Let’s face it, it can be kind of intimidating shopping for gifts for 2-year-old boys! There are so many options out there, but how do you know which toys are actually good for him and which are just junk? Also, 2-year-olds aren’t exactly known for their tact – unlike an older kid who’s learned some self-control, a 2-year-old will announce loudly and angrily if he doesn’t like a gift.
We’re here to help! We’ve rounded up dozens of awesome gift ideas for 2-year-old boys that won’t break easily, that will often teach him skills without him realizing it, and that he’ll love. Many of these toys will even grow with him over the next few years, or they can be passed on to siblings, so they are money well-spent.
Read on for some great gifts for 2-year-old kids!
50 Awesome Gift Ideas for 2-Year-Old Boys
Wonderful gifts for 2-year-old boys to get them creating, reading, or running off steam!
LEGO DUPLO Farm
He can fit these large LEGO pieces together and (with a little help!) build a barn for the DUPLO animals that come along with the set. The set has a tractor that the farmer can sit in to ride around the farm, along with a pig, horse, sheep, dog, cows, 4 LEGO figures, and much more!
Strider Balance Bike
Strider bikes help so much with getting kids ready to ride actual bikes! In fact, my own daughter rode a bike twice as fast as her siblings because she had practice balancing on a strider bike first. This bike has an adjustable seat and handlebars so it will grow with him until he’s 5 years old. It’s sturdy and will stand up to vigorous kids. If you get a strider bike for him, don’t forget a helmet as well!
Good Night Gorilla Board Book
This is such a fun bedtime book to read with toddlers! We follow a zookeeper as he walks around the zoo, checking on the animals when it’s time for them to sleep. But a sneaky gorilla has other ideas, and all the animals plan to spend the night somewhere very different than in their cages! He’ll love pointing out all the zoo animals and making their animal sounds, and the cheeky gorilla is sure to get plenty of laughs. At the end, when all the animals finally go to bed, it’s the perfect time to say goodnight to your own little monkey and tuck him in for the night.
Kids Gardening Tool Set
Kids love to mimic their parents, so if his mom or dad likes getting outdoors and planting flowers or vegetables, he’ll want to help! This gardening tool set comes with an apron to keep dirt off.
Little Tikes T-Ball Set
He’ll get his first introduction to baseball with this T-ball set! He can also play on his own while an adult sits nearby and takes a much-needed rest – he doesn’t need someone pitching to him when the ball simply rests on the stand. The set has an adjustable height “T” so it can grow along with him. Playing will improve his hand-eye coordination and he’ll have a great time as well.
Playskool Sit ‘n Spin
It’s a classic toy most of us remember from our own childhoods, and it’s still a great one today! He can sit on the Sit ‘n Spin, and he can control the speed himself. The toy helps him practice balance, coordination, and gross motor skills as he plays.
Wooden Building Blocks Set
Wooden building blocks are a basic kids’ toy, but they’re so important and teach so many educational skills for little ones! He’ll have the fun of building things up and knocking them over with a satisfying crash…but he’s also learning colors, shapes, engineering, spatial awareness, and so much more.
LeapFrog Magnetic Letter Set
Make this magnetic set available within his reach – on a dishwasher front or the bottom of a fridge – and he’ll learn his ABCs with almost no help from you! This toy works very simply. He just needs to select a letter, fit it into the spot on the letter slot, and he’ll learn the letter names and sounds, along with other phonics skills. There are also 3 customizable magnets where you can put a picture of a parent or loved one for him to hang on the fridge as well.
8.5 Inch Playground Ball
We can often make gift-giving for toddlers complicated when the simplest gifts are sometimes the most fun! This bouncy ball is a basic playground ball. It’s rainbow-colored. It bounces wonderfully. And that’s it. Fortunately, that’s all he needs. He’ll have a great time chasing, kicking, throwing, and bouncing this ball and it will get him plenty of exercise, too!
Pretend Play Kids Broom & Dustpan Set
Isn’t it funny that chores we now see as a nuisance look like a whole lot of fun to toddlers who love to copy adults? We’re not sure where that passion goes when they’re teens, but take advantage of it for now! This broom & dustpan set lets him copy his parents as they clean. Perhaps they can even get him to sweep up actual dust and dirt and help out. That’s a gift for everyone in the family!
