Our preference is for the kids not to have “Lion’s toys” and “Panda’s toys,” but really have an expectation that they will share everything. We try to get gifts that the kids can play together and encourage them to share.

Gifts-to-Share

1) Tools – We purchased a set of tools at our local consignment store months ago and stashed it away to give the boys this Christmas. I can definitely see them playing together since there are so many tools they can play with them at the same time.

2) Fort building kit – Kids love forts, boxes, tents and hiding places. I love that you can build different structures with this kit and then dismantle it and store the poles and connectors.

3) Easy Playhouse Castle – We got the playhouse version of this and set it up for Lion’s birthday party this year and all the kids loved playing inside it. We brought it home with us and set it up from time to time. They’ve drawn on it, decorated it with stickers, crawled in through the windows and pretended it was all sorts of things.

4) Wooden blocks – Blocks, like most building toys, can be played with together. While our kids already have a set of wooden blocks that their grandparents got them last year, these castle blocks look awesome.

5) Cars – I’m pretty sure the diecast cars that the kids have are the toys they play with the most. Whenever we go to mass at a church with a cry room, they will bring cars to play with and easily share them with other kids. They love to crash the cars into each other and race them. While any cars will satisfy them, they have a special love for the Disney Pixar characters.

6) Train table and trains – Last year, I made this train table and we’ve been slowly doling out a few trains and fixtures from a huge lot of Thomas the Tank Engine trains I purchased off Craigslist. It’s easy for the kids to play together with a fairly large collection of trains.

7) Play kitchen and food – Our play kitchen is a toy that has definitely withstood the test of time and Panda has enjoyed playing with it since he could pull himself into a standing position. The kids play with it on a nearly daily basis and it is large enough for them to play together and “cook” together without feeling like they’re in each others’ way.

8) Dress up clothes – I’m a huge fan of dress up clothes to encourage imaginative play. Whenever Lion grabs a Ninja Turtle mask or dons a superhero cape, Panda will run to the dress up bin and grab one to play alongside his big brother.

9) Magnatiles and Picasso Cars – While Magnatiles are pricey, they have been well worth the investment in my mind. The kids play well with them together and when our kids were younger, Lion would build a structure then encourage Panda, aka “Babyzilla” to destroy it.

10) Lego minifigures – Although I had Duplos on my recommended gift list for two-year-olds, some may want to consider Legos instead. I think Panda is finally done with putting everything in his mouth and both kids seem to be moving more into Legos. I recently took Panda into a mall that had a Lego store and he made a beeline for the playtable and instantly started putting the Lego hat pieces onto the Lego people. He was super proud of himself and didn’t want to leave them behind. I purchased some off eBay for him and it is probably the toy that has held his attention span for the longest period. Lion and Panda play really well together with the minifigures and, surprisingly, Lion will ask his little brother to make “Lego men” for him to play with. I love the Community set as well as the Fantasy set.

11) Action figures and play figures – We have a bunch of animals and some superhero action figures. While they enjoy the animals, they really seem to love playing with the superheroes together. For animals, The Safari Ltd Toobs are great for travel because of the small sizes.

12) Tent – Mr. Dolphin’s mom made a tent for the kids last year and they love playing in it together! Sometimes they’ll close themselves in and Lion will say, “It’s just for kids!”

13) Matching game – Lion got a travel version of a matching game from a friend for his birthday. He loves playing with Panda, even though his little brother doesn’t quite understand the concept yet.