Gifts for a 2-year-old — the best gift ideas

No time for the whole list? These are our four favourites for a 2-year-old: HABA’s First Orchard, a game where you win or lose together and don’t need to be able to read or count; the Takkie and Siepie wooden block set from HEMA, 56 blocks to stack and knock over; the picture book Een hele dag op pad met Dikkie Dik, with the ginger cat every Dutch toddler knows; and Jim’s multicoloured pencils, which turn every line into a rainbow. Four gifts you can’t go wrong with.

A small gift for a two-year-old, for the Sinterklaas shoe, for a birthday party or just because. Everything below costs less than ten euros.

With up to 25 euros there’s a lot of choice at this age: a puzzle, a stacking tower, a picture book or a first game. Everything below has been picked for a 2-year-old.

Around two a first game is already possible, as long as there’s no reading or waiting involved. Picture memory, an animal lotto or a cooperative game where you play together against the game instead of against each other. Don’t expect a whole round yet; five minutes is an achievement.

Open-ended blocks without clicking connections are the most-used toy there is at this age: stacking, knocking over, again. There’s no right or wrong outcome, so it never gets stuck, and the same material lasts well into primary school. Mind the size: blocks should fit in a child’s hand but not in a mouth.

Chunky wax crayons, a colouring book with big areas and modelling clay firm enough to squeeze. Choose clay that’s explicitly for age two and up; most play sets with moulds and machines are from three. Put something washable underneath and it stays fun for everyone.

A two-year-old is on the move all day and tests the limits of what works. Balance toys, something to climb on and something to take outdoors give that a safe form. Many of these can be used indoors on a rainy afternoon too.

At two, reading aloud isn’t about the story yet but about looking together: pointing, naming, and the same page once more. Choose sturdy board books that can take a firm grip, and search-and-find books with something new to spot every time. A book a toddler can hold is picked up ten times more often than a beautiful book that has to stay on the shelf.

Threading, sorting and fitting things together train the fine motor skills needed for holding a pencil later on. Big beads on a sturdy cord, little bowls to sort by colour, a tower that only fits in the right order. This is the kind of toy that makes a toddler go quiet — and that’s rare.

DUPLO is big enough for a toddler’s hand and small enough to make something with. Start with a box of loose bricks and a few figures; themed sets with lots of small parts are often from age three. What you buy now will still fit with whatever comes along four years later.

Start with knob and inset puzzles of two to six pieces, where each piece drops into its own space. That gives instant success, which is exactly what a two-year-old needs to try again. Jigsaws with loose edges come later; around three, six to twelve pieces work.