To help with that upcoming birthday or christmas gift, here are some toys my toddler boys can’t get enough of:

Puzzles
Melissa and Doug has great wooden puzzle choices. Luca’s favorites are the animal themes like the Sea Life Chunky Puzzle. He plays with the animals separately, as well. I like the shape puzzle for teaching shapes and colors.
Fire truck
Find me a little boy who doesn’t want to be a firefighter. A fire truck of any sort should do. Try the Disney Cars Fire Truck. You can pair it with a children’s fireman hat for fun.
Train
A basic train works best at this age. I love the classic look of wooden train sets.
Blocks
Foam building blocks are great because they don’t hurt when they are inevitably smashed down and thrown across the room. Megabloks are also popular. They snap into place like Legos.
Hideaway tent
The peek-a-boo game doesn’t go away during age two. It just takes a different form — hide and seek! Pop up tents are brilliant because they fold away in a second and can slide behind the couch.
Tools
Boys and their tools. My best friend got Luca the New Sprouts Fix it My Very Own Tool Set and he pulls tools out whenever Mom or Dad get out the screwdriver. The hammer, of course, is the popular item of the bunch, though. These are made from soft plastic and don’t have any sharp edges.
Dinosaurs
Rar!!! Is a little boy’s room really complete without dinosaurs? These Jumbo Dinosaurs are a good size (largest dinosaur is 12 x 9 inches).
Mr. Potato Head
There are all kinds of variations of this classic toy nowadays. The classic Mr. Potato Head has the basic pieces, and the Mr. Potato Head Party Spud Figure has a few more silly parts (shown).
Little tikes car
Kids have fun putting their toys in the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe and giving them a ride. I don’t know that I would have bought this one myself because of its size, but I’m so glad one of my good friends did! The boys both love this one. This toy will get a lot of mileage. (Pun intended.)
Fishing rod
The same clever friend who got Luca the car bought him an inexpensive fishing pole from Big Lots. That little toy is THE hot item around our house these days. I can’t give you link to that pole, but you could check out this Tolo Toys Funtime Fishing Pole that has magnetic worm and fish.
Pretend food
The kids can whip up some very cringe-worthy interesting food combinations with play food sets. They like to play while mom is cooking or play restaurant with each other. I prefer the soft fabric sets because they inevitably bite the plastic kind and it breaks in half or has teeth marks.
Kitchen
This is a big present, but my kids play with their kitchen every day. It fosters creativity, and it’s a toy they will be able to grow into in coming years. I looked around quite a bit before I bought ours. While there are some fun retro kitchens in red and blue, I wanted one that would sort of blend into our home decor. I also didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg. The best deal by far was Ikea’s Duktig Mini Kitchen ($79.99 base or $99.99 with microwave, shown). Love the wood and white mod look.
For more gift ideas, go here.
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You have organized some great gift ideas for the 2 year old boys. My son is almost 2 so I guess, these ideas will come handy when choosing a present for his upcoming birthday. Thanks for sharing
These are great developmental toys but I’m not sure why you have to label them by gender. These would be great toys for boys or girls.
Thanks, Jen. I’m sure you’re right; at this young both boys and girls will like these toys! I labeled it for boys because, well I have two boys and that’s what I know! Also, it’s a series I’m continuing so it will probably get more gender specific as they get older. I now have a baby girl and am curious to see what toys she gravitates to as well :)
That’s a great list. Children learn fast and they are always trying to learn and explore everything around them. So the toys you buy for them should not be just about entertaining them mindlessly, but also stimulate their minds and help them in developing their skills.