Keeping up with the developing skills and interests of a 2-year-old can feel like a sprint (sometimes literally) — or a guessing game.The most engaging toys for 2-year-olds offer different options for hands-on, manipulative play. Balls, vehicles, and puzzles are popular at this age as kids learn to use their fine motor skills in more-precise ways, such as for stacking, fitting, and twisting smaller pieces.Some 2-year-olds are still engaging primarily in “parallel play,” while others are interested in playing with others, so simple board games may help them practice sharing and taking turns. Toys that let a 2-year-old slide, wiggle, scoot, bounce, or otherwise expend some of their boundless energy are also likely to be a hit, especially during the holidays.To help compile this list, I assembled giant puzzles, zoomed toy cars, and played a variety of toddler-friendly games with my kids in Austin, Texas. Editor Amy Miller Kravetz and her two kids compared three ball pits from their basement in Princeton, New Jersey. And Wirecutter contributors Julie Kim and Jessica Bernhard tested dozens of dolls and mix-and-match fridge magnets in New York City and Seattle, respectively. Altogether, 19 moms and dads with a total of 39 kiddos among us collaborated to assemble this list of toys and games that we’ve found entertain kids at 2, and, often, for many more years to come.You can find even more gift suggestions that might be just right for your energetic 2-year-old in our guides to the best gifts for 1-year-olds, the best gifts for 3-year-olds, and the best trikes and balance bikes. Or see all our kid gift ideas here.