My toddler son is obsessed with trucks. Every single day we are playing with some sort of truck. He is always finding new and creative ways to use them which makes these open ended toys worth it.
Matchbox Garbage Truck- My son got this for Christmas when he was 1.5 years old. Now over a year later it is still a toy he plays with every single day. He loves filling up the trash can and pulling the lever to fill up the truck. The truck noises are realistic and not very annoying (huge plus for mama). This has been such a hit and always a toy I recommend for toddlers.
Melissa & Doug Nesting Garages- I love that these boxes can be stacked or organized side by side. We also set them up to create a town and drive the cars to the correct places. So many opportunities for vocabulary growth by talking about the buildings, types of cars, colors, numbers, sizes and function of the cars.
Ride on Excavator- My truck loving toddler LOVES this excavator. He keeps busy scooping up blocks and pretending he is "working hard today" as he tells me. I'd imagine this could be a fun one to have outside in the sand as well.
Green Toys Trucks- I've always loved this brand. Their toys are made out of 100% recycled plastic with no BPA, phthalates or PVC and no external coatings, paints or dye AND they are dishwasher safe. In addition to all of that, they really are great durable trucks the kids play with endlessly.
CAT Dump Truck- Classic construction trucks that are a must have for a truck loving toddler. I like to keep one as an outdoor toy that can stay dirty since my son loves filling up the dump truck with rocks, dirt and anything else he can find in our backyard. But I ended up getting separate ones to have indoors as well since he plays with them everyday.
Remote Control Race Car- This one was a hidden gem. Looks cheap but boy is this durable. I love that it only has two buttons- forward & backward. My son has banged it into the wall countless times and that thing just keeps running. The battery lasts a while even when he forgets to turn it off. This keeps him entertained for long periods of time.
Magic Tracks- We have a lot of fun with this one! I love rearranging the tracks into different formations. It is easy to put together. My kids are always mesmerized by the car continually going around and around. My son does a good job using the remote now on his own. Only problem is it does run out of battery quickly (maybe just remember to turn it off right after playing-my son often forgets and lets be serious, so do I!) Also, the music on it can be pretty loud. BUT you can turn it on silent mode which is always a plus for us parents!
Melissa & Doug Dump Truck- This truck helped my son learn all his shapes. He still often comes back to this toy at almost three years old and my 20 month old daughter enjoys it now too. It is a fun spin on the classic shape sorting toy.
Matchbox 4-Level Garage- This multi-level garage is great for open-ended play. I always enjoy seeing my son go over to this on his own and use it in different ways. He loves to pretend to wash the cars, race them down the track, and move them up the elevator. Two important notes- might want set up ahead of time as there are many pieces to put together. Also, it only comes with one car so get some extra little matchbox cars to go along with it.