Young children learn through play! Often what may look like simple children’s games are actually rich learning experiences that can develop vocabulary, motor skills, working memory, and so much more (which is why Toy Ideas is here)! Games provide important practice taking turns and getting along with others. The best learning happens not with an app or a video, but through hands-on, active play.
We searched high and low for the best developmentally appropriate games for two-year-olds. We looked for games that emphasize critical thinking, memory, and motor skills practice, without being overly complicated. We also sought out games that are simple and allow children to use their own imaginations, rather than being full of bright lights and loud music.
Here we review some the top ten games for two-year-olds today, and we describe how parents can best use them to make learning engaging, rewarding, and fun!
You can click on the pictures to learn more about each toy.
Please note: I am a participant of the Amazon Services Associates Program and have included “affiliate links” for all the toys. This means that when you click the pictures or links provided and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about the Amazon Associates Program here.
1) Janod Wooden Memory Touch Recognition Game
This game is a fun twist on the classic Memory Game. It consists of five game cards and a bag holding 21 small wooden pieces, each a unique shape. Your two-year-old will love using his sense of touch to try to find the wooden shapes in the bag that match the pictures on his card! Whoever finds all four pieces to match his card first wins. There is an extra challenge though – if a player draws the bone shaped piece from the bag, he must return all the pieces to the bag and start over.
Besides the fun of trying to match all your shapes first, this game provides excellent practice with a variety of skills. Toddlers will develop fine motor skills by picking up the small pieces from inside the bag. They will need to pay close attention to the attributes of each shape while also using working memory to remember what the different shapes feel like.
Once they know the game, children will love playing on their own or with a sibling or friend. It is simple to understand but challenging enough to keep them engaged!
2) Janod Learning Colors Magnetic Game Set
This game kit features multiple activities in one compact set! First, it comes with 10 magnetic cards with brightly colored animal pictures. Your little one will have to match different colored magnetic chips with the designated spaces on each cart to complete the pictures. This is an excellent task for both fine motor skills and color recognition. As you are playing with your toddler, be sure to talk about what colors they see in each picture, and which colors are missing!
On the back of each card are more challenging games to play with the magnetic chips, such as Tic Tac Toe. As your child grows and is ready for more complex games and tasks, she can begin playing these games.
Your two-year-old will also love the chalkboard and chalk that are included in this game set! As she grows older, she will delight in using it to practice writing her name or even to draw some of the funny animals from the game.
3) Duck Duck Dance – The Move and Groove Game
Your two-year-old will love the fun and silly movements in this game! Every turn requires him to do a sequence of four movements to copy the funny dancing duck. He will get to practice wiggling, clapping, spinning, and more. The sequence changes every time, so he will love the challenge of performing all the moves in a different order!
This game is excellent for practicing gross motor skills as he goes through the motions. He will also learn how to take turns and sequence actions! For an extra challenge, have him do the movements quickly, then slowly. He could also try doing the sequence forwards and backwards. Record him doing the dances and play it back to him for an added bonus!
If he enjoys the game, extend by having him come up with his own motions to add. You can also read the book From Head to Toe by Eric Carle and have him copy all the movements. He will love these fun actions and learn many new vocabulary words too!
4) Panda’s Picnic in the Park – Matching Colors and Shapes Game
Help your two-year-old learn colors and shapes while going on a fun pretend picnic. Inside the picnic basket are several different food cards in a variety of colors and shapes. Players take turns selecting a food and matching it to the shapes on their plate.
This game provides opportunities for rich conversation about the different foods in the picnic basket. Beyond colors and shapes, you and your child can discuss the tastes of different foods, likes and dislikes, even beginning sounds of the different foods. They will also get wonderful practice taking turns and speaking in complete sentences (“The sandwich is a square.” “The pickle is green.”). Your toddler will think it’s just a fun picnic game, but she will be learning and practicing so many important skills.
Besides plates and cards, the game includes a basket and a real picnic blanket. For extra fun, take the game outside! Have fun playing picnic while learning many new words and concepts!
5) HABA Fire! Fire!
This make-believe firefighter game will help build your toddler’s vocabulary and strengthen working memory. To play, she will need to collect all the firefighting tools, such as the hose, bucket, and fire extinguisher. Then she will put all the items in their proper place on the truck. Once she does all that, she is ready to fight the fire!
This simple yet delightful game comes with fun details, such as a hose that connects to the firefighter to help him put out the fire. She will love using her imagination to help the firefighters put out the pretend fire.
Your two-year-old can play Fire! Fire! by herself or with up to three other people. When you play along with her, encourage her to name all the pieces of equipment by herself. Ask her questions about what the firefighter is doing. This is a great game for practicing using language while enjoying a rich, make-believe experience.
6) My First Rush Hour STEM Toy and Brain Game
This is a fun maze challenge game that requires shape and color matching as well as critical thinking skills. It’s great for two-year-olds, but older children will enjoy it as well. Players choose a Challenge Card and must arrange the cars according to the challenge in order to help the red Hero Car make it through the traffic jam and exit the game.
To arrange the cars, your toddler will have to pay close attention to the clues in the card. He will need to match the cars by shape and color in order to correctly form the maze. This will require attention to detail, and he can practice naming the shapes and colors as he matches them.
This game even features a hard mode, where cars have to be arranged so they can slide out of the way to allow the Hero Car to exit. Once your toddler has mastered all the simpler challenges, let him have a try at beating the hard mode!
7) HABA Little Garden
In the Little Garden game, players are helping Gardener Gabriel grow a garden while trying to beat Molly Mole, who is burrowing a molehill. This fun and imaginative game allows so many opportunities for conversation. Children will enjoy talking about the different plants Gabriel is growing, including strawberries, carrots, and tulips. You can discuss how plants grow and what Gabriel needs to do to take care of the plants.
Children will practice recognizing and matching colors and shapes of the different plants. You can have conversations about “same” and “different” as well as cause and effect (the plants grow because Gabriel waters them). This game will be fun to play over and over again. Each time you play, you can comment on the different details you notice about the garden.
This is also a lovely game for children to play with siblings or friends. They will practice taking turns and following directions to complete the game and will love watching Gardener Gabriel’s beautiful plants grow!
8) Pat Bells Station
This colorful, musical game will be so much fun for your two-year-old! The wooden bell set includes five color-coded bells that form a pentatonic scale. To play music, you simply strike the bells with your hands. Due to the high quality design of this toy, the bells play beautiful, clear tones that are pleasant to hear.
Younger toddlers will love exploring the different sounds that can be made. As your toddler gets older, he can use the songbook that is included to play familiar tunes such as “Old MacDonald”. For an extra challenge, he can compose his own songs and use the color-coded stickers to record his composition!
A musical toy such as this provides countless learning opportunities. Besides the motor skills practice inherent in patting to play the bells, youngsters also learn about sound, melody, and tone. They can discover the fun of making beautiful music and even play their songs for others!
There is no app, educational video, or YouTube channel that can replace the experience of sitting with Mom, Dad, brother, or sister, and enjoying a fun game. Whether it’s a puzzle, a musical instrument, or a game involving make-believe, these games provide essential learning while helping create wonderful memories as a family!