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21 Best Activities For 2-Year-Olds At Home (2025)

Kingsley and Aurora playing
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Goodness! Aren’t two-year-olds the cutest-year-olds? Some say that they’ve experienced terrible twos but I’ve always quite enjoyed the magic twos. They start to become little independent humans with their own little feelings and ideas about the world. They almost always ask a question and follow it with a “Why?” and they play their little heart’s out all day long.
It’s an age when they need to have a ton of different physical activities to keep them happy. If you design it right, you’ll really love these precious days where they still look like a baby but start finding their own big girl or big boy self.

Be sure to see our list of free activities for two-year-olds towards the end of this article for bonus ideas that won’t cost a penny.

aurora on a balance bike
Our toddler, Aurora, practicing on her balance bike.

21 Engaging Activities For 2-Year-Olds

  • 1. Choo-Choo Time

    There’s absolutely nothing that two-year-olds love more than a train. They love to talk about them and learn about them and play with them all around the room. These special magnetic ones come with a variety of styles and colors so your little one can use their imagination to craft the train of their dreams. They’re magnetic so they’ll even help your little one keep their set together when they guide them over those coffee table mountains.

    Choo Choo Time

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  • 2. Stress Relief

    These little squishy spiked bead balls are a staple in many preschool classrooms to calm children and help them understand the five senses. These ooey-gooey squishable balls are fun to hold or roll and they are a great addition to your sensory table. Little spikes around the balls make exploration fun. They’re also extremely durable, non-toxic and made to be handled by inquisitive kiddos.

    Stress Relief

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  • 3. For the Love of Art

    Your little toddler will absolutely adore expressing their feelings and imagination through art. The best way to let them play the day away without causing a mess is to give them a designated art space. This adorable easel is two-sided for different options for play. It’s also great if you have more than one child. The easel is adjustable which means it will grow with your child. It’s also pleasing to the eye which makes this style-conscious mama super happy!

    For the Love of Art

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  • 4. Color Control

    We’re loving this introductory art set from Crayola. It helps your child explore art without getting overwhelmed by too many options. Inside, you’ll find three palm-fitting crayons and four safe-for-baby finger paints so they can have fun creating. Your little will also look adorable in the little art apron included inside.

    Color Control

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  • 5. Add a Cuddly Friend

    At this age, your toddler will love to carry around a sweet little plush friend. We can’t get over how simply precious these little Me Too Plush Dolls are. They are made from a soft, high-quality plush and come in some great colors and patterns. The little animal hats on top are just a fun added bonus. If your little one doesn’t have a tiny little sleeping buddy, this little doll may be just the one.

    Add a Cuddly Friend

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  • 6. Farm To Table Fun

    How absolutely adorable is this farm to table kitchen? At two, your child will love to explore the world of cooking. After all, they’ve watched you do a fabulous job at it for two years straight! Now, they will use what they’ve learned in their own special kitchen. After trying many different cheap kitchen options, I have found that a beautiful, durable kitchen that can work as part of your home décor, is the best option when selecting a play kitchen for your child. This one is so fun and totally fits the bill.

    Farm To Table Fun

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  • 7. Cute Construction Equipment

    2-year-olds sure love to be like mom and dad. A super cute and safe construction set is just what they need to work on all of the things around the house. They’ll love to help daddy fix whatever he’s working on and you’ll probably catch them working on their own matchbox cars or repairing their baby beds. It’s so sweet to get a glimpse at your little one’s future personality.

    Cute Construction Equipment

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  • 8. The Joy of Cooking (Together!)

    I have one little helper that likes to follow me all around the house no matter what activity I’m doing. Thanks to a little ingenuity, that sweet baby has become my best kitchen companion. Currently, we’re loving cooking all our meals together. This adorable mommy and me cookbook has toddler friendly recipes that actually let baby lend a helping hand while making a delicious snack that the whole family will enjoy. Yummy!

    The Joy of Cooking

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  • 9. Play With A Friend

    Two-year-old life is messy, you guys! It just is. They love to explore with playdoh, paint and more! They love to squish things and spill things and feed their bananas to their invisible dogs. If you don’t have a splat mat to catch all these items, this is your friendly mom reminder! Plus, this mat happens to be super-duper cute!

    Play With A Friend

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  • 10. Bath Time Takeover

    How much does your toddler love bath time? I know! They live for it. All of them. The best part about bath time is that it gives us a chance to talk with our toddler and have some special one-on-one time. It’s also a great time for learning. These foam bath play letters help introduce the ABC’s and 123’s. There’s even a holder to help everything dry out before the next use.

    Bath Time Takeover

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  • 11. Make Potty Time Fun

    When the twos hit, it’s time to start thinking about potty training! Your mama instincts will let you know just when it’s time but remember every child is different. You’re sure to see some potty cues (like telling you when they’ve gone potty in their diaper) during the two-year-old year. Once you’ve determined that it’s time to roll, then this adorable dinosaur potty chart will help you with positive reinforcement. It works like a calendar and they’ll love getting their dinosaur surprise each time they go.

    Make Potty Time Fun

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  • Asher And LyricOn An Important Side Note… Asher and I (pictured) feel it’s necessary to highlight the value of life insurance for parents with young kids. After extensive research, we discovered that parents can get insured for as little as $10 per month. We use Ladder Life who offers coverage up to $3M per parent (without a medical exam, just a few health questions) and you can apply 100% online.

