Typically, the words “art” and “toddler” are not used in the same sentence. If you’re anything like me, these words together make you cringe. Toddler Art is the very reason I have redecorated my house in shades of brown and black.
It was, however, a small price to pay for all the skills learned and fun had by my littles. Investing in an art easel can help make learning fun for your kids, as well. With the research we’ve done, we can help you find the best easel for toddlers.
Editor’s Choice
Our opinion
Adjustable Height: Yes (37.5-inches to 43.5-inches)
Storage Space: Shelf
Folds-Up: No
Hape All-In-One Wooden Kid’s Art Easel (check price on Amazon) features a double-sided chalkboard and magnetic dry erase board will keep your budding artist busy for hours. Use number and letter magnets for tracing, make chalk drawings on the chalkboard, or pull down on the paper roll for a fresh painting surface.
What we love
- We love how easy this easel is to assemble (can you say that 10 times fast?) Changing the height allows the easel to grow with our kids. We also love the small storage shelf underneath for paint pots and other art supplies.
Watch for
- The wood is unfinished, meaning that if your child gets paint or markers on it, it will stain. We are also a bit bummed that it cannot be folded up for storage.
Best Budget Buy
Our opinion
Adjustable Height: No
Storage Space: No
Folds-Up: Yes
The EduKid Toy Dry Erase Whiteboard Easel (check price on Amazon) is affordable and portable . One side is magnetic and the other is a dry-erase board. It is self-standing and can sit on a table-top or on the floor. Easily fold it up and take it with you to grandma’s or friends’ houses.
What we love
- We love how quickly and easily it sets up and folds back down for storage. Since it can be used on table-tops, younger kids can use it for drawing, and older kids can use it for homework or science projects. It can also be used for small groups where displays are important.
Watch for
- The board can warp over time, bending out of shape. It can also fall over easily if it isn’t secured to a surface.
Our Third Choice
Our opinion
Adjustable Height: No
Storage Space: 4 Bins, Supply Cups, and Book Storage
Folds-Up: No
The Step2 Flip and Doodle Desk with Stool (check price on Amazon) desk is the perfect way for your little one to unleash his creativity . It comes with a magnetic dry-erase board which folds down into a desktop for further fun. It also comes for a stool so your child can color, paint, and draw for the long-haul.
What we love
- We love the fold-down option to turn this easel into a desk. Folding down the easel reveals extra storage space for supplies. Personally, I like the art supplies to stay in one place and there is just so much storage with this desk.
Watch for
- When assembling these desks, we found that the easel/desktop does not always snap into place easily. There is a storage space for coloring books and such in back of the desk, making it unusable if the desk sits against a wall.
Our Fourth Choice
Our opinion
Adjustable Height: No
Storage Space: 3 bins, Small Shelf
Folds-Up: No
The wooden US Art Supply Flip-Over Paint and Drawing Easel (check price on Amazon) includes chalk, an eraser, and 18-inch paper roll so your littles can start perfecting their fine motor skills immediately. It also includes five no-spill paint cups to help minimize messes.
What we love
- It has a lifetime guarantee and supplies are included. Of course, we also love the storage bins.
Watch for
- The rods for the bins are easily removable by little hands. So if you have a ninja in training, watch out as these can quickly become weapons.
Our Fifth Choice
Our opinion
Another great pick on our list of best easels for toddlers is the Art 101 Double Sided Trifold Easel Art Set (check price on Amazon). This set comes with crayons, oil pastels, markers, watercolors, paper, and more–everything your toddler needs to let their creativity shine. It also comes with a pop-up double sided easel so they can feel like the next baby Bob Ross while creating their masterpiece. This art set does come with some small pieces that could be a choking hazard for young children, so it is best suited for ages 6 and up.
What we love
- Lots of different colors and types of media
- Easily portable
- Organize art supplies all in one place
Watch for
- Quality of supplies could be better
Best Trifold
Our opinion
Adjustable Height: No
Storage Space: No
Folds-Up: Yes
Another great pick on our list of best easels for toddlers is the Art 101 Double Sided Trifold Easel Art Set (check price on Sears). This set comes with crayons, oil pastels, markers, watercolors, paper, and more–everything your toddler needs to let their creativity shine. It also comes with a pop-up double sided easel so they can feel like the next baby Bob Ross while creating their masterpiece. This art set does come with some small pieces that could be a choking hazard for young children, so it is best suited for ages 6 and up.
What we love
- Lots of different colors and types of media
- Easily portable
- Organize art supplies all in one place
Watch for
- Quality of supplies could be better
Our Sixth Choice
Our opinion
Adjustable Height: No
Storage Space: No
Folds-Up: Yes
Next up is the Crayola Fold And Go Art Studio (check price on Walmart). The nifty design of this easel allows it to fold down into an art desk with a chalkboard top. Who says artists have to stick to one type of art? With this art studio your toddler can go right from painting on the easel to drawing on the chalkboard, feeling like a real Picasso.