LEGO DUPLO Town Airplane & Airport
Toddlers love transportation toys! Combine that with LEGO DUPLO blocks he can use to build, and he’ll be over the moon. The set includes 3 figures – a dad, a little girl, and a pilot. It also features an airplane with a removable roof and an airport control tower with a luggage slide to send suitcases down. He’ll have hours of building fun…and hours more of imaginary playtime.
Crayola Bathtub Fingerpaint
What’s more fun than making messes when you’re supposed to be getting clean? Bathtub paints are always a great time – he’ll love painting on the tub, the walls, and himself! The best part for parents is that these messes are all being made with soap that just needs to be rinsed off to get him squeaky clean.
Green Toys Fire Truck
Large toy trucks painted bright colors are definitely a toddler favorite! This toy fire truck is not only a lot of fun, it’s BPA-free and made with earth-friendly materials, right down to the packaging. He’ll develop both gross and fine motor skills playing with this truck, and he’ll have an awesome time doing it!
Little Tikes Slide
This is a fun slide to use in the backyard, but it’s small enough to move indoors during bad weather, too! He’ll love climbing the steps and sliding down, and the building at the top will make him feel like he’s in his own special treehouse.
Melissa & Doug Band-in-a-Box
If you’ve been around young kids for any time at all, you know they love making noise! Help him channel that noise into rhythms and music and get him on the early steps to playing an instrument with this band-in-a-box. It has 10 pieces, including maracas, cymbals, a triangle, a clacker, and more. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get a concert after he opens this present!
Octopus Folding Beach Chair
Make him as comfy as his parents with his very own child-sized collapsible chair! This cute octopus chair works great as a beach chair or to bring along camping or on a picnic. It even has a cup holder and a matching storage bag for carrying it around.
Spike The Fine Motor Hedgehog
He’ll develop his fine motor skills as he takes these large pegs out of Spike the Hedgehog and fits them back in again. Spike’s quills are brightly colored, so he can practice his colors, sorting skills, and counting skills along with his pincer grip. Of course, he won’t realize he’s doing all this learning – he’ll just know he’s having a great time with this toy for 2-year-old boys.
Little Blue Truck Board Book
This charming, rhyming board book shows the importance of being a good friend and that one good deed can lead to another! It features an adorable blue truck (he’ll love “beeping” along with the truck), plus a cast of farmyard animals that will be fun to point out as well.
Old MacDonald's Farm Sound Puzzle
The animals in this puzzle all have easy-to-grasp pegs so he can pull the pieces out and fit them in again. Each time he gets a piece in the right spot, the animal will sing part of the “Old MacDonald” song! The puzzle includes a farmer, a cow, a pig, chickens, and other barnyard creatures.
Play-Doh Dino Crew
This adorable T-Rex eats Play-Doh…and makes lots of convincing noises as he does! He chomps and crunches and yep – even burps – as he munches on the Play-Doh. This gift for 2-year-old kids also features a see-through stomach where they can watch the Play-Doh land…and then it will come out the other end with more convincing noises.
Toddler Teddy Bear Slippers
His feet will be both warm and adorable in these fluffy, plush slippers! The bears have ears that stick up and fuzzy fur that’s soft and comfortable. They have non-slip soles so kids who like running around the house are better able to keep their balance.
Click N' Play 18 Piece Beach Set
Make a day at the beach much more exciting with these sand toys! This set comes with a bucket, shovels, rakes, sand sifters, a watering can, and a mesh bag to store everything in. He can dig, build sandcastles, play in the water, and generally have an awesome beach day!
Fisher-Price Classic Xylophone
He can pull this xylophone along behind him to hear it play music, or he can use the mallet to strike the keys. The bright rainbow-colored toy will help him learn not just rhythm and music, but he can practice his colors, work on hand-eye coordination, and put his gross motor skills to work.
Fisher-Price Little People Airplane
Airplanes make such fun toys! This one comes with a pilot and a passenger. When Pilot Kurt sits in his seat, the plane plays fun sounds and songs and lights up. Another button plays even more sounds and phrases. He can spin the turbine engine and spend hours pretending with his new plane as it flies to parts unknown.
