Melissa & Doug wants to help you save money on holiday shopping now with our Christmas in July promotion, with special deals happening throughout the month!
This year especially, we know parents will be more thoughtful and discerning with their holiday gift budget, which means shopping for toys that are high-quality, well-made, and will last for generations of play—that’s where Melissa & Doug come in. In this blog post, we curate a list of our favorite toys for kids age 2+ as a dedicated source for your Christmas in July shopping. You’ll discover a variety of quality, long-lasting toys that are sure to bring the fun, while also building those essential early developmental skills.
If you'd like additional help finding the right toy for your child, visit the Melissa & Doug Gift Guide. Read on for a look at the best Christmas in July toys for 2-year-olds!
Our Best Toys and Gifts for 2-Year-Olds
Ms. Rachel Wooden Learning Blocks
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: Inspired by Ms. Rachel’s popular baby and toddler videos, the blocks and activity cards set is made with love to support learning for littles. Help stimulate cognitive development with 30 wooden letter, number, picture, and activity learning blocks.
Fun feature: The set includes 14 double-sided activity cards for matching, counting, play ideas, and developmental skill information and tips.
Skills: These learning blocks and activities are great for helping kids build communication, cognitive, and motor skills.
Also available: Check out more blocks and stacking toys from Melissa & Doug, and shop our full assortment of learning toys.
Ms. Rachel Wooden Song Puzzle
Why it's a great gift for 2-year-olds: Sing along with kids’ favorite educator, Ms. Rachel! The six-piece Melissa & Doug® Ms. Rachel™ Wooden Song Puzzle includes favorites from Ms. Rachel’s popular baby and toddler videos. An on/off switch allows for quiet play. (Note: 2 AAA batteries required, not included; sounds are light-activated; for best results, use the puzzle in bright, direct light.)
Fun feature: Lift puzzle pieces to hear "The Wheels on the Bus," "I Love a Rainbow," "Can You Say Mama," "Hop Little Bunnies," "I’m So Happy," and "Come Play Out In the Sun."
Skills: This wooden song puzzle is great for boosting problem-solving skills, memory, and spatial awareness.
Also available: Shop our full puzzle selection for more problem-solving fun!
Ms. Rachel™ Wooden Peek-a-Boo Jumbo Peg Puzzle – 4 Pieces
Why it's a great gift for 2-year-olds: Peek-a-boo, Ms. Rachel™ sees you! The four-piece Melissa & Doug® Ms. Rachel™ Wooden Peek-a-Boo Jumbo Peg Puzzle features extra thick and sturdy wooden pieces in different shapes, and jumbo pegs that are easy for small hands to grasp. Bright colors and sweet illustrations of favorite Ms. Rachel characters, as well as a special peek-a-boo child-safe mirror, keep young ones actively engaged.
Fun feature: Pictures under pieces help with matching and boost self-esteem.
Skills: Encourage language, memory, spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, and more.
Ms. Rachel™ Wooden Phonics Alphabet Sound Puzzle - 26 Pieces
Why it's a great gift for 2-year-olds: Kids will love hearing and learning to say the alphabet with their favorite educator, Ms. Rachel! The 26-piece Melissa & Doug® Ms. Rachel™ Wooden Phonics Alphabet Sound Puzzle includes favorites from Ms. Rachel’s popular baby and toddler videos.
Fun feature: Lift the pieces to hear Ms. Rachel pronounce letter sounds and words that begin with each.
Skills: Encourage language, memory, spatial awareness, problem-solving skills and more.
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: This wooden pull-toy from Melissa & Doug is sure to have little animal lovers zooming around the room and giggling with joy!
Fun feature: Feed the adorable pooch one of the three wooden dog “treats” (bone-side up), then use the attached leash to take it for a rolling stroll. After traveling about 8 feet, the piece magically flips over inside the pup and comes out poo-side up! Treats store in a fun reversible bag that doubles as a poo bag for cleanup!
Skills: A fun and engaging way for kids learning to walk to practice important developmental skills: movement, hand-eye coordination, storytelling, and counting; demonstrate cause-and-effect and build confidence and self-esteem.
Also available: For those kids who go wild over animal toys, we also offer the Take-Along Sorting Barn so kids can match their favorite farm friends to their corresponding shapes.
Match & Push Spinning Tops
Why it's a great gift for 2-year-olds: With this fun developmental toy from Melissa & Doug, even young kids can enjoy spinning tops! Drop three different colorful tops into the matching wells and use the easy-to-grasp plunger to push and make them drop and spin on the sturdy wooden base!
Fun feature: The special plunger hangs on the top’s tower so it’s always close at hand!
Skills: Helps teach kids color recognition and matching as they develop fine-motor skills and learn about cause and effect!
Also available: We have a full selection of learning toys to help kids develop critical developmental skills through play.
Stacking Train Toddler Toy
Why it's a great gift for 2-year-olds: Send your child's imagination on a colorful journey with this classic wooden stacking train. This classic favorite will have kids on a roll! Sturdy, pegged cars are the base for 15 colorful pieces that can be configured over and over again.
Fun feature: When assembled, the train is over 17 inches long—children can also separate the cars to change things up or share the fun.
Skills: Designed to help little ones practice fine motor and cognitive skills.
Also available: Check out even more stocking and block-theme toys!
Food Groups - Wooden Play Food
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: Planning a well-balanced meal is child's play with this sturdy wooden food set featuring items from the five food groups for healthy pretend play.
Fun feature: Watermelon, corn, milk, cheese, cereal, fish, eggs, and more store neatly in four wooden crates.
Skills: Fine motor skills, item recognition, nutritional basics
Also available: Check out our full selection of pretend play food, as well as our play kitchens and play centers.