Coming in at around $30 makes this easel the Best Budget Buy. This set comes with a stool for your child to sit on, as well as a tray to keep all their supplies in. And with no small parts, this art studio can be used with ages 3 and up.
What we love
- Durable plastic material
- Comes with 4 sheets of colored paper and an eraser
- Colorful design
Watch for
- Some assembly required
Our Eighth Choice
Our opinion
Adjustable Height: Yes
Storage Space: Yes
Folds-Up: Yes
When we find things our kids can grow into and continue using for years to come, they become instant must-haves. This standing easel by Melissa and Doug (check price on Walmart) is just that – it won an award for Best Wooden Easel for Kids for its safe, adjustable wooden frame – so when your kids grow up, their easel grows up with them. Featuring a dry erase surface on one side and a chalkboard on the other, cleanup is as easy as the cooperative creativity this easel fosters. Colorful clips line the top and allow for paper to be hung easily.
What we love
- Height adjustable, dual sided for cooperative play, encourages creativity.
Watch for
- Younger kids trying to use the easel when it’s adjusted for an older sibling, running out of room on the fridge for art projects
Our Ninth Choice
Our opinion
Adjustable Height: No
Storage Space: Yes
Folds-Up: Yes
Any parent of multiples knows that there are few greater joys than a toy that is clearly designed to be shared easily, and the Step2 Easel (check price on Amazon) easily(see what I did there?) steps up to that challenge. The double sided easel is perfect for little Picassos, with a chalkboard on one side and a dry erase board on the other.
Both sides have handy storage for chalk, markers, crayons and more, and also feature an easel clip which allows you to hang up paper, posterboard or anything else your kids love to make their mark on. Both sides are also magnetic, and the easel comes with fun magnetic letters and numbers that earned the product an award for Best Magnetic Easel for Toddlers. We love that it’s durable without sharp corners and is the perfect height for toddlers while still being big enough for 5-7 year olds to grow into.
What we love
- Two sides for cooperative play, encourages creativity, erasable surfaces mean less paper waste.
Watch for
- Uncapped markers are pretty much the only thing we can think of here – this is a really safe bet.
Knowing when your toddler will be ready for an art easel highly depends on the child. Children develop and show interests in things at different time. When your child begins to show an interest in drawing by grabbing your pens and trying to write, it might be time to introduce them to crayons and coloring books. Since they must stand at an easel, waiting until they are steady on their feet is a good idea, as well.
In this article:
How does art benefit childhood development?
Art benefits our kids in many ways. This video shows some of the ways in which art influences our children. Not only do they promote creativity, but drawing and painting help them develop hand-eye coordination, small motor skills, and promotes neuron development.Fucigna, C. (1982). Young children, Art for Toddlers: A Developmental Approach. 37(3), 45-51.
eric.gov
Knowing when your toddler will be ready for an art easel highly depends on the child. Children develop and show interests in things at different time. When your child begins to show an interest in drawing by grabbing your pens and trying to write, it might be time to introduce them to crayons and coloring books. Since they must stand at an easel, waiting until they are steady on their feet is a good idea, as well.
How does art benefit childhood development?
Art benefits our kids in many ways. This video shows some of the ways in which art influences our children. Not only do they promote creativity, but drawing and painting help them develop hand-eye coordination, small motor skills, and promotes neuron development.1Fucigna, C. (1982). Young children, Art for Toddlers: A Developmental Approach. 37(3), 45-51.
eric.gov
From dipping a paint brush in to a bottle of paint to spreading it across their canvas, children learn planning and problem-solving. They also learn the words for and the colors themselves. As this video explains, our children’s art can even benefit us.
Tips for minimizing the mess (But maintaining the magic)
You see your darling son standing with his ready-to-drip paintbrush held out over your carpet, and you can feel your blood start to boil. Heck, my blood pressure just skyrocketed for you. Don’t worry, there are ways to have fun AND keep the place clean with our tips listed below
- Clean as you go – Keep a wet, soapy rag nearby and simply wipe up the messes as you go.
- Spread Newspapers Underneath – Yes, they still make them! If you haven’t read one in years, you could also use flattened cardboard shipping boxes (you know, from your place-that-rhymes-with-shmamazon addiction.)
- Buy Washable Paints and Markers – When all is said and done, put the kids in the bath and spot treat marker and paint splotches.
- Use the Bins on Your Easel for Organizing – This can be an excellent way to help your kids learn organizational skills.
And the winner is…
We found the Little Partners Deluxe Art Easel (check price on Amazon) to be our top choice for best toddler art easel. We just love that this easel is simple and sturdy, offering all of the amenities we want. Unlike the Hape and EduKid easels, the Little Partners easel has ample storage space for all our supplies.
Though we liked the Step2 easel/desk system, it just has too big of a footprint for smaller dwellings, and its short stature means that we probably won’t get many years use out of it as our children grow. We considered the US Art Supply easel a close second, but it just doesn’t have the aesthetic appeal we adore in the Little Partners easel.