Tan Dog Children's Plush Chair
This comfy, fuzzy chair makes a perfect spot for curling up with a good book! It has a removable and washable slipcover, so it’s easy to clean – very important for messy toddlers! The chair is lightweight so parents can move it around the house easily.
iLearn Kids Golf Set
Is he the next Tiger Woods? He can get started with this golf set designed just for toddlers! It comes with a ball-to-tee trainer, golf balls, a club, a putter, a left driver head, and a right driver head. He can practice on his own or with an adult who wants to get him ready for the green.
Woodland Animals Growth Chart
His parents can proudly record his height (and maybe tear up a little at the same time) with this woodland animal growth chart. It comes personalized with his name at the top and is printed with adorable animals. It’s a unique, sweet present he can keep forever.
Qilay Wooden Train Set
Kids love playing trains, and this quality wooden set is one he’ll use for a good long time! It comes with 69 pieces of wooden track, a train station, trees, cars, a helicopter, and other fun accessories. He can spend hours playing on his own or with his friends or siblings. He could even combine his train set with his Fisher-Price people or LEGOs for endless possibilities.
My Very Own Tool Set
Since kids love copying their parents, he’ll love having his own tool set to work alongside his mom or dad as they fix and build things! This tool set includes a toddler-friendly toy saw, hammer, screwdriver, wrench, drill, and toolbox. If he squeezes the drill, it even makes sounds like an actual drill.
Shape Sorter Toy
This wooden shape sorter is a classic toddler toy! He’ll learn how to fit different shapes into each of the holes in the box, helping him with problem-solving, fine motor skills, sorting, and color recognition. The shapes get stored inside the box as well, so it’s easy to clean up when he’s done!
LittleHippo Children's Sleep Trainer
If you’re tired of your toddler running into your room at all hours of the night, ready to get up and party, this could be a great solution! The MELLA clock is designed to teach kids who aren’t old enough to tell time when they can get up each morning. The clock begins to glow yellow to signal it’s almost time to get up and turns green when it’s actually time to get out of bed. The clock face also has facial expressions to tell kids when to rise and shine.
Fisher-Price Little People Farm
This classic farm playset has music, sounds, and lights he can watch while he plays with the farm animals and the farmer. The farm comes with a farmer, a horse, a cow, a pig, and a chicken. There’s also a hay bale that can drop through a hole in the hayloft to feed the animals below.
Storytime Little Tot Box
This subscription box for babies and toddlers includes 1 board book, a learning & development card to help parents play with their child, and age-appropriate activities to do with them. He’ll get a new book with each box, so he’ll get fun packages in the mail. It doesn’t matter how old you are, fun mail is always exciting!
VTech Touch and Swipe Baby Phone
If he’s surrounded by adults with phones, he’ll probably be delighted to get his own! This phone has a touch screen with 12 pretend, light-up apps that respond to touch. He can toggle between an app screen and a music screen. The phone plays 15 different melodies and has phrases and sing-along songs that teach the ABCs and more.
Kids Camping Tent Set
He can pretend to go on outdoor adventures with this camping set! It comes with a tent, telescope, walkie-talkie, whistle, compass, flashlight, and all the other gear he’ll need to have an awesome campout in the living room. This would make a cool Christmas or birthday present and could be fun to set up under the tree before he wakes up Christmas morning.
Radio Flyer Red Rider Trike
This trike is an award-winning present parents have been giving their toddlers and preschoolers for generations, and it’s still beloved today! He’ll have a great time with a Radio Flyer tricycle. The smooth wheels mean he won’t have trouble making it go, and the trike even features covered storage so he can bring a favorite toy or treasure along with him on his ride.
Mix 'n Match Wooden Bear Puzzle
This toy for 2-year-old boys is a sturdy, fun twist on classic paper dolls. The magnetic puzzle features a Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear, along with pants, shirts, dresses, and other items the bears can wear. The magnets fit each piece of clothing on the bear, so he can dress them up and move them around while the clothes stay securely in place.
Slide and Find Trucks
This interactive book has doors to slide, lots of bright colors, and fun trucks to examine on each page. He’ll learn about each of the trucks, and he’ll also learn about the occupations of the people who drive the trucks. The sturdy board construction also means this book will hold up well.
