Best Gifts for 2 Year Old Girls | Not So Terrible Twos

We have some great ideas for perfect gifts for 2 year old girls and boys.
Two- year- olds are many times called the “Terrible Twos”, but they don’t have to be terrible if you find good gifts that will funnel their energy and keep their attention.

A 2-year-old is full of curiosity.  As she learns to walk better, she’ll want toys that she can pull, push, or drag behind her, like a pull-toy doggy or miniature shopping cart.  At two a child can open doors, is learning to jump, hop, and skip, and can brush her teeth with a little help.  She will begin to be interested in playing with other children.
Two-year-olds want to be challenged.  A child of this age loves symbolic play.  A couch becomes a car complete with engine noise and a table covered with an old sheet becomes a secret cave or hideout.  Too much television can hinder the development of her imagination and the ability to think for herself.  Kids who play make-believe are happier children.  So give them gifts that will encourage their make-believe world.

Here is our list of good gifts for 2 year olds:

Tricycle

A toddler will love her tricycle.  It makes her feel independent as she learns to pedal and can ride down the sidewalk all by herself (with Mommy or Daddy watching close by).  Choose one with a wide stable base, shiny, and brightly colored. Maybe add some tassels to the handlebars so that she feels like a big kid.  Many tricycles offer seats that adjust to the child, and some have storage under the seat.  A detachable handle in the back of some models, allows the parent to push when the child becomes tired.

Wagon

With the classic little red wagon the 2 year old can enjoy the ride back from the park or around the block with Mom or Dad doing the work.  With smaller plastic wagons, the child can pull it around the yard herself giving her dolls a ride.  Or maybe she will want to just sit in it and make believe it is a car, a boat, or a magic carpet.

Art supplies

A 2 year old likes to scribble and can draw a line.  Give her own little craft table or artist easel.  A gift set with markers, crayons, watercolors, and construction paper will make her eyes sparkle.  But make sure all of the supplies are nontoxic and washable.
Play dough is great for kids.  They can let their imagination go wild.  Cookie cutters are fun to use to shape the colored dough.

Play kitchen

Play kitchens are great gifts for 2 year old girls and boys. She will love playing with plastic foods, pots, and spoons. Place the play kitchen in the real kitchen so that your child can watch and imitate you as you prepare dinner.
Pretend that you are at a restaurant. Give the child an apron or chef’s hat and let her pretend to cook a meal for you.  Or put a blanket or beach towel on the floor and pretend to be on a picnic with all of her stuffed toys and dolls.
Make sure that all of the pieces in the play kitchen are large enough to prevent choking and have no sharp edges.

Sand box and Sand toys

Children love playing in a sandbox and it makes a great outside gift.  Make sure that it has a secure cover to keep the sand clean.  With a shovel and pail she can make sand castles or roads for her toy cars.  Try teaching her to write her alphabet in the sand. A great gift would be a dump truck or truck with a front shovel.  She’ll have a lot of fun filling her truck with sand and then dumping it out again. See latest sand toys.

Books

Books are good gifts for any age child, but two year olds want more than a baby book with just a few words on each page. They are ready for a more complicated story.  They love to have stories read to them, especially at bedtime.  Some 2 year olds are even advanced enough to read a few words on their own.  Try “Hop on Pop” by Dr. Seuss, “Harry the Dirty Dog” by Gene Zion, and the “Berenstain Bears” series by Stan and Jan Berenstain.
Encourage your child to add on to the story or tell one of her own.  Telling stories is a good way to learn to communicate and practice new words.

Bath toys

There are a lot of cool bath time toys.  Choose brightly colored rubber animals or fish that float and squirt.  Toy boats can be sailed around the tub propelled by her splashing or blowing.  Another nice gift would be a draining tray that fits across the tub or a mesh bag to hang from the faucets and hold all of the bath toys.

Large construction blocks

Blocks are perfect gifts for 2 year olds.  A toddler is learning new skills of sorting and stacking.   She can see how many blocks she can stack up before her tower falls down.  She can learn her colors and shapes by sor

ting them into matching piles.  Make sure the blocks are large enough so that the child can not fit them into her mouth or up her nose.  Small objects could be a choking hazard.

Sorting Games

A card game with pictures of different objects (fruits, animals, colors, numbers, etc.) is fun.  Ask your child to separate the cards.  What color are they?  Which objects are in the house?  Which are at the store?  Young kids learn about their world through sorting.

Pull toys

Pull toys help a child develop her walking ability and equilibrium.  She will love pulling the toy along if it plays music or has sound effects.  Give her a doggy with a wagging tail, a quacking duck, or a snapping alligator.  There are hundreds of pull toys available, so pick one that appeals to you, and your 2 year old will be sure to love it.

Puzzles

2 year olds delight in an intellectual challenge.  She will learn shapes and colors as she works on her puzzle gift.  Pick a wooden animal puzzle. Or choose a United States map puzzle, and she will learn geography.

Musical Toys

2 year olds can sing simple songs.  They love to move to music.  Great gifts for 2 year old girls or boys are CDs or videos of silly songs for children.  Get a musical band set with a tambourine, bell, and small drum.    This will be her favorite gift.