What are the best toys/games for a 2 1/2 yo?

[foreverastudent]

I feel like my 2 1/2 yo doesn't spend enough time playing with toys.

I'm not sure what kind of things I could be encouraging her to do.

Any ideas?

What does she do instead? If she's using her imagination in other ways rather than playing with conventional 'toys' I wouldn't worry.

My DS is two and his favourite toys are: puzzles, his water table and the back garden and assorted buckets, wheels, etc in the table that he can pour water into, and his toy kitchen which is his absolute favourite. Spends hours making food for me .

HTH.

(Oh, and all toys acquired second hand so we're not talking lots of expense here).

"in the back garden"!

My 2.5yr old twins like to be outside a lot if possible, like eddie said, playing with water and buckets etc. They spend a lot of time on the scooters too.

Inside their favourite things to play with are plastic ELC playfood, mega blocks, various vehicles, esp if they have passengers, and also they both have a doll from ELC that talks/cries/laughs. They both invest a lot of time in their dolls making sure they are not crying...

They also love the scribbler things that you can draw and erase over and over. And like general colouring / drawing as well. They would like painting but I am too mean to let them do it v often as they are v messy!

Oh missed the toy kitchen bit on eddie's post. Mine love playing in toy kitchens and houses if we are at toddler group or friend's houses. We don't have one ourselves though. Love the "home corner" at nursery and will spend forever in there apparently.

Oh yes, forgot the vehicles! How could I?!

My 2 1/2 yr old likes playing with

Teddies
Doctor set
Jigsaw puzzles
Books
Train set
Cars
Mega Bloks
Doll and pushchair
Paddling pool
Sharks in the bath

Thanks, we dont have a garden though which is quite limiting.

dolls house! my boy is fascinated with all the little spaces inside and will spend hours putting little people in and out of the rooms. we were at a friends house a while ago and he spent an hour on his own with a camper van and little people! i love listening to him having conversations with all the little people - just repeating phrases he's heard us say really but so cute!

I second the dolls house. All my dc have loved them - boy or girl!