With the holiday season in full swing, those of us with young children are constantly contemplating what our little ones want versus what they actually need. How many stuffed animals can one kid have? Do I really want to clean up another box of crayons? In the end, it’s always best when a toy can not only entertain a tot for hours, but boost their brains—simultaneously giving mom and dad a much-needed coffee break.

That’s why we’ve rounded up 35 educational toys for those rambunctious toddlers in your life. From shapeshifters and puzzles to sensory gadgets, these gifts will keep your youngsters busy and whip-smart.

These age-based play essentials support your child’s developing brain and are made from sustainably harvested wood, organic cotton, nontoxic paint and baby-safe plastics. Each box is tailored to a child’s specific stage and includes the only toys they truly need.

Your toddler can explore numbers one through 10 with this 20-piece puzzle. Plus, it’s double-sided, making multiple teaching moments for counting kiddos.

Kids will have a blast setting up their picnic blanket with this 15-piece set, which allows toddlers to match the shape of food pieces with the interactive sorter to hear the basket recite the shape and color of each item.

Kids can take along this Sesame Street-themed carry case to learn letters on-the-go.

The 50 First Words set contains large flashcards designed to help children recognize and learn a variety of essential first words in preparation for reading success.

The six, double-sided interactive pages of this bilingual book feature animals from 12 categories, including the ocean and the shore. Three modes allow toddlers to explore animal names, sounds and facts, both in English and Spanish. 

Related: Best Toddler Shoes

This educational learning board teaches toddlers basic life and fine motor skills, like zipping up a sweatshirt or tying their shoes. And, bonus, it’s perfect for travel.

Another portable toy, the $15.95 Take-Along Shape Shifter will have your toddler’s mind in tip-top shape. The wooden cube features cutouts on each side that align with various shaped blocks.

Fat Brain Toys also offers the SpinAgain toy, which enhances hand-eye coordination as kids place different-sized discs onto a corkscrew pole and watch them spin around and around.

Toddlers will have a fun time making faces with this emotive set. It includes three magnetic boards for creating faces using the 31 punch-out pieces.

This 70-piece block set from Lovevery will surely keep playtime going for years to come with lessons in everything from problem-solving to spatial recognition.

Related: Best Gifts for 1 Year Olds

Your toddler can learn how to spell their name while having fun with this adorable puzzle. Prices vary accordingly.

Get your toddler to tap into their musical side with Lili Llama, who’s loaded with activities: four spinners, two gears, one maraca tail, five-bar xylophone, one set of notches/washboard for ratchet sound, two clacking saddle blankets and two mallets that store in Lili’s head. She’s so cute, you’ll want to display her in your living room!

Hoot the Fine Motor Owl is here to help little kids prepare for preschool success. Featuring four fun activities, the developmental toy is designed to build and strengthen different areas of hand strength and coordination.

Related: Best Gift for 2 Year Olds

Your toddler will develop fine motor and sensory skills as they splash around with this Step2 water table, which will provide hours of summer fun.

Toddlers will have a great time sorting and building with these bright-colored Mega Bloks. Encourage open-ended play and allow your tot to work on their motor skills with this stackable set, now $19.99 on Amazon.

The play tunnel by Lovevery is perfect for hide and seek! Plus, crawling helps develop strength and balance even after your toddler has started walking.

Your tiny tot will develop hand-eye coordination and motor skills as they fit shapes into specific slots with this $9.99 carry-along toy. Even older toddlers will find it fun to problem solve!

This cute avocado guitar from Skip Hop will inspire the little musicians in your life! The toy features six songs and six guitar riffs, as well as light up buttons to stimulate sight and hearing.

This adorable Yeti, also from Skip Hop, will help your toddler sort shapes and recognize colors. The interactive play will have your child developing sensory, motor and cognitive skills.

For the older toddlers in your life, this Melissa & Doug tabletop easel is perfect for exploring their creative side. It features a magnetic dry-erase board on one side and a chalkboard on the other, and includes a paper-roll holder that accommodates 12-inch paper rolls. Let the masterpiece-making begin!

This timeless toy has been entertaining kids for years. The bright beads swoop and slide along roller-coaster wires to encourage fine motor skills and color and shape recognition. If your doctor’s office has one, you should, too!

This fun flower garden building set helps your older toddler work on their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination all while learning about different parts of a plant. Here’s to future gardeners!

This Melissa & Doug train set includes 14 assorted solid-wood block shapes that fit on rods on three interlocking natural wood rolling train cars. It encourages your toddler to stack, sort, build and count the red, yellow, green and blue blocks that make up this classic toy.

Time to tell time! This wooden sorting clock fosters hand-eye coordination, basic numerical cognition, sense of order and problem solving.

This Big Red Barn is perfect for toddlers 18 months plus. The farmhouse comes with four toy animals and a farmer and will have your little ones using their imagination and working out concentration and memory skills.

Toddlers will have fun discovering their fruits and veggies while putting together this adorable puzzle. Puzzles are good for fine and gross motor skills, as well as problem-solving, and Coco Village offers a variety of themes to keep your little ones busy.

Keep the kids entertained with this spiral toy, which comes with three bead-filled balls that spin down a seven-level tower. It’s an engaging play experience that enhances visual stimulation and cause and effect skills.

This stylish, developmental track toy will keep tots busy for hours. With steep curves and musical effects, it stimulates creativity and imagination and encourages children to experiment.

The colorful, nine-accessory tea set is the perfect toy to introduce sharing. This teapot will teach toddlers how to count numbers, identify colors and match shapes, all while listening to songs, sound effects and phrases.

Nothing teaches tots how to create with their hands more than play-dough. This six-pack set from The Dough Project is plant-based and comes in assorted colors: red, yellow, orange, green, blue and purple.

The kiddos will love to use their imagination while playing with this kitchenette from KidKraft. It will develop creativity, improve communication and teach important life skills.

Your little one will continuously discover with this table activity center from Pottery Barn Kids. With beads that slide, gears that turn, blocks that stack and animals that roll, this table will engage your toddler while they build coordination skills.

This sustainable water playset will produce hours of imaginative play. It features one rubber tray, one paddle boat, one sailing boat, one rope, two figures, one log, three fish, two different heights of trees and one bush that older toddlers can explore with.

The Wonder and Wise Activity Push Walker is full of fun activities that stimulate the senses, from a shape sorter to a wooden toy phone. As little ones grow, they can stand, sit or walk while developing new play skills.

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