An art easel for kids is a fun (screen-free!) way to keep your little one entertained. Not only do they boost creativity and have tons of other benefits, but they can also hold your child’s attention for more than, say, five minutes (a kid must-have, if you ask us). The best toddler easels out there are versatile, durable, easy to clean, and straightforward (although, admittedly, a bunch of fun and unique features never hurts!). So if you have a budding artist on your hands, read on!

Easels are an excellent way to introduce your kids to the world of art. Whether you opt for a kids painting easel, a magnetic or dry erase easel, or a combination that features a little bit of everything, you’re opening up the door for your toddler to play around with color and create something out of their own imagination.

You can introduce an easel to your toddler around the age of 2 1/2 (although keep in mind, many of the below easels are recommended for ages three and up), since that’s about the time they may learn how to hold a pencil or marker. The easel isn’t just fun for them, it’s also great for development and helps with fine motor skills. Oh, and it keeps them away from excess screen time, which is a nice bonus.

If you’re not sure what to buy, we’ve got you covered. Below are the best easels out there that offer something for everyone.

Wooden easels are great, but there’s also nothing wrong with a plastic one, which many parents feel is a bit more kid-friendly. This double-sided easel features a chalkboard and magnetic dry erase board, and it’s height-adjustable so that it grows with your kids. It has plenty of storage space with a large tray and a middle storage area as well. It’s bright and colorful, and can be quickly folded flat for easy storage. It’s also super light, making it nice and portable.

A standing easel isn’t for everyone. Whether you want something that allows your child the option to sit, or you’re short on space, this Melissa & Doug Double-Sided Tabletop Easel is a great choice. It’s compact and easy to store since it folds flat, and it still has plenty of features: there’s a dry-erase board, chalkboard, a built-in wooden paper roll holder, and a 50-foot long paper roll. It also comes with some great add-ons, like a dry erase marker, colored chalk, an eraser, and some fun magnets.

This versatile option combines an easel and a desk for the perfect little art space for your toddler. When the easel is raised, it’s a great height for toddlers to draw or paint: there’s an art clip to secure paper, or they can use the magnetic dry erase board. That easel also folds down, turning the area into a cute desk that can be used for more drawing or painting, or a host of other activities. There are tons of drawers and organizational storage space, and there’s no shortage of ways for them to entertain themselves.

Any double-sided easel is ideal for two toddlers to play at once, but the advantage of this Step2 Jumbo Art Easel is that two kids can use the same side at once as well (since we all know toddlers like to do exactly what someone else is doing instead of sharing and taking turns). It’s actually large enough for four kids to play at once, which is ideal for a larger family. There’s an extra large chalkboard and white board, as well as clips for paper. The storage space on the sides and below means everyone gets their own space as well.

If you’re always on the move, consider this Crayola easel. It’s small, compact, and meant to be taken on-the-go, thanks to the fact that it easily folds up to fit in a bag or car. It still has a large drawing surface with two sides — one is a chalkboard and the other is a dry erase board. It even has two small storage trays to hold a few accessories, and it comes with an eraser. This is a really adorable toy that can easily go anywhere your kiddo does!

The highly-rated and award-winning Hape All-In-One Wooden Art Easel is a favorite among parents and kids. With a classic wooden easel look and some standard features, it manages to be perfectly simple but endlessly entertaining. It has everything your toddler needs to keep busy: a magnetic whiteboard for drawing on one side and a chalkboard on the other, a replaceable paper roll, and a handy tray to hold three paint pots. It’s height-adjustable and made of a high quality wood with nontoxic details, so it feels and looks durable. It’s got everything, and it’s pretty nice to look at, to boot.

Another classic favorite is this Melissa & Doug option. One side features a chalkboard, while the other is a dry-erase board. There’s a locking paper-roll holder, a child-safe paper cutter, four easy-clip grips to keep everything in place, and two large plastic trays for optimal storage and organization. It’s super easy to put together and it’s also height-adjustable.

This Crayola easel is like a slightly more budget-friendly version of some other wooden easel options on this list. It’s double-sided with a magnetic and dry erase board as well as a paper roll, three paint pots, and plastic clips. It has a paint storage tray and it’s height-adjustable, and it’s safe and nontoxic. It also comes with some markers to get them started right away, no other purchase is necessary (at least, at first!).

This STEAM Life Art Easel comes in at a considerably lower price point than other comparable options and is tons of fun. There’s a dry erase board and chalkboard, as well as canvas paper with clips to hold it in place. It comes with chalk, markers, an eraser, and crayons as well. It’s height-adjustable, and one of its other advantages is that the board can be turned sideways instead of just sitting upright. While there’s not a ton of tray space, it definitely gets the job done.

If you’re looking for something high-quality that looks aesthetically pleasing enough to be at home in your living room or dining room, opt for this KidKraft Storage Easel, which looks extra classy with its dark espresso finish. It also has all of the stuff kids care about in an easel: a large paper roll, a chalkboard, and a dry erase board. There are removable trays for plenty of storage, and it feels nice and sturdy.

Another great tabletop easel option is this cute Discover Kids pick. This wooden easel is double-sided, with a built-in paper roll, chalkboard, grip clip, and dry erase board. It also comes with chalk, an eraser, and a 49-foot paper roll. Tabletop easels are great because they grow with your kids: toddlers will love them, but older kids may enjoy them too, since they can be placed on a table in front of them.

Featuring a simple and minimalistic design, this easel is still plenty of fun. It’s double-sided, with a chalkboard and magnetic dry erase board, has an attached paper roll, and features two large and removable bins to hold all the accessories and/or toys. It’s simple, to-the-point, and easy to use, because sometimes kids don’t need all of the fancy features in order to have fun.