National Parks Alphabet & Animals Cube Puzzle – 24 Wooden Block Pieces
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: This 24-piece wooden block cube puzzle for kids is a great introduction to three national parks—Everglades, Arches, and Yellowstone—and the animals that live in each one!
Fun feature: Blocks also have the full alphabet plus extras of some letters so kids can spell out the names of the animals shown on other sides of the blocks and on the included identification guides. Guides include the animal names in English and Spanish, pictures of the completed park scenes, and search-and-find activities.
Skills: Matching, problem-solving, fine motor skill development
Also available: Be sure to explore the other pretend adventure items in our NPF collection.
Mine to Love Jenna 12-Inch Doll
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: Jenna is the ideal, sweet smelling, first-born baby doll. Even the youngest caregivers will love this doll’s adorable face and soft, cuddly body—and grown-ups will love her wipe-clean arms and legs!
Fun feature: She has molded plastic hair and is "pretty in pink" from head to toe, in a removable smocked outfit and matching cap.
Skills: Storytelling, narrative ability, empathy, social-emotional skills
Also available: If one doll isn’t enough for your little caregiver, you could double the pretend parenting fun with our twin dolls, Luke & Lucy, and shop our full selection of dolls & accessories.
Giddy Buggy Bowling Set
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: The always-happy Giddy Buggy caterpillar will bowl you over with his smiling face and this exciting kid-sized bowling set. Little ones can have loads of fun as they set up the eight-inch bowling pins, roll the kid-sized ball, and knock 'em down!
Fun feature: The set includes six bowling pins, an easy grip bowling ball, game instructions, and a sturdy carrying case with handles—made to be used both inside and outside.
Skills: Hand-eye coordination, dexterity, gross and fine motor skills, early counting skills
Also available: We also offer a full selection of outdoor toys to get kids moving and grooving!
Shape-Sorting Cube
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: Engage little ones with this Melissa & Doug Classic Toy that's beautifully constructed from high-quality, solid wood. This ultimate shape sorter features 12 chunky, vibrantly colored shapes with rounded edges that are easy for little hands to hold and maneuver.
Fun feature: Each cube fits through a hole of the same shape on the natural-finish hardwood cube. Kids will delight as they drop each shape into the cube, and hear it make a satisfying "clunk" sound. Then they can open the lid, take the cube out and start all over again!
Skills: Color & shape recognition, problem-solving skills, fine motor skills
Also available: If colorful shape-sorting is an activity your child enjoys, engage them with more colorful, developmental fun via our Geometric Stacker Toy.
Ice Cream Wooden Magnetic Puzzle Play Set - 16 Pieces
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: Piece together a deliciously cool puzzle and pretend play fun with this innovative combination of wooden puzzle and magnetic pretend play set!
Fun feature: There are 16 wooden magnetic pieces, including ice cream scoops, toppings, cones, containers, spoons, and a scooper. For puzzle play, match the pieces to pictures on the sturdy wooden puzzle board. For pretend play, lift and arrange pieces with the magnetic scooper to create ice cream treats!
Skills: Shape & pattern recognition, problem-solving skills, storytelling and narrative ability, creativity, fine motor skills
Also available: Promote your child’s creative development with colorful, shape-based picture-making with our Beginner Pattern Blocks.
Wooden Animal Magnets
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: Everyone is attracted to these wooden magnetic animals! Twenty favorite wild and domesticated animals in a compact wooden case are waiting to play.
Fun feature: Ideal for both home and on-the-go fun.
Skills: Fine motor, sorting, grouping, and storytelling skills
Also available: You can let your animal-loving kids hang their Wooden Animal Magnets all over your kitchen appliances, or you provide them with a Deluxe Magnetic Standing Art Easel of their own for just such a purpose.
100 Wood Blocks Set
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: With 100 wooden blocks in four colors and nine shapes, this set gives kids endless options for getting creative. They can stack, build, and count the blocks, and of course…knock ’em all down!
Fun feature: Blocks range from approx. 1" to 2.25"—perfect for little hands!
Skills: Fine motor skills and dexterity, color and shape recognition, pre-math and counting
Also available: Add to the stacking and counting excitement with our Wooden ABC/123 Blocks.
Take-Along Sorting Barn
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: Toddlers and preschoolers will love fitting all 10 chunky wooden pieces into the cut-out shapes of the barn’s walls. Once they’re done, they can flip the barn roof up, reach in for the easy-to-handle pieces, and do it all over again!
Fun feature: This travel-friendly set includes a horse, pig, goat, sheep, chicken, dog, cow, ducks, a tractor, and a farmer.
Skills: Fine motor skills, matching and sorting, creative play
Also available: Help your child get to know their favorite farm animals even better with Poke-a-Dot: Farm Animal Families!
Deluxe Pounding Bench
Why it’s a great gift for 2-year-olds: Toddlers and preschoolers can take peekaboo to the next level with this solid wood pounding bench. They’ll love getting to know their colors while developing their hand-eye-coordination skills with the sturdy mallet that’s included!
Fun feature: Each colorful peg pops up with a cheerful smile every time!
Skills: Fine motor skills, color recognition, confidence
Also available: Enjoy even more pounding and color-learning fun with the Pound-and-Roll Tower.
# # # # # # # # # # #
Shop Melissa & Doug Gift Guide
Shop Melissa & Doug Toys by Age
Shop Melissa & Doug Learning Toys
Shop Melissa & Doug Pretend Play Toys
Shop Melissa & Doug Arts & Crafts Toys
Learn More Melissa & Doug Skills at Play
Shop Melissa & Doug Vehicles & Train Toys
Explore Melissa & Doug Living Playfully Blog
