Start with the Fisher-Price Corn Popper for a two-year-old boy who loves rolling toys across the floor; the MEGA BLOKS building bag suits one who likes stacking.
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Building sets
Ages 1.5+Source: LEGO
Set 10954, 23 piecesSource: Rebrickable
Numbered bricks on this LEGO Duplo train give the two of you something to count out loud as he snaps each one onto a car.
Once every car is loaded, count the whole train again from front to back.
Vehicles
If the boy on your list waves at every passing train, a BRIO Steam & Go engine gives him one to hold.
The next time a real one rumbles past the house, he can lift his up to the window so the two trains can say hello.
Games and puzzles
Ages 2+Source: Melissa & Doug
Animal sounds come first: he can moo or oink for each chunky wooden piece in this Melissa & Doug puzzle before turning it until it drops into its slot.
The barnyard from his picture books becomes something to hold, and when the board is full he can dump it out and start over.
Music
Pots and spoons turn into drums for a toddler who bangs on everything; this VTech tambourine is his own instrument.
He keeps time with every song, and a hedgehog to rattle and thump puts that beat in his hands.
Dolls and figures
From 12 monthsSource: Little People
Pretend school puts him in charge, and this classroom set of Little People figures gives him students who never talk back.
He can line them up in neat rows, call on each one in turn and give every figure a name he picks himself before recess.
Books
From 1 monthSource: Melissa & Doug
Story time with a toddler often ends with him grabbing the book out of your hands, and this soft one from Melissa & Doug can take the grabbing.
He pats, squeezes and pokes each spread as slowly or quickly as he likes, then flips ahead when he is done. From the grocery cart seat, he holds up his favorite page for you to see.
Ages 1+Source: Melissa & Doug
Melissa & Doug's pretend desktop busy board belongs with a toddler who climbs into your lap whenever the laptop opens.
His hands keep heading for your keyboard, so a work spot of his own gives him something to tap. That little office of his ends up parked beside your chair while you type.
Electronics
From 9 monthsSource: Fisher-Price
The Fisher-Price Link Squad yak gives a toddler who pats everything in reach a buddy of his own.
He presses and prods whatever sits near him, so this one hands his curious fingers a target that is all his. On Christmas morning, he can park it beside him on the rug while the wrapping paper piles up.
Science and discovery
While you fold laundry, a toddler who loves taking things apart can sit beside you with a flower pot of his own.
Undoing and redoing is his favorite puzzle right now, and these blooms come off and slot back with no help. Its rebuilt tower of petals waits beside the laundry pile until he takes it apart once more.
Outdoor and sports
Hoop dreams start early for a toddler who chucks whatever he holds, and Little Tikes Easy Score gives his throws a basket.
He hurls things now just to watch them fly, and a goal of his own lets him aim every launch.
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*Paid link
From 6 monthsSource: Fisher-Price
Balls pop inside this Corn Popper car from Fisher-Price each time he pushes it along, which gives it the edge over a plain toy car.
Pushing it to the far end of the room, scooping it up and heading back can fill a good stretch of Christmas Day.
Ages 2+Source: Little People
Mickey gets a wave from a toddler on every sticker sheet, so this Little People train puts him and Minnie on wheels.
His own route around the house matters to him now, so the pair he greets ride wherever his hands send them.
*Paid link
This VTech pup answers a toddler's tap with a tune, handing the boy who stomps to every song his own soundtrack.
Dancing is how he responds to any beat, and here he starts it himself rather than waiting for a grown-up. The stomp-and-clap routine he invents gets performed for everyone on the living room rug.
Your coffee table takes a pounding from a toddler who slaps along to songs, so give his hands a LeapFrog piano.
Hitting whatever sits nearby is how he joins a tune, and these keys answer each press with sound. His jumbled run of notes becomes a song he plays for whoever is on the couch.
When the toddler you are buying for belts out nursery rhymes at full volume, a VTech Sing-It-Out mic gives him a stage.
He knows his favorite rhymes by heart, and gripping a mic turns each one into a performance. His loudest round of Old MacDonald becomes the encore before bath time.
A two-year-old who claps along to every tune he hears can take charge of the sound with LeapFrog's Strum and Count.
Moving to a song is how he listens, and an instrument of his own lets him start the beat himself. Its neck doubles as the handle he grabs to carry the guitar down the hallway.
*Paid link
Big kids usually keep the Mario games to themselves, so this Little People set gives a two-year-old a hero he can hold.
The chunky figure fits small hands, though if Mario is new to him, a farm or garage set may suit him better.
Ages 1+Source: GUND
Tigger in striped knit comes in an easy size for small arms to haul to breakfast and prop beside his plate.
Between bites, you may catch him bouncing Tigger across the table or offering the tiger a corner of toast.
Ages 1+Source: GUND
For a little Sesame Street fan who calls out whenever Abby Cadabby appears, this GUND plush means she can come along too.
