Are you needing inspiration to buy the best toys for 2 year olds Australia wide? Do you need advice about which sort of toys 2 year olds like and which 2 year old toys will keep kids happily entertained for hours? If so, then we can help.
Whether you are wanting to buy the best 2 year old Christmas gifts Australia wide or the best birthday gift for a 2 year old, you are in the right place. This ultimate gift guide covers it all including the best education toys for 2 year olds, the best books for 2 year olds and the best outdoor toys for 2 year olds, as well as much more.
We also advise you about the decision making factors to consider when buying the best 2 year old toys, such as two year old developmental milestones, that will make Christmas and birthday toy buying for this age group so much easier.
For your convenience we show you where you can buy these 2 year old presents Australia wide online right now so you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your own home. How quick, easy and convenient is that!
Please note that in our experience the best toys for a 2 year old boy and the best toys for a 2 year old girl are identical. My girl/boy twins also back this up with both of them loving the same toys equally at this age.
Best Toys For 2 Year Olds Australia 2023 Comparison Chart
Browse our best 2 year old toy ideas quickly and easily in this comparison chart to help you decide what to buy a 2 year old.
Click the links provided to take you to the relevant online website for that suggested best toy for 2 year olds so you can see the current price and easily buy it now if you want to without even leaving your home.
There is more information further down this article about the benefits of each toy recommended detailing why we think each featured toy is one of the best gifts for 2 year olds Australia this year.
| TOY | IMAGE | DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES & SKILLS ENCOURAGED | PRICE |
| Best Education Toys For 2 Year Olds |    | Fine motor skills. Letters & numbers. Language skills. Hand-eye coordination. | Alphabet & number block sets prices HERE. See the rainbow arch stacking blocks price HERE. See 2 year olds hand puppets & their prices HERE. |
| Best Books For 2 Year Olds |   | Language skills. Fine motor skills. | See 2 Year Olds Board Books & their prices HERE. See Dr Seuss Board Books & their prices HERE. |
| Best Outdoor Toys For 2 Year olds |    | Gross motor skills. Fine motor skills. Sensory play. Hand-eye coordination. Balance. | See Water Play Tables & their prices HERE. See Toddler Pools & their prices HERE. See Balance Bikes & their prices HERE. |
| Best Music Toys For 2 Year Olds |   | Hand-eye coordination. Fine motor skills. Musicality, pitch, sound volume, rhythm & colours. Cause & effect. | See Musical Melody Mix music activity toy price HERE. See Xylophone prices HERE. |
Decision-Making Factors To Consider When Buying The Best Toys For 2 Year Olds
Developmental Milestones
Toys are the learning tools of childhood and all toys can be considered educational in this context. It is important to consider the developmental milestones and newly learned skills of two year olds when choosing the best toddler toys Australia. The best toys for two year olds are those that enable them to practise and learn new skills.
Two year olds have a lot more skills than a one year old. Two year olds have newly learned to run, jump, throw and catch. They have increased language skills, understanding a lot more and talking more as well. They enjoy music and dancing. Two year olds also love pretend play and playing outdoors.
Another trait of two year olds is that they are wanting their own independence which unfortunately means they have more tantrums than one year olds too.
Open Ended Toys
Open ended toys that can be played with in many different ways are the best toys for two year olds.
Open ended toys encourage imagination, thinking and creativity. Playing with open ended toys is often described as 90% child and 10% toy as these toys leave loads of room for a child’s input.
Safety
Choking is still a significant risk for two year olds as they love tasting things and tend to put everything in their mouth. The best toys for two year olds have no small parts that can be swallowed accidentally.
Parents
When buying toys for two year olds it’s also important to consider the preferences of the parents. If the parents don’t approve of the toy then it is likely that the 2 year old won’t get to play with the toy very often.
One of the most common things to consider here is whether the parents prefer eco-friendly and sustainable wooden toys rather than plastic toys.
You could also look at the parents’ interests when choosing what to buy their 2 year old. Are the parents musically inclined? Are they sporty? Often parents appreciate their children receiving gifts that reflect their own interests like music or sport.
Best Education Toys For 2 Year Olds Australia
ABC Wooden Alphabet & Number Blocks
One of the best educational toys for 2 year olds Australia wide are Alphabet & Number Blocks.
2 year olds love building towers with blocks so this is a winning toy. Blocks are so much fun and perfectly sized for little hands, offering open ended play.
Blocks showing numbers, alphabet letters and animal pictures are even more educational. Such toys help further develop fine motor skills and the learning of basic letters and numbers. Plus they are just good old fashioned fun!
Initially two year olds just love building with the blocks but then they love to start learning their letters and number with them too. They are a great educational toy that they will play with for many years.
Rainbow Arch Blocks
Rainbow Arch block sets are another fun and educational toy for 2 year olds. The arches usually consist of different brightly coloured wood which can be stacked beautifully teaching 2 year olds about colours and sizes. Stack the blocks together or play with them individually. Two year olds love playing with rainbow stacking toys. Great for hand eye coordination, fine motor control and imaginative play. This is a timeless design toy that will be passed from generation to generation.
Hand Puppets
Hand puppets are great learning toys for 2 year olds, especially for the development of their language and communication, creativity, hand-eye coordination, motor skills and confidence.
There are many different designs of hand puppets available on the market ranging from zoo animals, pets, farm animals, professions (policeman, doctor, construction worker, fireman), dinosaurs and more. Click the link below to see a wide selection of hand puppets.
2 year olds simply slip on a hand puppet or two and then let their imagination go wild, acting out scenes or just playing.
Best Books for 2 Year Olds Australia
Books are a great gift for children in any age group and 2 year olds are no different. Books are one of the best Christmas gifts for 2 year olds Australia wide. 2 year olds are understanding a lot more language and love hearing rhyming stories and repetition, whether this is repetition within the story of a book or hearing the same book read over and over again each day.
