Kids' Easels Buyer's Guide 2026: The £35 TP Hooks Onto a Climbing Triangle, the £200 Plum Stays in the Garden

COMPARISON · PLAY & LEARN

An easel looks like the simplest thing on a toddler wishlist. A frame, a board, somewhere to clip paper. Then you start shopping and find three products that share the word "easel" and almost nothing else: a £35 board with no legs of its own, a £72.50 freestanding easel that folds behind the sofa, and a £200 timber painting station that is rated for outdoor use only and weighs nearly 27kg.

That is why this guide is not really about budget, even though the three picks land neatly at £35, £72.50 and £200. The real question is where the easel is going to live. Hooked onto a climbing triangle in the playroom? Standing in the corner of the kitchen? Out on the patio where poster paint can go everywhere and nobody minds? Answer that first and the price usually sorts itself out.

The age labels matter too, and they are not what most people expect. The cheapest easel here is the only one rated from 12 months. The two dearer ones both start at three years, partly because of small parts like magnetic letters, paint pens and garden tools. If you are buying for a first or second birthday, that narrows things down fast.

We compared the full specifications, read through the retailer listings and our own catalogue data, and looked at what parents tell us about easels in general: the chalk dust, the paint pots that tip, the boards that end up at the wrong height a year later. Here is how the three stack up.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: Classic World Multi Functional Easel · 8.0/10 - chalkboard, magnetic whiteboard and paint cups on an adjustable frame that folds flat for £72.50
• Best for Under-Threes: TP Active Tots Wooden Easel Accessory · 7.5/10 - the only one rated from 12 months, and it adds drawing to a climbing triangle you may already own
• Best for the Garden: Plum Discovery Create & Paint Easel · 7.0/10 - a proper outdoor art station with a planter and wind chime, but big, heavy and outdoor-only

Quick comparison

Easel	Price	Where it lives	Age	Surfaces	Size (H x W x D)	Rating
TP Active Tots Easel	£34.95	Hooks onto TP triangle, helper tower or cube	12 months+	Chalkboard, paper roll	46 x 49 x 15cm
Classic World Multi Functional	£72.50	Freestanding indoors, folds away	3 years+	Chalkboard, magnetic whiteboard	113 x 54 x 45cm
Plum Discovery Create & Paint	£199.99	Garden only	3 years+	Wipe-clean painting screen	117 x 122 x 49cm

How we picked the 3

We started from the easels parents actually add to their BubsNest registries and looked for three that cover genuinely different jobs rather than three versions of the same A-frame. Each one had to be in stock with a UK retailer we work with, come from an established toy brand, and have a clear spec sheet we could check: age rating, dimensions, what comes in the box and how it is meant to be used.

From there we weighed four things: how long a child will realistically use it, how much floor or garden space it takes, how much mess it invites (and contains), and whether the price is buying something you will use or just something that looks good in a product photo. We also leaned on the patterns we hear from parents about easels in general, because a lot of what goes wrong with them is the same whichever brand you buy.

What to look for in a kids' easel

Age rating first. Most freestanding easels start at three years, usually because of small accessories like magnetic letters, chalk, pegs and paint pots. If your child is under three, look for something rated younger or plan to put the small bits away until later.

Height and adjustability. A two-year-old and a five-year-old need the drawing surface at very different heights. A frame with height settings buys you years; a fixed frame that suits a toddler will feel low by school age. If you are buying an attachment, the height is set by whatever it hooks onto.

Surfaces. Chalkboards are cheap to run but dusty. Whiteboards are cleaner but need dry-wipe pens you will have to keep away from walls. A paper roll is the most versatile of all, because it takes crayons, pencils and paint, and the finished picture can go on the fridge. A wipe-clean painting screen is brilliant outside and pointless indoors if you do not want paint on the floor.