    Get a quote in less than 30 seconds at LadderLife.com ➜

  • 12. Build, Build, Build with Duplo Legos

    Big LEGO blocks are such a fun learning tool and they keep your little ones busy for a good stretch of time so you can finish cleaning up before naptime. I love how colorful these blocks are. This set is perfect because it comes with just enough to build anything that their little minds can imagine!

    Build LEGO blocks

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  • 13. Drive the Bus

    Toddlers love to learn about their community and the world around them. They will love to play with this little bus and talk about all the places they will go. Just make sure you brush up on your “Wheels on the Bus” lyrics.

    Drive the Bus

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  • 14. Afternoon Tea Time

    It’s never too early to perfect those tea-time skills. Your little ones will absolutely love to sit around in a circle and serve you tea. You’ll probably have to prepare yourself to eat a pretend scone and you may have to sit with a few stuffed friends. A fun tea set helps teach manners, patience and cooperation. And because it’s from Green Toys, you’ll never have to worry about what your little ones are sipping on.

    Afternoon Tea Time

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  • 15. Learn About Dinosaurs

    Toddlers are amazed by dinosaurs of every shape and size. This special book brings them to life and helps your child learn with puzzles and fun pictures. Crafting a love for dinosaurs in the early years sets them up to enjoy the science world and S.T.E.M in the years to come.

    Learn About Dinosaurs

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  • 16. Eat Your Veggies

    Though it may seem like an interesting toy, your kiddos will go crazy for this cut fruit activity. They love to manipulate the knife and cut pieces of the fruit. They’ll love to serve it to you and they’ll always be glad when you ask for seconds. Plus, it helps teach important hand and eye coordination!

    Eat Your Veggies

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  • 17. Learn About Time

    You can try to fight technology but the truth is, it’s here to stay! Go ahead and embrace the futuristic world with this super cute smartwatch designed specifically for tiny little wrists. They’ll learn to work the buttons and understand important concepts which will set them up to learn to tell time in the future. P.S. They’ll also be so excited to match mom and dad!

    Learn About Time

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  • 18. Make Some Music

    2-year-olds love to move more than they love to do anything else! Let them make music with their little feet on this awesome keyboard mat. They’ll love to hop around and see all the fun pictures. There’s even a recording device so they can record their very first record!

    Make Some Music

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  • 19. Water Your Plants

    Babes are innately connected to nature and they love to learn how to nurture flowers and plants. Give them this cute little gardening set and they can help you water the plants both indoors and out. They’ll love to pretend to garden and you’ll love that all the parts are completely washable!

    Toddler Gardening Set

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  • 20. Blast Off!

    Eeeep! Little rockets go with toddlers like peanut butter goes with jelly. This cute little stacker will help them learn about space while keeping their tiny little feet on the ground. It would look so fly on any playroom shelf and more importantly, it helps to teach imagination skills and problem solving techniques. Bonus points because it’s also made with non-toxic paint!

    Blast Off!

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  • 21. Jumpy Jump Time

    When you’ve tried it all but there’s still some built up energy happening, let them free on this fun little trampoline. The handle helps them hold on until they get big enough to jump without support. Jumping is an important developmental skill and this portable and foldable trampoline will ensure they get enough practice!

    Jumpy Jump Time

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6 Free Activities For Two-Year-Olds

If you don’t want to spend money or time waiting for your fun new activities to arrive, consider doing some of these free activities instead. Use these household items to create exciting adventures for your two-year-old. Take a look at our list and enjoy!

  • 1. Watch for Wagons

    Little red wagons aren’t just for outside! Bring yours inside and watch the imagination take over. They’ll use their wagon to haul baby dolls, blocks and each other. For a super fun spin, decorate your wagon to make pretend play even more fun. Think of red elements for a firetruck or use aluminum foil to send your little one into space. No wagon? No problem! Use a large cardboard box and paint on some super slick tires!

  • 2. Go for a Car Wash

    Create a fun time for your little one by letting them take their cars into the bathtub for a car wash. If you aren’t near bath time, create a play space and give them a Tupperware container and some sponges. They’ll have a blast and those little matchboxes will be squeaky clean.

  • 3. Hide and Seek

    Two-year-olds love the idea of venturing out on their own and at this age, they are able to play a simple game of hide-and-seek to build these skills. Show them the boundaries for the game and have them count to 10. It’ll have you both giggling so hard in a matter of seconds. They’ll love to hide but love it even more when you find them.

  • 4. Flashlight Fun

    Since little ones love to explore, give them a flashlight and send them on a scavenger hunt. Point out important items and let them find them with the flashlight. You’ll be surprised at all the things they will spy with their flashlight. We’ve literally found lions, tigers, and bears right in our living room.

  • 5. Nighty Night

    Kids love to pretend to be asleep! Let them collect some pillows and blankets and create a fun sleeping space in their play area. Then, set a timer and tell them it’s an alarm clock! Let everyone pretend to be asleep until the timer goes off. Then, it’s time to rise and shine and do it all again.

  • 6. Make Story Time Special

    One of my favorite things to do with toddlers is set up a story mat using things I have around the house to tell a special visual story. For example, to tell the story of the Ugly Duckling just cut out blue felt for the pond. Then, take some ducks from the bath time bin and dress one up with yarn or feathers to be the swan. Get all of your characters together and have your babe sit down and look down at the pond. Then, slowly and calmly, tell them the story using each of the characters. They’ll love it so much. Once you’re done, let them play with the items before you put them away.

Conclusion

The twos are all about learning, exploring and finding out what your child loves and how they feel about the world around them. Give them special activities to do just that and watch how smart they truly are. There’s nothing like seeing the world from the eyes of a toddler so soak up every bit of this very sweet and special age.