Choosing a Children's Easel: A Buying Guide for Parents (UK 2026)
A good first easel is a sturdy, height-adjustable one that gives a child two surfaces to work on, usually a chalkboard on one side and a whiteboard on the other, with a paper roll across the top so paint, chalk and pencil can all live in one place. Solid wood lasts longer than plastic, and an easel sized to your child's standing height is the single thing that gets it used every day.
If you are buying for a toddler or a child heading towards school, this guide walks through height and adjustability, double-sided versus single, the surfaces, paper-roll holders, and why solid wood earns its keep. It is the sort of thing I would say to you at the school gate: practical, honest, and aimed at something that still gets played with in two years.
What makes a good first easel, and the right age to start
Start with the simple things. A first easel needs to stand still when a child leans on it, sit at the right height for them to paint without stretching, and offer more than one way to make a mark. Get those three right and you have something that earns its place in the corner of a room for years. Get them wrong and it becomes a wobbly clothes rail.
On age, most children begin making deliberate marks at around 18 months, which is roughly when the NHS notes scribbling and grasping develop, and they keep using an easel happily right up to and through school. Early upright drawing uses the whole arm and shoulder, which the American Academy of Pediatrics describes as the groundwork that comes before the small finger movements of writing. An easel suits that beautifully because the child stands and sweeps.
If you want the wider thinking on what makes a toy last and get used, our guide on choosing children's toys that actually get played with applies just as well to easels. And for the gentle case for offline making, our round-up of screen-free toys sits alongside the art collection nicely.
The three things a first easel must do
Height and adjustability: the thing that gets it used
Height is the quiet hero of the whole decision. If a two-year-old has to reach up to paint, they tire and wander off. If a five-year-old has to stoop, they slouch and complain. The answer is adjustability. An easel with two or three height settings will follow a child from toddling to school, which is the difference between one purchase and three.
As a rough guide, the working surface should sit somewhere between the child's waist and chest while they stand naturally. The British Association for Early Education talks about environments that fit the child rather than the other way round, and an easel is a small, daily example of exactly that. Check the foot of the frame too: a wide, splayed base resists tipping when an enthusiastic painter presses hard, and bodies like RoSPA are worth a glance for general thinking on stable, safe play equipment.
Look for tool-free or simple adjustment so you can change the height in a moment rather than dreading it. And buy a fraction of room to grow, the way you would with a school coat. Our note on Montessori-minded toys makes the same point: child-sized, reachable and independent beats grand and out of reach every time. Browse the wider arts and craft sets to pair an easel with supplies.
Buy the easel your child can reach today and grow into tomorrow. Everything else is detail.
Double-sided or single, and the surfaces that matter
A double-sided easel does two useful things. It lets two children work at once, one on each side, which heads off a great deal of squabbling, and it gives you two surfaces in one footprint. For most family homes that is the better buy. A single-sided easel is fine if space is genuinely tight or only one child will use it, but the second side rarely goes to waste.
On surfaces, the classic pairing is a chalkboard one side and a whiteboard the other. Chalk gives lovely, draggy resistance that strengthens the hand, which the National Association for the Education of Young Children links to the muscle control writing later needs. The whiteboard wipes clean for letters, numbers and quick practice. If you are encouraging early writing, an easel is one of the friendliest places to start, and you may like our pieces on learning at home and the broader baby learning toys range.
One small caution on chalk dust if anyone in the house has a chesty cough; the AAP's HealthyChildren guidance on dust and young airways is sensible background reading, and a damp cloth keeps things tidy. Pair the board with a simple art and drawing pencil set for the days a child wants to sit and draw rather than stand and paint.
Surface by surface
- Lovely resistance
- Builds hand strength
- Wipes with a damp cloth
- Clean letters and numbers
- Wipes instantly
- Good for early writing
- Endless fresh sheets
- Keeps the work
- Great for painting
- Two children at once
- Two surfaces, one footprint
- Fewer squabbles
A simple, well-made pencil set to sit beside the easel for the quieter, sit-down days of drawing and early letter forming.
Paper-roll holders and the practical extras
A paper-roll holder is the extra that turns an easel from a board into a studio. Threaded across the top, a roll of plain paper means a child always has a fresh sheet to fill, and you can keep the bits worth keeping. It saves a fortune in loose pads and stops the inevitable hunt for paper at the moment inspiration strikes.
Look for a holder that takes a standard roll width and tears cleanly, with a tray or lip along the bottom to hold chalk, brushes and a pot of water without it all rolling off. Clips at the top for fixing a single sheet are handy too, for the days a child wants to take their painting to the table. The NAEYC talks about provisioning a space so children can begin without an adult fetching things; a stocked tray and a ready roll do precisely that.
Paint with a young child encourages whole-arm movement and bold mark-making, the very things the AAP places before fine motor control. If you are building a wider creative corner, our guide to educational gifts and the craft sets collection pair well, and for travelling days the travel doodle book keeps the mark-making going.
For days away from the easel, a compact doodle set that keeps drawing and early writing going in the car or the cafe.
