The Best Non Toy Gifts for 2 Year Old: Practical & Fun Gift Ideas For Toddler

Toddlers are so much fun! For them, life is an adventure and they just get excited about everything they do and see! Toddlers don’t need toys to have fun.

They play and learn with everything around them. Sticks, rocks, kitchen gadgets, it really doesn’t matter.

Having very few actual toys means their imagination has room to work.

They can imagine with anything. Even with having an abundance of toys, I see little ones playing with their sibling’s shoes, “cooking” in the kitchen or talking for popsicle stick people instead.

This is a good thing and we need to continue to encourage them to play, learn and imagine with items that don’t already “do-it-all” for them.

Non Toy Gift Ideas for 2 Year Old

1. Lessons and Classes. Swim lessons, dance, gymnastics are all great ideas and benefit little ones.

2. Memberships. Children’s Museums, the zoo, YMCA or family gyms are all wonderful.

3. Books. It’s never too early for books. Did you know that reading to babies and toddlers changes the way their brains develop and gives them a better chance at life?

You can watch a video about it here. A couple of our favorites are Sandra Boynton books, Robert Munsch books, Bill Peet Books.

4. Photo Album.

Little ones love looking at pictures of family members and of themselves doing things or at special places. In many online photo sites, you can create a photo book of all the special people and special things the child has done.

5. Pajamas.

If you sew, special homemade pajamas are THE BOMB! My mom sews and my children just adore the fact that MorMor (Swedish for “mother’s mother”) made them something special.

6. Artwork Picture Frame.

Displaying our children’s artwork is important and also very fun. But the fridge tends to get filled up and parents at times feel guilty for throwing anything away.

A hinged art cabinet hangs on the wall and allows you to change pictures out when a new masterpiece is created.

7. Towel Set.

It’s so much fun for little ones to have their own towel and washcloth. I have color-coded all our towels, it makes it easy for the kids to know which towel is theirs and it also cuts down on the spreading of germs if you teach them to always dry their hands on their own towel.

8. Savings Account or Stocks.

Setting money aside for each birthday or holiday may not be very exciting for these little people right now, but when they turn 18 and realize the amazing start they have in life, it will be a huge blessing.

You can give a small token gift that they can open and enjoy on their special day, but put the majority of the gift into a savings program.

9. Music.

Kids love music! Some great kid-geared artists are Raffi, Casper Babypants, Sandra Boynton.

10. Sleeping Bag.

Having their own sleeping bag can make little ones pretty excited about sleepovers, trips or camping out family nights.

Mine are so excited about them when we visit family far away, they want to go to bed as soon as we arrive, which is great unless it’s not even dinner time yet…

11. Tent.

I think tents are one of the most fun gift for toddlers. They open up endless possibilities of imagination and play.

12. Shoes and Boots.

Snow boots or rubber boots are especially helpful. For the little cowboy or cowgirl, having a special pair of cowboy boots is super exciting.

13. Donations.

Children understand more than we think they do, generally, they are caring and thoughtful of others. If you explain to them that some people don’t have food to eat, or a nice place to sleep and the children have to have jobs, they can sympathize with that.

There are many places that take charitable donations, help those in need and send a card or a plush animal to someone you love. We personally like World Vision and Compassion International.

14. Child-proof camera.

I gifted an easy to hold, destruction-proof digital camera to my nephew, and he LOVED it. He took it with him everywhere and found new ways to interact with his environment while developing his fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.

Non Toy Gift Ideas for Fine Motor Skills

Develop motor skills in your child with one of these non toy gifts.

1. Puzzles.

I’ve always been surprised at how early little ones understand puzzles and really enjoy them. You can find wooden ones that are easy to hold, with as few pieces as two.

2. Math Counters.

Kids will totally end up playing with animal counters, but we keep ours in a small bucket and bring them out when everything else is put away. We stack colors together, match mamas to babies, make patterns, practice adding and subtracting. We have a lot of fun with them.

3. Piggy Bank and Coins.

This may take some supervision, but all the little people I know absolutely love putting coins into their piggy banks!

4. Art supplies.

Age-appropriate art supplies for toddlers include chunky crayons, finger paint, and clay. If the child has a last oral-fixation, this might be one to skip, but many toddlers are more than capable of creating art, and it’s great for developing fine motor skills.

5. Kitchen tools.

Kids love to mirror their parents, so any child-sized version of what they see their parents handling is always a hit. Kitchen play sets allow kids to get comfortable holding spoons, knives, and other kitchen implements.

6. Sorting trays.

Sorting trays are tons of fun, and you don’t even have to buy anything. All you need are some containers and items to sort! My nephew’s favorite was a set of wooden bowls with little acorns he could sort by color.

Sorting toys tend to be a VERY big hit with neurodivergent kids in particular.

Non Toy Sensory Gift Ideas for Toddlers

Sensory toys are a great non toy gift to get your kids involved with their senses. It teaches observation skills, encourages curiosity, and allows them to be creative in new ways.

1. Play Silks.

We love our play silks. My kids have used them as capes for superheroes, skirts, dresses, wraps to carry their baby dolls, over chairs and couches to make a fort, the possibilities are endless.

2. Kinetic sand.

Kinetic sand is a great tactile non toy gift for toddlers. It lets them express some creativity and strengthen their finger and hand muscles. 

3. Musical instrument.

Toddlers are obviously somewhat limited in their musical capabilities, but there are child versions of most instruments. Drums, pianos, and ukuleles are all instruments a toddler could enjoy to learn rhythm, sounds, and hand-eye coordination.

4. Light projector.

I got my space-obsessed nephew a planetarium projector for his room, and he loves it. They work well as play enhancers, night lights, and they can even be educational.

5. Weather items.

I’ve never met a toddler who doesn’t love to splash in mud and puddles. Weather gear like galoshes, raincoats, and little umbrellas will give your little friend more access to the outdoors for play and learning.

Outdoor Non Toy Gifts for Toddlers

Get those kiddos outside with these great non toy gifts for outside!

1. Sprinklers.

Good old fashion fun right there! There are all sorts of sprinklers, I personally prefer the old fashioned oscillating sprinklers and the kids like running through the “tunnel”.

2. Bird Feeder and Seed.

Having a bird feeder outside a winder is very entertaining for kids to watch and helps get them interested in wildlife.

You can also encourage them to recognize bird species and develop a lifelong interest!

3. Sandbox.

A covered sandbox is a great addition to a yard for children! You can include tools like shovels, buckets, or even seashells.

4. Sidewalk chalk.

Toddlers love to scribble, and there’s something so exciting about drawing somewhere unconventional, like outside on the ground!

I don’t know if you remember your first experience with chalk, but I do, and it was mind-blowing. I felt like I was discovering the world and breaking a law at the same time.

5. Child-sized gardening tools.

This is a particularly great non toy gift idea if the child’s parents are very active in the yard. They can plop baby right next to them while they work and they can mirror movements with their own little tools.

6. Nature exploration tools.

Nature exploration tools are excellent gifts for any age group, including toddlers. They include binoculars, microscopes, magnifying glasses, bug-catchers, books, and collection boxes for bugs or rocks.

7. Headlamp or flashlight.

Kids love lights, especially ones they can control. A headlamp can turn a pillow fort into a grand spelunking adventure or an under-the-sea exploration. Simple gifts like this allow children to use their own imagination and bring the story in themselves.

Need more gifting ideas? Check out these lists:

• 18 Non-Toy Gifts for Children
• 18 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for Teens
• 18 Clutter-Free Gifts Under $20