Sometimes it’s hard to know what gifts will get a lot of use with kids. I’m going to share our favorite gift ideas for 2-3 year olds that are tried and true!
I now have a 3 year old son and these were his most played with toys over the past year.
- Train Table -We were gifted this from someone and he loves it! He has played with this so much. This isn’t the exact one we have, but it’s really similar.
- Lego Duplos– Our son got into Lego Duplos early and still plays with them today at 3.5.
- Magna Tiles-This is on the top toy charts for a reason. You can’t really go wrong here. We actually got the off brand from SAM’s club and they work great!
- Toy Cars-My son loves any type of toy car. He has a basket full and still loves playing with them all. He especially loved firetrucks, garbage trucks, and tractors over the last year.
- Dinosaurs -Dinosaurs of all kinds are a huge hit. Stationary ones, moving ones, big, small, it doesn’t matter.
- Play Kitchen -I got a lot of flack about getting my son a toy kitchen, but he has loved it over the past year and anytime we have playdates, its a win with all kids.
- Kinetic Sand -This stuff is great. Just put it in a container and no giant sandy mess and lots of fun!
- Car Builder-I got this little kit at Marshalls for like $3 on clearance and he played with it a ton! The one we have is no longer available, but this one is similar. We love all things by Learning Resources.
- Toddler Time Kit-We loved this for learning colors and shapes and for starting to work on numbers. We played with it weekly for a long time.
- Tools -What boy doesn’t love tools? He was so excited to be just like his Daddy with all his tools. Here is another set he loves.
- Giant Mr. Potato Head -This thing was awesome! So much entertainment.
- Arts and Craft Supplies -We got lots of little arts and crafts supplies over the last year and as long as you are willing to sit down and play with them, this is a great gift idea.
- Playdoh -As much as I don’t love the mess of play dough, my son really loves it. We have a couple little kits and they keep him entertained for a long time.
- Outdoor Sandbox -I know a lot of people don’t love sand, but we love it so much! My son was gifted a turtle sandbox (nostalgia), and he has spent hours and hours playing in it.
- Water Table-This is another big win. I think a water table is a must have! Kids absolutely love them! We have had two of these and they are both great. This is the 2nd one: Dino Water Table.
- Bikes-We got my son a little target plastic trike initially and he rode it around the house a lot and now still rides it outside lol. Then we transitioned him to a strider bike and he hasn’t loved it as much, but it’s still a great thing to help them switch over to a bike with no training wheels a lot faster.
- Scooter-My son rides this thing ALL THE TIME. Loves it! We also love the Joovy helmet for when he rides his scooter or bikes.
- Ride On Cars/Jeeps-these have been big hits and he has loved them! He has a little red sports car and a big blue jeep and he loves riding around in these. They were gifted.
- Pirate Ship -My son got this for Christmas last year and I’m surprised how much use it has gotten.
- Brain Quest Cards-We’ve loved doing these trivia cards together over the last year. We actually got the 3-4 year old pack when he was 2.5 and that seemed to challenge him more than the 2-3 year old pack.
Disclaimer: Make sure to read the ages on toys. Things like kinetic sand and magna tiles say 3 and up, but my son loved playing with them around 2.5. We just played with him. He also didn’t put a ton of things in his mouth at that age. So you just have to know your child.
There are obviously more things he has loved, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some, but these are just the top 20 things that he has reached for over and over again! I hope this helps you shop a little easier!
