Fabulous for multi-sensory play, imagination, and creativity, musical instruments are some of my favorite gifts for toddlers! Get the band together with this set of instruments!

Chances are pretty great that the toddler you’re shopping for has been exposed to technology. When my boys were tiny, they’d see me working on my laptop and wanted one of their own. Let them pretend to be like their favorite grownups, and even learn a thing or two, with their very own play laptop. The Pink LeapFrog My Own Laptop is adorable and educational! It even comes in green if you prefer that color.

Encouraging creativity is always a must during childhood…and beyond! With water mats, your favorite toddler can be creative without making a mess because the “paint” is just water! This Aqua Doodle Water Mat is one of my go-to gifts for toddlers!

To say we enjoy these would be an extreme understatement. My boys have LOVED playing with jump rockets since they were toddlers and they’re now in elementary school. Talk about a toy that will last through the years! Along with the water mat above, jump rockets are another one of my go-to gifts for toddlers and all ages!

Want to encourage literacy, color recognition, and fine motor skills all at the same time? These name puzzles would be perfect! Personalized gifts will always hold a special place in my heart and, as a veteran teacher, educational gifts are certainly appreciated. With these name puzzles, you can customize with a name up to 9 letters.

My boys had this exact pogo jumper when they were smaller and it got SO much use around the house. They loved jumping, I loved that they could get energy out both in and out of the house. Even better? This particular model of the Flybar My First Foam Jumper lights up and makes squeaking noises as the kids jump. It’s so much fun!

This Little Tikes Trampoline got SO MUCH use in my house when my boys were toddlers. Since we live in the northeast, it especially got a ton of use during the winter months and was amazing for getting energy out. Plus, most kids love jumping. I especially loved that this Little Tikes Trampoline was easy to put together and had a padded handlebar for little hands to hold onto.

You think I’m kidding?! Um, no. We had a very similar set when my boys were smaller and, let me tell you, they helped me “clean” the floors every chance they got! Might as well encourage learning those skills while they’re interested, right?! This Melissa & Doug Dust! Sweep! Mop! set is especially wonderful because it comes with a stand to store the “cleaners” when not in use.

Another favorite in our home, my boys would roll their little bubble mowers all over the yard while pretending to be just like Daddy. While typically a warmer weather toy, I’ve never met a toddler who didn’t love a bubble mower.

Encourage good sportsmanship, eye-hand coordination, and….fun! I especially love that this Little Tikes T-Ball set comes with more than 1 ball and offers storage for the bat and balls inside the base! This set comes in both pink and blue.

Now, this gift option takes me way back! The Sit ‘n Spin was one of MY favorite toys growing up. My kids had one and they enjoyed it just as much. This classic Playskool Sit ‘ Spin is one of my top gifts for toddlers – love it!

We had a similar model when my boys were tiny. They spent HOURS riding it all over the neighborhood and, when we weren’t going for a walk, they’d be riding it all around the driveway. This Radio Flyer Red Rider Trike is definitely another one of my favorite gifts for toddlers. While you’re thinking about it, consider getting a helmet to protect your toddler’s head – it’s never to early to promote safety!

If your toddler has the room in their house, let me tell you, this would be an EPIC gift. Imagine the hours spent crawling around the tunnels, playing in the ball pit, and more. The best part? When it’s not in use it’ll fold up nicely in a bag for storage. This Play Tent and Tunnels does not come with balls, so you may want to pick up a bag while you’re at it.

Available with many characters, a memory game is one of the best gifts for toddlers! It’ll help them with recall, fine motor skills, object recognition, and more…and have fun WHILE learning. The pieces in these Wonder Forge Matching Games are nice and sturdy, so the game should last for quite a while.

Eventually, those little fingers will be able to grasp the smaller LEGO blocks, but, for now LEGO DUPLO blocks are perfect. There are many, many DUPLO sets available, but I thought this set was especially cute because it includes a variety of animals (including parent/baby sets!), people, and plenty of opportunities for learning through play! The LEGO DUPLO Town Tropical Island is a great gift option!

VTech is one of my favorite brand for kids. Their products have always been high quality in materials and learning opportunities. This Touch and Learn Activity Desk is super cute and can serve many functions. While it can be a “regular” desk, the storage compartment holds activity pages that will allow for some interactive fun! The VTech Touch and Learn Activity Desk Deluxe comes in pink and blue, and (one of my favorite parts) even has expansion packs available so this desk can be a useful learning tool as your favorite toddler grows.

I can still remember when my play kitchen looked like when I was little. When I had my first child, I bought a play kitchen early on so he could enjoy his as much as I enjoyed mine. Now, he wants to be a chef when he grows up! Play kitchens are so much fun! The Step2 brand is another one of my favorite brands because they make durable toys that encourage kids to use their imagination and learn. This Step2 Fun with Friends Kitchen is a great gift for toddlers! It does come with some accessories, but just in case you want additional play food and such, here are some options for play food, dishes, and even aprons!

Another one of my favorite gifts for toddlers, this is a toy set that got a ton of use when my boys were toddlers! (I’m totally going down memory lane in this article!). Encourage creativity, building, color recognition, motor skills and more! This First Builders Big Building Bag is a great option for starting play with Mega Bloks – I love that the bag is reusable and can provide a storage solution when not in play.