Footprint and storage. Measure the spot before you buy. An indoor easel that folds flat can live behind a door between sessions. A garden station over a metre wide is a permanent fixture, so think about where it will sit through winter.

Stability. We hear repeatedly from parents that the easel that wobbles is the one that gets abandoned. Wide splayed legs, a locking hinge and a low tray all help. Anything a toddler will lean on while drawing needs to stay put.

Mess management. Paint cups that sit in a tray, a ledge for chalk and a surface that wipes clean make the difference between "let's paint" and "not today". If you only ever want crayons indoors, you do not need to pay for a paint set-up.

1. TP Active Tots Wooden Easel Accessory / 10 · Best for under-threes

The TP Active Tots easel is not really a standalone easel at all. It is a wooden board, roughly 46cm tall and 49cm wide, that hooks over the rungs of TP's Active Tots indoor climbing triangle, helper tower or climbing cube. One side is a chalkboard, and a paper roll lets little ones draw with crayons or pencils. Because it hooks rather than bolts on, you can move it from the triangle to the helper tower in seconds, or from room to room.

That design is exactly why it is the cheapest here at £34.95 and the only easel in this guide rated from 12 months. If you already have a Pikler-style climbing triangle or a learning tower from the same range, it turns a piece of kit you own into a drawing station without adding a single extra footprint to the room. If you do not, the maths changes, because you will need to budget for the frame too. Retailers sell the helper tower with the easel bundled at around £115.

What parents love

• Starts from 12 months. It is the only option here that suits a first birthday, and the paper roll means early scribbles with chunky crayons, not chalk dust in a toddler's mouth.
• No extra floor space. It borrows the footprint of the triangle or tower, which matters in a small flat. We hear repeatedly from parents that the toys which earn their space are the ones that do two jobs.
• Moves in seconds. The hooking system lets you shift it between the triangle, helper tower and cube without tools, so the drawing spot can follow your child round the house.
• Sustainably sourced wood. It matches the natural wood finish of the rest of the Active Tots range rather than adding another plastic colour to the playroom.

What to know before you buy

• Needs a TP frame. It is designed for the Active Tots triangle, helper tower and cube. Without one of those, it has no legs to stand on.
• Small drawing area. At under half a metre square, it is a toddler-sized board. A four-year-old who wants to paint big will outgrow it.
• No paint set-up. There are no paint cups or tray, so it is a crayon, pencil and chalk easel rather than a painting station.

Best for

• Families who already own a TP Active Tots triangle, helper tower or cube
• First and second birthday gifts
• Small homes where a freestanding easel would not fit
• Toddlers who are all about scribbling rather than painting

2. Classic World Multi Functional Easel / 10 · Best overall

This is the classic playroom easel, and at £72.50 it is the one most families should buy. It is a freestanding A-frame from wooden toy brand Classic World with a chalkboard on one side and a magnetic whiteboard on the other, so two children can draw at once. It comes with plastic paint cups and a set of magnetic alphabet letters, and when the session is over it folds away to keep the room tidy.

The detail that earns it the top spot is the height scale printed on the side of the frame. You can set the boards lower for a three-year-old and raise them as your child grows, which is what keeps an easel in use from preschool into the first years of school. Fully set up it stands about 113cm tall, 54cm wide and 45cm deep, so it needs a corner rather than a whole wall. Do check the height range yourself before buying, as listings quote it differently.

What parents love

• Two sides, two children. Chalkboard on one face, magnetic whiteboard on the other, which takes a lot of heat out of sibling squabbles.
• Grows with them. The height scale on the frame lets you adjust the boards as your child gets taller, so it does not feel babyish by five.
• Folds away. It packs flat between sessions, which is the difference between an easel that lives in the kitchen and one that gets banished to the loft.
• Learning extras included. The magnetic letters turn the whiteboard into an early spelling board. We hear repeatedly from parents that letters on an easel get played with far more than letters in a box.

