Fun 2-Year-Old Learning Activities 

I find toddlers learn best through hands-on exploration. These 2-year-old learning activities engage many of their senses to enhance knowledge through different pathways of their brains. 2-year-olds can learn to match pairs of objects through repetition, so let's provide them with opportunities. 

Picture and Toy Matching 2-Year-Old Learning Activities 

The motto of this site is to use what you have. Animal models, toy vehicles, or other toddler-safe small toys with matching flashcards can be used for this toddler play idea. Collect a few safe objects with corresponding pictures on card stock. Either model the matching process and/or narrate what they do. You could even print out pictures or photos on card stock and/or laminate paper versions.

We keep this activity in a small box with the cards at the bottom to try to keep them flat on a low shelf  and I rotate the animals with matching flashcards. I wish I had a tray that fit the activity though.

I label the animals and cards as the toddler takes them out. Then, in a neutral voice, I narrate what she is putting together (like I do with lift-out puzzles or shape sorters). For example, "The dolphin with the dolphin. The rhino with the bear. The bear with the rhino." For a while, this 2-year-old got the bear and rhino mixed up, probably because the pictures and toys were different shades and the animals look more alike than the others here.

Temperature Matching 2-Year-Old Learning Activities

I have used both glass baby jars and small plastic jars since that’s what was available at the time. I washed and removed the labels from these empty jars. I filled 2 jars with fridge-cold water (and dried the condensation), 2 with warm water from the hot tap/faucet or mixed boiled and cold water, and 2 with tepid room temperature water. I tightened the jar lids as tightly as I could and provided the activity right after.

I placed the glass jars on the floor in the middle of a carpeted room and made sure the toddler was sitting throughout this closely supervised activity. For the plastic jars, we used the play table, where the toddler was used to doing activity time. I labeled each temperature as they felt them and encouraged them to match the pairs.

Shape Matching DIY Cards 2-Year-Old Learning Activities 

I made these shape cards using a laminator, but it's not needed; just card stock. I made them all the same color to focus the children's attention on the shapes. Feel free to use any pairs of shapes you happen to have, regardless of their colors. I tend to place one set down spaced out and give the 2-year-old one shape at a time, at least for the first few times. 

I encourage them to match the shapes, either by having the toddler place them over each other or next to their pairs. As above, I label the cards and tell them what shapes they are putting together. For example: "You're putting the square on the rectangle, the circle on the circle, " etc. I find that over time, they improve these skills, along with their self-confidence, self-esteem, love of learning and increased vocabulary.

DIY Shaker Sound Matching 2-Year-Old Learning Activities

I have also used glass baby jars and small plastic jars with the same 2-year-olds with whom I did the temperature matching game. Doubling up on DIY sensory bottles in plastic bottles would work too. I have put tiny bells, raw beans, dry rice, gravel, craft pom-poms, lentils, fake petals, cotton balls, and hair ties.

Try to have a few contrasting sounds with matching pairs. I put a sock over one of each pair of glass jars to help them focus on the sounds. I tried to use the same color for the white plastic jars.

I'd recommend preparing this activity ahead of time by yourself if possible, because the toddler who wanted to help me kept opening the jars during the activity. I encouraged the toddlers to match the pairs by listening to each sound individually and 2 together. 

Colour Matching 2-Year-Old Learning Activities

 The aim of this game is to match the colors together as an introduction to sorting. Again, use what you have: cars, mega blocks, Duplo or play balls (on a tray). In the past, I've used matching colored containers, which I think makes the purpose of the activity clearer.

I've taught the point to some 2-year-old and I've allowed others to figure it out. I found that those who discovered the concepts themselves were generally more engaged than the toddlers to whom I taught the rules. It depends on their personalities though, because there have been exceptions to this observation.

Click through to find many more Activities for 2-Year-Olds.