Star Belly Dream Lites
This sweet stuffed animal does double duty as a comfort item at night when he goes to sleep and as a night light. Press on the belly of the cuddly dinosaur or other animal, and he’ll see glowing stars and shapes that drift across the ceiling and walls as he drifts off to sleep.
Crayola Washable Fingerpaints
Indulge his desire to make a big ol’ mess with these fingerpaints! He’ll love getting his hands dirty, and creating bright, colorful art at the same time. The set includes six 8-oz bottles of paints – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The paints are non-toxic so kids can play and paint to their heart’s content!
Kids Ball Pit Tents and Tunnels
Bring home the fun of a kids’ play place without the germs! He’ll love venturing through these tunnels and into the various cubes until he gets to the ball pit at the end. On the outside of one of the cubes, there’s a dart game, complete with Velcro balls to toss at the targets. This would be a great present for kids who live in areas that get too cold or too hot to play outdoors at times – they can get their active fun in their very own tunnel instead!
Bubble Leaf Blower
He’ll love the endless bubbles coming from this toy that resembles a leaf blower! He can set it on the ground and chase bubbles all over the yard or hold it like an adult would hold a leaf blower and spray bubbles all over. Either way, he’ll be delighted.
GUND Philbin Teddy Bear
Nothing beats a cuddly, snuggly, classic teddy bear! This chocolate brown bear has the best expression and is huggable and ridiculously soft. Since Philbin the bear is made by the oldest maker of stuffed animals and soft toys in the U.S., you know he’ll be of great quality, too.
Count & Rumble Piggy Bank
This plastic, jumbo-sized pretend piggy bank is great practice and calls on all kinds of skills when he plays with it! He’ll learn sorting and counting, and he’ll get fine motor practice by fitting the coins into the slot at the top of the pig. The toy has songs and sounds, and it will count along as he drops coins in the slot. He’ll get even more sounds by pressing the piggy’s nose.
Toddlers' 4-Piece Pajama Set
This 4-piece pajama set features two long-sleeved tops and two sets of PJ pants in snuggly, comfortable, warm fleece. They make perfect winter pajamas. The fact that they’re a top and bottom, rather than zip-up footie pajamas, is also easier on potty-training toddlers who might need to make a trip to the bathroom quickly. Dinosaurs and fire trucks on the front mean he’ll love his new sleepwear.
12 Pack Mini Pullback Vehicles
These tiny cars work by simply pulling them back on a grippy surface, then letting them go! They’ll speed along the ground, powered by their wind-up wheels. They’re a good size for small toddler hands, and the set comes with a police car, a fire truck, a taxi, and other brightly colored vehicles. These would be fun stocking stuffers at Christmas or as a party favor for friends.
Little Fur Family Board Book
The story of the little fur family, warm as toast, is a great one for just before bedtime. The rhymes are soft and soothing, and the story is a mellow one about a little fur family and their activities, which end with the baby heading off to bed for the night.
Pretend & Play Steering Wheel
He’ll be thrilled to drive just like his parents…and his parents might be shocked at how many of their driving habits he picked up! This toy features an accelerator and brake pedal, plus a ride-on seat. The car plays songs and lights, and 3 buttons make the noises of a police car, a fire truck, and an ambulance. He’ll also have turn signals, a honking horn, and a rearview mirror to check.
Step2 Best Chefs Kitchen Playset
Kitchen playsets are hugely popular with kids, and they can spend hours cooking up imaginary dishes and feeding them to their friends and family. This kitchen has a realistic stovetop with burners that light up. The stove also makes noises like the sounds of a pan frying food and a pot boiling water. This kitchen also has a coffee maker station, an oven with a door that opens and closes, and accessories to use in the kitchen.
Little Tikes Cozy Coupe
This coupe is a perfect gift for 2-year-old kids! It’s not too fancy, but it has everything they need to play. The plastic car has four smoothly rotating wheels, a plastic door he can open to get inside, and a steering wheel. He can power the car with his own two feet – the floor is cut out so his feet can run along the ground. The coupe has a gas cap that actually opens, plus storage in the back for whatever he’s taking on his little road trip.