Solid wood or plastic, and why it lasts
Here is where I would be honest at the gate. A plastic easel is light, cheap and easy to move, and for some families that is exactly right. But it tends to flex when leaned on, the joints loosen, and the colour and the appeal fade within a year or two. A solid wood easel is heavier and costs more, and that weight is the point: it stands firm under a determined two-year-old and it does not wobble its way out of favour.
Solid wood also takes a knock, a wipe and a repair in a way moulded plastic cannot. A loose bolt tightens; a scuffed frame sands. That is why a good wooden easel often passes from one child to the next, which is the kindest thing you can say about any toy. Where you can, look for wood from responsibly managed forests, the sort the Forest Stewardship Council certifies, and the broader case for natural materials in play is well made by groups like Play England.
We have made wooden toys and games since 1795, longer than almost anyone, as our note on the oldest games company in the world explains. The same thinking runs through our wooden train sets guide and our building blocks and award-winning toys: buy well once.
Why solid wood lasts
What age should my child start using an easel?
Around 18 months is a sensible start, which is roughly when the NHS notes children begin scribbling and grasping with purpose. At that age they make bold, whole-arm marks rather than careful drawings, and that is exactly what an upright easel encourages. An adjustable easel then keeps pace right through to school age and beyond. If your toddler is just under 18 months but keen, supervised play at a low setting is fine. There is no rush; let interest lead.
Is a double-sided easel worth it over a single?
For most families, yes. A double-sided easel lets two children work at once, which heads off a good deal of squabbling, and it gives you two surfaces, usually chalkboard and whiteboard, in a single footprint. A single-sided easel is fine where space is genuinely tight or only one child will use it. But the second side rarely goes unused, and the modest extra cost tends to pay for itself in shared play and fewer cross words at the easel.
Chalkboard or whiteboard, which is better for my child?
Both, ideally, which is why double-sided easels pair them. Chalk gives a lovely draggy resistance that builds hand strength, which the NAEYC links to the muscle control writing later needs. A whiteboard wipes instantly and suits clean letters and numbers for early writing practice. If you can only have one, choose by your child: a confident scribbler often loves chalk, while a child working on letters may get more from the whiteboard. A damp cloth keeps both fresh.
How tall should a children's easel be?
As a rough guide, the working surface should sit between your child's waist and chest while they stand naturally. Too high and they tire reaching up; too low and they stoop. This is why adjustability matters so much. Look for two or three height settings so the easel follows your child from toddling to school. The British Association for Early Education talks about fitting the environment to the child, and an easel is a small daily example of that.
Do I really need a paper-roll holder?
It is not essential, but it is the extra that earns its keep. A roll threaded across the top means a fresh sheet is always ready, so a child can begin without anyone fetching paper, which the NAEYC describes as the heart of a well-provisioned play space. It saves money over loose pads and keeps the work worth keeping. Look for one that takes a standard roll width, tears cleanly, and has a tray for chalk, brushes and water below.
Solid wood or plastic, which lasts longer?
Solid wood, in our experience. Plastic is light and cheap, but it flexes when leaned on, the joints loosen, and the appeal fades within a year or two. A solid wood easel is heavier, which is exactly what keeps it steady under a determined toddler, and it takes a wipe, a knock and a repair. A loose bolt tightens; a scuff sands. That is why a good wooden easel often passes from one child to the next, the kindest thing you can say of any toy.
How does an easel help with learning to write?
Upright drawing uses the whole arm and shoulder, which the American Academy of Pediatrics describes as the groundwork that comes before the fine finger movements of writing. Chalk and pen on a vertical surface also strengthen the hand and wrist. So an easel quietly builds the muscles and movements your child will draw on when they start forming letters, all through play they choose themselves. Add a whiteboard side and you have a friendly, low-pressure place to practise letters and numbers.
Is chalk dust a problem indoors?
For most children it is fine. If anyone in the house has a chesty cough or sensitive airways, it is worth being a little careful; the AAP's HealthyChildren guidance on dust and young lungs is sensible background reading. Wipe the board with a damp cloth rather than a dry brush to keep dust down, work with a window cracked open, and consider leaning towards the whiteboard side on dusty days. Low-dust chalks help too. In a well-ventilated room, occasional chalk play is not something to worry about.
How much should I spend on a children's easel?
Spend by how long you want it to last. A budget plastic easel costs little but often needs replacing within a year or two. A solid wood, adjustable, double-sided easel costs more upfront but tends to follow a child from toddler to school and sometimes on to a sibling. Our guide on choosing toys that last makes the wider case: buying well once is usually kinder to both the cupboard and the purse than buying twice.
Where should I put the easel at home?
Somewhere it can stay out, ideally. An easel that lives in a corner gets used; one that comes out only for organised craft sessions gathers dust. Choose a spot with a wipeable floor or a mat under it, decent light, and room for a child to step back and admire their work. A wide, splayed base helps it stand firm. Stock the tray with chalk, brushes and a roll of paper so your child can begin the moment the urge strikes, without waiting for you.
An easel is one of those quiet purchases that does far more than it looks. It gives a child somewhere to stand, sweep their whole arm, and leave a mark that is entirely their own, day after day. Buy one that is steady, sized to reach today and adjustable for tomorrow, made of solid wood so it lasts, and you will have set up a small studio that grows with them from the first scribble to their first written name.