I'll be frank that a lot of it is suuuuper kid-dependent...for example, my current toddler (almost 3) LOVES puzzles at this stage, whereas his big brothers had zero interest.

Open-ended toys are a good way to go. The few toys that all three of my kids had some interest in in that age range besides books are: art supplies, Brio trains, blocks/magnatiles for creative play.

Sand toys and water toys as well were two categories that all my kids as well as the kids I've worked with at daycares and preschools have enjoyed in this age range- simple buckets, shovels and forms. Outdoor play is pretty much the best kind of educational play for toddlers whenever it's viable as they learn from nature, being creative with things like sticks and leaves, different textures etc.

It will depend a lot on your child’s interests. My kid found one of my calculators and was fascinated, so I got her a talking calculator with large buttons (typically marketed to adults with vision problems). She uses it daily in the car 🤷‍♀️ we also got a toy from learning resources (I think). It lets the kid build a structure out of blocks, then turn on the base so that it shakes equivalent to various levels of earthquake. She loves painting on her easel. We’ve also grown ladybugs and butterflies and planted trees. All, some, or none of this may interest your kid. At our house, the Duplos and magnatiles go largely ignored.

• The Yoto or tonie box have got a lot of use from my friend group. I have a yoto we use at bedtime but when it comes to playing with it she just puts the cards in and out all the time and doesn't listen to the stories.

• magnatiles seem to be a hit. I have a newborn so I'm not comfortable having magnets in the house although I think magnatiles are designed to not be easily swallowed 

• Megablocs and duplo have been massive hits in our house

my almost 3 year old loves anything that mirrors the 'real' (adult) world. So things like his play kitchen, play tools like a hammer, screwdriver, drill etc, kid sized garden tools, anything that he sees the adults around him use but then kid sized or age appropriate :) it helps him develop necessary motor skills, mirror behaviour and learn imaginative play

Crayons and the box that the Costco groceries came in

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All toys are educational. Activities that don’t involve toys are educational. I add on things that aren’t toys like having bubbly/soap water in a large Tupperware that they pour with a measuring cup into another. Toddler probably enjoys that more than any toy. (Sensory, life skill - pouring/hand eye coordination just to name a few)

Another hit is painting cars then “car wash” in Tupperware with soap n water.

Toddlers have to learn about a millions different things to learn and every moment of every day is a learning opportunity. Is there a specific need you're trying to address?

You interacting with them

Being outside

Unstructured play

Creative and imaginative play

"Open ended toys"

I don't know the most educational, but a guiding light that I've used is that anything that requires batteries is going to be one of the LEAST educational toys I could provide. I use this guideline when people ask what gifts to get my kid too.

I have a 11 month old and don't know much about it, but from all the Insta reels, apparently gel tiles, pikler triangle and Lego's last a lot longer.

Agreed. My kids play with all sorts of things, mostly because we rotate them out and they seem "new" again.

The ones we don't rotate around are Hot Wheels cars and a couple of mats with buildings, dinosaurs, the play kitchen and food, and some dolls.

My 4 year old is currently obsessed with picasso tiles (like magnatiles but cheaper). He spends probably an hour a day on them (which is a lot, considering he's at school all day).

Lego. And Lego. Third: Lego. Then 2-3 stuffed animals and a few wooden things (a bendable snake, some vehicles and some mittlerweile animals). Everything else are dust catchers.

Have a 2yo so her attention span is almost non-existent. But we’ve found that rotating works amazingly well. She gets excited when we bring out a toy that we’ve put away for a while, almost like “hey, I forgot about that! This is so cool!”

We love rotating our toys. Most stay in the closet at any given time, but we have a 4 cubby Ikea shelf, with one toy in each section (the doll bucket, the magna tile bucket, a lego set, and the paw patrol bucket right now). They also have a play kitchen and art station available at all times, I rotate the art supplies.

Old toys are new again when they come out of the closet. It also let me establish a good clean up routine. It’s not overwhelming to pick up the room together at the end of the day when there are only 4 buckets of crap.

Best thing I ever bought my kids was a trampoline. From 3 right through high school they used it constantly.

My kids are 5, 4 almost 3. All three play with magnetic tiles, Legos, blocks, wooden train tracks (if we, or a babysitter, does it with them), squirt guns, balls, hot wheels, and puppets (if we participate with them).

The 4yo will play with marvel action figures and accessories for a few hours every day. He loves backpacks and superhero capes too.

Duplo started being something she enjoyed around 18 months. Those wooden fruit and vegetables that have Velcro in them so you can ‘cut’ them into pieces. Shape sorting toys.

Magnetic tiles. Our most played with toy even now my oldest is 5

Laundry basket 🫤 or empty diaper box.

Little people farm/barn, magnetic tiles, legos and mega blocks, crayola no mess markers, simple wooden peg Melissa & Doug puzzles, shape sorting toys, anything that makes music (toy piano, xylophone, maracas, etc). We’ve also started getting play kits from Early Nest and Lovery and they’ve both been really good.

Tupperware

'oh (maam / sir) you don't have to buy a game. Just use a couple of these at home. Fun for you and fun for them. First there is the 'quiet' game where the child that keeps silent the longest without fidgeting gets a treat. Then there is 52 card pickup where you fling a deck of cards across the room. Again when 52 in total are picked up they get a treat. But a personal favorite of mine is 'dodge car' where your kid tries to get across a busy road without becoming road kill. It's kind of like frogger but in real life'

Won't make you popular BUT the reactions would be great.

It's not a toy so much as what you show interest in. Kids are after a parent's time more than anything.

1 of my kids like playing with an old computer (I repair old computers), Another tinkers with cars, another builds models. My hobbies when I am at home.

If I go to a store to buy a toy, I pick one that I play with absently for more than 2 minutes. Theory is, if the toy keeps my interest, the toy keep my kids interest too... And stupidly, it works.

Seriously, this. I just pulled out a big box to put away the Christmas decorations and my 2yo son came running over "ohhhh a big box!" It never gets old.

Same here! She made a turtle costume, a car and various tablets and computers this weekend... the difficult part is getting rid of all that after a while without her noticing...

Age is an important factor here.

Masking tape - make a "car track" all over the house. Time consuming fun, and easy clean-up!

I too am confused at all these kids playing for hours by themselves!

I too am confused at all these kids playing for hours by themselves!

Throw in some markers and you got half a day filled

What age ?

I have a 2.5 year old, so no toy keeps her occupied for hours, rather 30-40 mins. Some good ones:

• magnatiles (hungry caterpillar and Elmo ones)
• Magnatab
• Toy picnic basket as she likes pretend play
• books
• Monkey around
• finger paints and crayons

Sadly the only thing that will go for hours is iPad games and TV , if you’re desperate to get some time for other things.

To expand on this, the recycling. Everything but the things they could get hurt on like glass or cans. They pull things out, build whatever, and at the end of the weekend, out it goes to the recycling bin. It helps to have craft supplies like markers and tape.