The Best Wooden Toys for 2-Year-Olds
For the two-year-old who cooks banana soup, delivers Teddy’s blanket or lines up every car. Discover six wooden toys for a second birthday, with a little game to try with each one.
What did your two-year-old do this morning while you were getting ready? If they ferried blocks down the passage, they might love a little wagon. If they stood beside you stirring an empty saucepan, a wooden cookery set could be the birthday present they put straight to work.
When we choose wooden toys for a second birthday, we look for a familiar action and a little room to experiment. Here are six favourites from Send A Toy, each chosen for a different kind of play.
For the child who lines up cars
A two-year-old who parks cars in a neat row might enjoy a new challenge. This little wooden recovery truck has seven cars to collect, and fitting them on the back takes some experimenting. A car that sits nicely on the bottom might slide straight off the top.
A little play idea
Park the cars around the room and send the truck to collect them. By the last stop, deciding where to put the next car is half the fun.
For the little cook who wants a turn
If a little voice calls “my turn!” every time you stir dinner, this is our pick. The wooden hob, pot and spoon give a two-year-old a kitchen of their own in the space of a placemat.
A little play idea
Ask what’s cooking and let them set the menu. You might get banana soup. When they lift the lid for a taste, blow on your spoon and ask for seconds. That small exchange can keep the game going long after the stirring is done.
For the child who loves figuring things out
This is the set we’d wrap for a second birthday if we weren’t quite sure what the birthday child liked yet. There are three small animal tray puzzles, three screw-together toys and a rocking bird to balance. Each offers something different to do with a pair of busy hands.
A little play idea
Bring out the bird first. Place the wooden egg on it and watch it tip. Then hand over the leaf and let your little one decide where it should go. Save the puzzles for another day so each one gets a proper turn.
For the toddler who delivers things
Some two-year-olds have important parcels to deliver, even if the parcel is a sock and the journey is only as far as the sofa. This wooden wagon gives them room for a load of their own choosing, and its handle can be set up for pushing or pulling.
A little play idea
Give them a delivery job with a destination they know. “Could you take Teddy his blanket?” gives the trip a purpose and leaves the packing, route and unloading in their hands.
For a quiet moment of matching
Three solid shapes, three hollow partners and a wooden boat make a satisfying little puzzle. The hollow pieces give this sorter an extra step for a two-year-old who already knows where the shapes belong.
A little play idea
Start with the blocks off the boat. Offer one hollow piece and two solid ones, then let your child try the fit. Once the pairs are together, it’s time to load the cargo and sail it across the rug.
For the one who dances when a song comes on
Roll the handle between your palms and the little drum sounds. A slow turn and a quick twist make different rhythms, so even a child who knows only one verse of a song can change the accompaniment each time.
A little play idea
Try a game of musical statues with your toddler in charge of the drum. While they play, you dance. When they stop, you freeze. The best bit may well be how long they leave you standing on one leg.
If you’re choosing between two, picture what the child would do in the first minute after opening the wrapping. If you can already see them loading the truck or calling you over to taste the soup, you’ve probably found their present.