This easel really has it all. There’s a magnetic dry erase board, a chalkboard, and an attached paper roll. The only disadvantage is that it’s not meant for two kids, but just one (you can flip the board over for the other side). It comes with tons of supplies as well: dry erase markers, an eraser, magnetic numbers and math symbols, paper clips, and chalk pieces, as well as three storage bins with waterproof bottoms to hold everything without making a mess. There are also five no-drip paint pots, which is a nice extra.

This double-sided easel has everything most of the other standing easels have including a chalkboard, two paper rolls, and a dry erase board. There’s also plenty of storage: there are three paint cups and three pencil trays to keep everything organized and in place. There’s also a tray on the bottom that holds even more supplies and/or toys. Perfect for a budding artist!

The highly-rated and award-winning Hape All-In-One Wooden Art Easel is a favorite among parents and kids. With a classic wooden easel look and some standard features, it manages to be perfectly simple but endlessly entertaining. It has everything your toddler needs to keep busy: a magnetic whiteboard for drawing on one side and a chalkboard on the other, a replaceable paper roll, and a handy tray to hold three paint pots. It’s height-adjustable and made of a high quality wood with nontoxic details, so it feels and looks durable. It’s got everything, and it’s pretty nice to look at, to boot.

Another classic favorite is this Melissa & Doug option. One side features a chalkboard, while the other is a dry-erase board. There’s a locking paper-roll holder, a child-safe paper cutter, four easy-clip grips to keep everything in place, and two large plastic trays for optimal storage and organization. It’s super easy to put together and it’s also height-adjustable.

Wooden easels are great, but there’s also nothing wrong with a plastic one, which many parents feel is a bit more kid-friendly. This double-sided easel features a chalkboard and magnetic dry erase board, and it’s height-adjustable so that it grows with your kids. It has plenty of storage space with a large tray and a middle storage area as well. It’s bright and colorful, and can be quickly folded flat for easy storage. It’s also super light, making it nice and portable.

A standing easel isn’t for everyone. Whether you want something that allows your child the option to sit, or you’re short on space, this Melissa & Doug Double-Sided Tabletop Easel is a great choice. It’s compact and easy to store since it folds flat, and it still has plenty of features: there’s a dry-erase board, chalkboard, a built-in wooden paper roll holder, and a 50-foot long paper roll. It also comes with some great add-ons, like a dry erase marker, colored chalk, an eraser, and some fun magnets.

This Crayola easel is like a slightly more budget-friendly version of some other wooden easel options on this list. It’s double-sided with a magnetic and dry erase board as well as a paper roll, three paint pots, and plastic clips. It has a paint storage tray and it’s height-adjustable, and it’s safe and nontoxic. It also comes with some markers to get them started right away, no other purchase is necessary (at least, at first!).

This versatile option combines an easel and a desk for the perfect little art space for your toddler. When the easel is raised, it’s a great height for toddlers to draw or paint: there’s an art clip to secure paper, or they can use the magnetic dry erase board. That easel also folds down, turning the area into a cute desk that can be used for more drawing or painting, or a host of other activities. There are tons of drawers and organizational storage space, and there’s no shortage of ways for them to entertain themselves.

This STEAM Life Art Easel comes in at a considerably lower price point than other comparable options and is tons of fun. There’s a dry erase board and chalkboard, as well as canvas paper with clips to hold it in place. It comes with chalk, markers, an eraser, and crayons as well. It’s height-adjustable, and one of its other advantages is that the board can be turned sideways instead of just sitting upright. While there’s not a ton of tray space, it definitely gets the job done.

Any double-sided easel is ideal for two toddlers to play at once, but the advantage of this Step2 Jumbo Art Easel is that two kids can use the same side at once as well (since we all know toddlers like to do exactly what someone else is doing instead of sharing and taking turns). It’s actually large enough for four kids to play at once, which is ideal for a larger family. There’s an extra large chalkboard and white board, as well as clips for paper. The storage space on the sides and below means everyone gets their own space as well.

If you’re looking for something high-quality that looks aesthetically pleasing enough to be at home in your living room or dining room, opt for this KidKraft Storage Easel, which looks extra classy with its dark espresso finish. It also has all of the stuff kids care about in an easel: a large paper roll, a chalkboard, and a dry erase board. There are removable trays for plenty of storage, and it feels nice and sturdy.

Another great tabletop easel option is this cute Discover Kids pick. This wooden easel is double-sided, with a built-in paper roll, chalkboard, grip clip, and dry erase board. It also comes with chalk, an eraser, and a 49-foot paper roll. Tabletop easels are great because they grow with your kids: toddlers will love them, but older kids may enjoy them too, since they can be placed on a table in front of them.

Featuring a simple and minimalistic design, this easel is still plenty of fun. It’s double-sided, with a chalkboard and magnetic dry erase board, has an attached paper roll, and features two large and removable bins to hold all the accessories and/or toys. It’s simple, to-the-point, and easy to use, because sometimes kids don’t need all of the fancy features in order to have fun.

This easel really has it all. There’s a magnetic dry erase board, a chalkboard, and an attached paper roll. The only disadvantage is that it’s not meant for two kids, but just one (you can flip the board over for the other side). It comes with tons of supplies as well: dry erase markers, an eraser, magnetic numbers and math symbols, paper clips, and chalk pieces, as well as three storage bins with waterproof bottoms to hold everything without making a mess. There are also five no-drip paint pots, which is a nice extra.

This article was originally published on 12.4.2020