we see the emergence of symbolic play. Symbolic play involves two different types of play--constructional play and pretend play.
What is constructional play?
Constructional play involves using an object to create or build another object. This would include building a tower with blocks or making a pizza out of play-doh.
What is pretend play?
Pretend play is just that--pretending. Although it may start developing as early as 18 months, pretend play really starts emerging during this two-year-old year, continuing to develop and grow in complexity into the three and four-year-old years. When a child uses a toy baby bottle to feed their baby, that is pretend play. When a child pretends to cook a hamburger in their play kitchen, that is pretend play.
What does pretend play have to do with language skills?
Through pretend play you really get to see what a child is thinking. When a child begins to engage in pretend play, they are showing us that they are becoming symbolic. This means that they are understanding and beginning to use one object to represent another object. And words are just that, symbols that are used to represent an object, idea, feeling, person, etc. Any play activity, especially when interacting with another individual, increases the amount of language development opportunities a child has.
So what does pretend play look like in a two-year-old?
At this age, children are beginning to combine words together to make phrases, and you will also see them start combining actions together in pretend play. They may get food ready to feed their baby doll. They may pretend to get ready for bed using a series of actions sequenced together. They may also act out going to the doctor using a series of actions.
Many of the toys I am recommending in my two-year-old toy gift guide involve constructional play and/or pretend play.
**If you feel that you have too many toys, you may consider cleaning out your toys, making sure to keep toys that aid in these pretend play and constructive play skills. You also may consider using a toy rotation. Toy rotations are beneficial in reducing the amount of toys a child has access to in order to deepen a child’s play with the few toys they do have.**
Magnetic Drawing Board
There are so many variations of these drawing boards! They even make miniature ones. I like to buy these to keep in the diaper bag! I love that this toy promotes creation and imagination. Your two-year-old may begin by only drawing lines or asking you to draw something. When your child asks you to draw something, this requires the child to use language to come up with the idea and to request it. This toy will grow with children as they develop the skills to write and draw on their own!
Melissa and Doug Dust Sweep Mop
If your child hasn’t already, they will begin soon to imitate simple actions you do around the house like cleaning. It’s so helpful for them to have some brooms and mops of their own size instead of trying to steal yours or drag the big broom across the floor!
Melissa and Doug Instruments
Music is always great for language development. I like to turn on some children’s songs in the mornings and pull out the instruments for my kids to use!
Fisher Price Medical Kit
During the two-year-old year, you’ll start to see your child imitate events such as going to the doctor. These doctor kits are a good way to help prepare your child for and relieve any anxiety around doctor visits.
Kidkraft Kitchen
My daughter received her play kitchen at 18 months, and at first she only pulled all the food out and moved things around. But around age 2, she slowly started to show her pretend play skills in imitating what I was doing in the kitchen. If possible, put your child’s play kitchen in your real kitchen so they can watch you cook and imitate you! There are so many accessories that you can get to go along with these play kitchens such as food and dishes and mixers, etc. I would encourage you to keep it simple at first. And as your child’s imagination and pretend play skills increase you may consider adding in a few more fun items.
Click Play Pretend Cosmetic Makeup Set
The best part about this pretend makeup set is that it’s just that -- pretend! But it looks real! Toddlers and two-year-olds love to imitate their parents. So if your daughter is like mine and starts stealing your makeup to put on, try out this makeup set to keep her occupied and promote her pretend play skills.
Melissa and Doug Tool Bench
My daughter loves to help my husband whenever he is hanging something on the wall. She always has to go get her tools so she can “help!”
Adora Newborn Baby Doll
Baby dolls are a staple toy to have at any age. My daughter received this baby when her little brother was born. It came with a little cardboard bed, hospital bracelet, and birth certificate! So much play can occur with this toy. There are also so many accessories you can get depending on your child’s interest -- baby bath, baby carrier, stroller, etc. Something I loved about this toy is when I was taking care of my son, my daughter was able to imitate me and had her own baby to take care of.
Badger Basket Highchair
I love that this highchair comes with eating accessories so that children can pretend to feed their baby.
Battat Purse Set
Is your child stealing your purse and carrying it around the house? I bet they would love to have their own little purse to carry all the important items just like mommy!
Melissa and Doug Stroller
There are so many different strollers out there. I love that this one is wooden and durable. Not only is it good for pushing a baby doll around, but it may serve as a good walking toy for any younger children.
Mr. Potato Head
What a classic toy! This toy not only involves creation but can also be used to request items. Play with your child and have them request which body part they want next. Let them use their imagination and make it look as silly as they want!
Play Doh
I know my OT friends out there would highly recommend play-doh as a great toy to promote good fine motor skills. It’s also a great toy to encourage creation and imagination! My daughter likes to make pretend food with her play-doh.
Lego Duplo Blocks
The options are endless with these toddler-friendly legos! Let your child create and use their imagination. Sit with them and have fun building as well. You’ll help train your child’s imagination by showing them yours.
Melissa and Doug Wooden Farm Train
A train would be a fun toy to combine with something like blocks. You could practice building a train track. Or build a tower and run into it with the train.
Cat Construction Vehicles
These vehicles can be used by themselves or you can use them outside in the dirt or sandbox. You can work on using more verbs in play by talking about digging the dirt and dumping it out.
Top Bright Racetrack
This is such a fun racetrack perfect for this age. There are many similar to this one, but what I like about this one is that it has the garages at the bottom. You can talk about parking your cars and opening and closing the garage.
Books!
Don’t forget to read books to your two-year-olds! At this age, children may start to become more interested in books that tell a story compared to simple board books from their infancy.
Because pretend play skills continue to grow in complexity, children will be able to use these same toys as they grow into their preschool years. In fact, be sure to stay tuned for our preschool gift guide for additional suggestions you may find appropriate for your two-year old!
**For children who may have speech and language delays, always reach out to your child’s speech-language pathologist for more specific recommendations on how to use toys to target your child’s language goals!
Resources:
ASHA-Speech Development in two-three year olds
Hanen-The Land of Make Believe
Hanen-Toys the Kick Start the Imagination
Teach Me to Talk-Pretend Play Skills
Heart and Soul Speech-Why is Play Important
Heart and Soul Speech-Stages of Play Development
Heart and Soul Speech-Pretend Play