He can tuck her under his arm on a walk to the mailbox and show her the trucks passing by.
Ages 1+Source: GUND
GUND's Nayla puts a cockapoo puppy in the arms of a toddler who stops and points whenever a dog trots past.
Those rarely wait for a pat, so a puppy of his own lets him hug and stroke it anytime.
PLAYMOBIL Junior's treehouse hands a toddler the bear and Piglet to tuck inside, lift out and tuck in again.
Familiar characters are what he wants to hold now, and here the pair get a house within his reach. The arrangement he settles on stays on the rug until he moves everyone again.
*Paid link
Each Munchkin sea creature gulps up tub water and spits it back out whenever a toddler presses it in his fist.
He wants to run every game himself now, and these little sprayers let him aim each stream wherever he likes.
From 3 monthsSource: Baby Einstein
Go Opus Go from Baby Einstein changes what it offers whenever a boy who hops from game to game wants something new.
His focus darts around, so a gift with more than a single way to enjoy it keeps up with him. The version he lands on gets shown off to the family after dinner.
From 6 monthsSource: Melissa & Doug
This Melissa & Doug cube puts a farmyard in a toddler's hands to lug from room to room and flip around.
Farm critters from storybooks are what he calls out to now, and this toy rides along in his grip.
Battat's Pop-Up Pals toy gives a toddler who loves peekaboo something to fiddle with until a hidden friend jumps out.
Peekaboo is his favorite game now, and here he runs the surprise himself, tucking each critter away again.
Learning Resources New Sprouts is a match for a toddler who rides in the grocery cart and reaches for every apple.
Your store run is the routine he copies most, and here he picks the food and hands it over himself.
Building sets
Ages 1 to 5Source: MEGA BLOKS
Whatever a toddler has in mind, MEGA BLOKS First Builders blocks press together into it, like a garage for his toy trucks.
He wants a say in everything now, and free building leaves each design up to him alone.
Books
On the couch after the presents, a LeapFrog book gives a toddler who points at everything something new to name.
His finger lands on a page, you say the word, and his constant pointing turns into a back-and-forth.
Science and discovery
Every digit on a mailbox gets shouted out by a toddler on the hunt, so Learning Resources turtles bring those marks home.
He spots digits everywhere now, and shells he can grip let him call each out while you echo it.
*Paid link
The toddler who copies every grown-up holding up a phone can aim a VTech Snap and Giggle camera of his own.
Mimicking the adults nearby is how he spends his days, so a toy that matches their habit lets him join in rather than watch. At dinner, the VTech gets pointed at each face around the table in turn.
From 18 monthsSource: Little People
Picture-book barnyards hold the creatures a toddler shouts at, and this Little People See ’n Say puts them in his hands.
He calls out every duck and pig in his board books, and here he starts the naming himself.
During your next call, a toddler who grabs for your handset can hold a LeapFrog Chat and Count of his own.
Talking like the grown-ups around him is his favorite game right now, and your real one stays out of reach.
Thinking of a gift card instead? Read this first.
Can’t decide yet? Remind yourself.
One alarm in early November, with this list’s newest picks.
Almost done
Check your inbox and tap the link to confirm. After that there is nothing to remember: one email a year arrives before Christmas.
Almost done
Check your inbox and tap the link to confirm. After that there is nothing to remember: one email a year arrives before his birthday.
Almost done
Check your inbox and tap the link to confirm. After that there is nothing to remember: one email a year arrives before the day.
Reminder not set
Check each field and try again.
Reminder not set
Enter an email address such as name@example.com.
Reminder not set
Choose the month and day.
Reminder not set
The daily limit for reminders from your connection is reached. Try again tomorrow.
Reminder not set
The form has taken all the reminders it can for today. Try again tomorrow.
Reminder not set
This day moves with Easter, so it works by email only.
Works with iPhone, Google and Outlook calendars.
Can’t decide yet? Remind yourself.
Not quite right? Try the GiftExperts gift finder
More Melissa & Doug by age · More Learning Resources by age
How to wrap a present neatly, step by step · Plan the wrapping
Chosen by our team from store data and what readers pick, not hands-on tests. Nothing is paid to be on this list. Recall notices checked . How we pick
Yes. The Little People school figures are for a toddler who acts out classroom scenes, moving the characters around, sitting them down and calling out who is the teacher.
A toddler who rolls toys across the floor and follows them wherever they go is the match for the Fisher-Price Corn Popper car, a rolling toy car he pushes along himself instead of watching from the sidelines.
The Duplo counting train is the one for a builder: a boy who snaps pieces together, pulls them apart and lines up the train cars gets a building set with counting worked into the play.
The Melissa & Doug puzzle suits a toddler who points out cows and pigs wherever he sees them, since he lifts each farm animal out and works it back into place on his own.
Go with the GUND Abby Cadabby plush for a boy who already knows the character and wants a companion to hug, tuck under his arm and bring along on every outing.
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