I mean, childhood is just not complete without some Play-Doh, amiright?! My kids have consistently loved playing with Play-Doh for quite a few years now and it was one of my favorite activities when I was little, too. The classic Play-Doh Fun Factory Deluxe Set is a great set to get started with as it includes a few cans of dough, cutters, and the beloved extruder, but there are plenty of Play-Doh options to choose from!

As toddlers are learning all about the world around them, one of the most exciting ways to learn about animals (from my experience anyways), is by visiting a farm and playing with farm toys. They can learn animal identification and sounds while learning how to take care of and be kind to animals. The Fisher Price Little People Caring for Animals Farm is adorable and a ton of education fun. Little People toys come in so many different sets, you might want to check some others out, too!

Not only do activity tables provide a surface for your favorite toddlers to play on, but they often provide storage, too! Activity tables are one of the best gifts for toddlers! We’ve purchased quite a few items from KidKraft over the years and it’s all been great quality and lots fun. This train set and table not only provides a flat surface (with storage!), but also includes a train set! So much fun!

Magna-Tiles are a super popular set for ALL ages. Not only are these great gifts for toddlers, but I certainly love any toy that can be exciting and fun for years and years. Littles can build towers as high as their heart desires, practice their colors and shape identification, hone those fine motor skills and so much more! This set of Magna-Tiles comes with 48 pieces, but there are quite a few set options available to fit any budget.

Even as elementary-age children, my kids STILL love going down the slide! In the summer, they’ll even put an inflatable swimming pool at the bottom of the slide to fly into (disclaimer: do this at your own risk!) Perfect for indoor or outdoor use, the Little Tikes First Slide is a classic toy that will definitely provide hours of fun!

You know how toddlers tend to wake up with the sun…if not before? Let those little ones know when it’s “ok to rise” with a Ready to Rise Clock! It can be set to change color at a certain time and, since it even has an alarm function and a silent countdown, it can grow with the child and be used for years to come.

Pretty much every single child I’ve ever met has loved zipping around on their scooter. They’re so much fun! Micro Scooters are great gifts for toddlers because they’ll “grow” along with the child and help them learn how to use a scooter before graduating to the 2-wheel scooter! This particular model has plenty of colors to choose from.

Oh, how my boys loved their water table! We’d spend day after day outside splashing in the water and having a great time! This Little Tikes Fish ‘n Splash Water Table is very similar to what they had. It could even be used with sand, rice, or filled up with water beads. Want to take a look at a few more options? Check out more water tables here!

We’ve had this exact play register for a number of years and my kids STILL play with it! It’s a great way to expose kids to currency, encourage make believe, and could even encourage entrepreneurship! Products from the Learning Resources brand are some of my favorites since they make learning so much fun for the kids.

Another awesome option from the Learning Resources brand, this Gears, Gears, Gears Super Building Set is a great way to introduce STEM skills, cause and effect, and can even help reinforce colors, patterning skills, fine motor skills and more. Oh, and they’re fun!!

Even as an adult, I still love drawing with sidewalk chalk! Yet another great gift option for toddlers, I especially love the Crayola brand sidewalk chalk because the colors are super vibrant and glide across the concrete and black top pretty easily.

Toddlers can do so much with an art easel! We chose to include this Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Art Easel in our list of gifts for toddlers because it’s 2-sided (one chalk, one dry-erase), it can fold flat for storage, and has plenty of storage for chalk, markers, paint, and more! There are so many art easels out there that it was hard to choose just one, but it’s safe to say your toddler will love whichever one is chosen!

My boys have been playing with these Melissa & Doug On The Go Water Wow! Activity Pads since they were tiny! Such a great gift for toddlers, but I can attest to the fact that kids up to about age 7/8 enjoy these, too. Kids can “paint” different images within the pad with their water paintbrush. No mess for adults to clean up *and*, when the water dries, the colors disappear so the image can be “painted” again and again. We’ve brought these to Disney , keep them in the car for on the go fun, and play with these at home. They have so many different themes to choose from, so check them out!

Another classic toddler toy, the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe was a beloved toy when my boys were toddlers! They’d ride in it on walks through the neighborhood, zoom around the driveway, and even have races with each other (because…of course…we had to have two!). In addition to the classic Cozy Coupe, Little Tikes has quite a few other ride-on toys, so, if you favorite toddler already has, or isn’t interest in the Cozy Coupe, there are plenty more options!

PS – if you ask me, this Little Tikes Cozy Pumper is a “must have” when playing with ride-on vehicles. I can’t even begin to tell you all the adventures this toy allowed for!

We chose to include the Fisher-Price Little People Big Helpers Home in our list of gifts for toddlers because we figure it’s likely your toddler already has a few Little People toys. Might as well purchase a dollhouse that can use figures already in your home, right? Perfect for both boys and girls, playing with doll houses is a great way to be creative and imaginative while working on fine motor skills. There are many dollhouse options out there, though, so feel free to take a look at other options!

The Strider 12 Sport Balance Bike is for kids ages 18 months through 5 years! Like so many, I appreciate when an item can be used (and loved) for years and years! Balance bikes are a great way to introduce toddlers to riding a bike and will let them have a blast doing so. There are plenty of colors to choose from, too, so you can pick the perfect Balance Bike for the toddler in your life.