What to know before you buy

• Three years and up. The magnetic letters and paint cups are small parts, so this is not one for a toddler unless you hold the accessories back.
• No paper roll mentioned. The listing covers chalk and dry-wipe surfaces plus paint cups, but not a paper roll. For painting on paper, plan to clip sheets on yourself.
• Limited stock. Our retailer was showing low stock when we checked, so if you want it for a birthday, do not leave it to the last week.

Best for

• Three to six-year-olds who want to draw, write and paint
• Siblings who need to share one easel
• Families who want an indoor easel that folds away
• Children just starting to recognise letters

3. Plum Discovery Create & Paint Easel / 10 · Best for the garden

The Plum Discovery Create & Paint Easel is less an easel and more an outdoor art corner. Made from FSC-certified, unstained timber, it combines an easy-clean painting screen for water-based paints with hexagon storage holders for brushes and trinkets, a built-in planter, garden tools for small hands, paintbrush pens and a bamboo wind chime. It is a lovely, calm-looking thing, and it is built for messy painting where messy painting belongs: outside.

The flip side is scale and commitment. Assembled, it measures about 117cm high, 122cm wide and 49cm deep, and it weighs 26.8kg. It is outdoor use only, needs adult assembly with a screwdriver and PZ1 and PZ2 bits, and it is rated from three years because of small parts. Plum covers the frame against rot for one year. The RRP is £199.99, and we have seen it discounted at times, so it is worth watching the price if you are not in a hurry.

What parents love

• Paint without the clean-up. The wipe-clean screen and outdoor setting mean poster paint can go everywhere and a hose or a damp cloth deals with it.
• More than painting. The planter, garden tools and storage pots turn it into a mini garden station, so it keeps children busy even on days they do not feel arty.
• Good-looking timber. The natural wood and bamboo chimes sit nicely on a patio, rather than shouting primary colours across the garden.
• Room for two. At over a metre wide, it fits two children side by side, which is handy for siblings or playdates.

What to know before you buy

• Outdoor use only. It is not designed to come inside, so on a wet February weekend it does not help at all.
• Big and heavy. At 26.8kg and over a metre wide, it is a permanent garden fixture. Measure the space before you order.
• Short frame cover. One year against rot is modest for an outdoor timber product, so plan to keep the wood treated and think about where it sits over winter.

Best for

• Families with a garden or patio who want painting kept outside
• Three to six-year-olds who love paint, mud and planting
• Siblings who play together
• Big joint gifts from grandparents

What about Hape, Melissa & Doug and the other freestanding easels?

Parents often ask about the Hape All-in-One Wooden Easel and the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel, and both are popular double-sided A-frames with paper roll holders and adjustable heights. Neither is currently in our UK catalogue through a retailer we work with, so we have not given them a card here. If you are weighing them up against the Classic World, the questions are the same: check the age rating, the height range, whether a paper roll is included and how flat it folds. They sit in the same job as our Best Overall pick rather than doing anything genuinely different.

How to choose

Choose the TP Active Tots Easel if your child is under three, or if you already have a TP climbing triangle, helper tower or cube. At £34.95 it adds drawing without adding another thing to the floor, and it is the only easel here rated from 12 months. If you do not own the frame, factor in that cost before you decide it is the bargain.

Choose the Classic World Multi Functional Easel if you want one indoor easel that covers three to six. The two surfaces, height scale, paint cups and magnetic letters make it the most versatile pick, and it folds away when you need the room back. For most families, this is where to stop.

Choose the Plum Discovery Create & Paint Easel if you have the garden space and you would rather painting happened outside. It is the dearest by a long way and it will not come indoors, but as a permanent outdoor art and planting corner for two children, nothing else here does the same job.

Add it to your Nest

An easel is a perfect gift for grandparents and godparents to club together on, especially the bigger garden ones. Add your pick to your free BubsNest registry and the people who love your little one can see exactly which model you want, where it is in stock and what it costs right now.