Appropriate Toys for Two Year Olds

What are the best toys for your two year old?
The first thing you need to think about, of course, is safety. You must be sure that all of the toys you buy for your child are safe and have no choking hazards or other safety concerns.
It's a good idea to avoid toys made in China as many toys made in China have been recalled due to safety concerns recently.
Other than safety, another important concern should be "Which toys will stimulate my child's imagination and creativity?" It is also important to keep your child away from the TV as much as possible.
Make sure your child is using their brain and interacting with their toys rather than just being entertained by them. What follows are some ideas for toys you can get for your two year old.

Dolls.
Dolls are a good toy for a two year old as long as you don't get dolls that have a lot of different clothes to put on and take off as most two years olds cannot dress a doll by themselves. Most parents will want to get dolls for their little girls but not their little boys but there's nothing wrong with boys playing with dolls. Toy typewriters, cash registers, shopping carts, tool chests, laptops. Children love to mimic adults and toy versions of things that adults use can be a real joy for a child.

Tape player.
An easy to use "toddler tape player" can be a great toy for your two year old. This is something they can use to entertain themselves with. Get them some storybook tapes and/or some music tapes to put in their tape player. When your child gets older you may want to get them a recording tape player as a lot of children really enjoy recording themselves and playing it back. This is a great way to encourage your child to be creative.

Hand & finger puppets.
What a great way to entertain your child and for your child to entertain themselves! Puppets are another great way to encourage your child's creativity.

Simple wooden jigsaw puzzles.
Puzzles are a great way to help your child's thinking abilities but of course you do not want to get a puzzle that is too complex that will only frustrate or confuse your child. For a two year old you do not want to get a puzzle with more than 5 or 6 pieces.

Building blocks.
Both small building blocks and very large ones are great for a two year old. What a great way to let your child build something themselves at a young age! Toys that require interaction from your child are so much better than something that merely entertains them. Of course you must make sure that you do not get blocks that are so small that they are a choking hazard. Safety must come first.

Arts & crafts materials.
Encourage your child to paint and draw! It's important of course to make sure that you do not buy any toxic materials that will be dangerous. I recommend not concentrating so much on coloring books where a child just colors in the lines. Let your child's imagination run wild. There's no "wrong" thing to paint. Do not discourage your child. Magnetic or wooden block alphabet letters. Let your child become acquainted with the alphabet in a simple fun way. You can buy all of these great toys online which is great because (as you know) it can sometimes be very difficult to go out shopping with your young one.