Board Books
The best books for 2 year olds to look through themselves are board books. 2 year olds are still developing the fine motor control to turn delicate paper pages themselves without ripping them, so board books are a lot more durable for them. Some of the best board books for 2 year olds include the following.
Ten In The Bed by Penny Dale is a fun board book that 2 year olds love. 2 year olds especially love the sounds the different animals make when falling out of the bed. This book also teaches 2 year olds to count backwards from 10.
Roadworks by Sally Sutton is another fun book for 2 year olds, especially those 2 year olds fascinated by large machinery and trucks, which let’s face it is most 2 year olds! This book shows a road being built from start to finish and contains many exciting noise-words, rhythms and rhymes that 2 year olds love.
Monkey Puzzle by Julia Donaldson is a delightfully clever and funny book also perfect for 2 year olds. It’s about a kind butterfly helping a little monkey find its mum. After numerous misunderstandings which result in the butterfly leading the monkey to all sorts of unsuitable animals they eventually find Dad. Luckily Dad knows exactly where Mum is waiting for a well deserved cuddle.
Dr Seuss Books
Dr Seuss books are full of wacky creatures and the rhythm and rhyme so loved by 2 year olds. These books have truly stood the test of time. They were among my favourite books when I was growing up and I have now passed on my love of Dr Seuss to my own children.
Some of the best Dr Seuss books for 2 year olds include his Bright and Early Board Books including The Big Box of Bright and Early Board Books about Me, Hop on Pop, Dr Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!, There’s a Wocket in My Pocket! and Fox in Socks.
Best Outdoor Toys For 2 Year Olds Australia
With Christmas occurring in the middle of summer in Australia outdoor toys are always one of the best presents for 2 year olds for Christmas. If the outdoor toy involves water then it will be an even more popular gift for 2 year olds. I mean what is better in the eyes of a two year old than splashing around with water outdoors in summer?
Water Play Tables
Water play tables are one of the best toys for 2 year old toddler boys and girls. Not only are water play tables fun and cooling to play with in summer but they are also perfect for developing fine motor skills, sensory play and learning hands on science skills about the properties of water.
Several children can play with the one water table simultaneously making them a great Christmas gift for families with multiple young children.
The best water play tables for 2 year olds are the ones that have numerous different accessories to keep them happy for hours playing with water. A combination water and sand play table is another great present for 2 year olds Australia wide.
Inflatable Toddler Swimming Pools
2 year olds love to play in the water especially on hot summer days. An inflatable toddler swimming pool is one of the best Christmas presents for 2 year old Australia wide.
There are numerous different toddler swimming pool sizes and designs with many varying themes to appeal to any 2 year old’s interests including pirate and castle themes. Some toddler pools have additional features such as fountains, slides, or a canopy to provide shade.
Toddler pools that are big enough for several young children to play in at once are a great Christmas gift for families with several young children.
Balance Bikes
Another of the best presents for a 2 year old is a balance bike. Balance bikes are the best learner bike Australia wide. Balance bikes have no pedals but rather teach the child to balance instead of teaching them to pedal. The child learns to balance and propels themselves forwards using their feet on the ground.
A balance bike allows for a much more natural progression of learning to ride a bike. Once children have learned the skill of balance on a balance bike they will find it a lot easier to progress to a regular bike later on and won’t need to rely on training wheels.
The best age to start on a balance bike is 2 years of age when the child can confidently walk.
In the eyes of a 2 year old, a balance bike is definitely one of the cool kids toys Australia wide.
Best Music Toys For 2 Year Olds Australia
2 year olds love creating music and exploring cause and effect through musical toys. Music toys allow them to be creative with sound and help them develop their fine motor control and hand eye coordination. Xylophones can also be used to teach children about colours as well as the pitch, rhythm and volume of sound.
Musical Activity Toy
One of the best music toys for 2 year olds is the Musical Melody Mix music activity toy that consists of 10 removable musical instruments including an xylophone, drum, tubular chimes, triangle, cymbal, bells, maracas, castanet, double guiro, and pair of rhythm sticks plus 2 strikers and 1 scraper.
With so many different instruments 2 year olds will have hours of fun playing with them all. This is also the perfect gift if the 2 year old has siblings or frequent play dates as there are enough music instruments for many children to play at once.
This music activity toy comes in a brightly coloured version and a pastel coloured version.
Made from sustainable rubber wood this toy would also be approved of by environmentally aware parents.
Xylophone
Xylophones are another great musical toy for 2 year olds. 2 year olds love making music using the xylophone mallet exploring the different tones the different coloured bars produce.
Another definite advantage of both these music toys is that they have good longevity. Kids will play with these music toys for many years. As their development and skills grow and improve they will play with these music toys in different, more skilled ways. My three kids loved their music toys for many years.
I hope the above guide has helped you find the best toy for your two year old family member, relative or friend and made your Christmas shopping that little bit easier this year.
We also have a guide to buying the best toys for 1 year olds HERE.
More fabulous toy gifting inspiration can be found in our Best Trampoline Buying Guide and Best Christmas Books For Kids Buying Guide. Christmas books are a great addition to pop into children’s Christmas Eve Boxes.
Also do check out our Ultimate Guide To the Best Christmas Gifts Australia for gift ideas for everyone else on your Christmas gift list too.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
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Ingrid is a lover of all things Christmas who has been helping make Christmas time easier and less stressful for her family and friends all her life with Christmas tips, Christmas gift suggestions, Christmas recipe inspiration and Christmas event planning.
Ingrid now shares all this Christmas information here on her Christmas Time Made Easy website. She also shares information about the best Christmas events and activities happening in her home town of Sydney, Australia.