It’s critical to foster creativity in kids starting at a young age, because creative play helps kids develop key skills that will be important for school and beyond.
That’s one of the reasons that Melissa & Doug specializes in creative learning fun, and presently, our Arts & Crafts category offers over 300 toys, activity kits, and supplies to help kids tap into their creativity.
One such essential creative toy is this month’s Toy Spotlight subject, our Wooden Deluxe Standing Art Easel. Easel play puts the creativity front and center for little artists—the closer your child can get to the art surface, the more engaged they’ll be in the creative process, which helps foster concentration, attention to detail, and hand-eye coordination.
Before you invest in creating a studio for your burgeoning artiste, join Melissa & Doug as we shine the Toy Spotlight on an essential creative toy for any kind of kid: our Wooden Deluxe Standing Art Easel.
Why Kids Will Love this Wooden Deluxe Standing Easel
Wooden Deluxe Standing Art Easel
Play Basics: The multi-use Wooden Deluxe Standing Art Easel can inspire kids to pursue a variety of creative activities: painting, drawing, and countless other ways to play creatively.
Playful Details: The Melissa & Doug Wooden Deluxe Standing Easel makes any room into an art studio! Our double-sided, kid-sized art easel includes a dry-erase board, chalkboard, locking paper-roll holder (fits either an 18" or 12" wide paper roll), child-safe paper cutter, four easy-grip clips, and a plastic tray to attach to each side of the easel. It's easy to assemble, so there's little time waiting for the next masterpiece!
Children's easels are recommended for building fine motor skills and proper pencil grip—it's great for beginning writers! Use the chalkboard and white board as the ideal practice surfaces for a child's first letters and words. The easel features a sturdy wooden frame, folds flat for storage, and the height is adjustable so kids can create in comfort. The wooden easel makes a great gift for kids ages three and older for hands-on, screen-free play. (NOTE: Paint, paint cups, and paint brushes sold separately.)
Age: 3+ years
Parents Will Love This Feature: Parents and caregivers can adjust the height on the Wooden Deluxe Standing Easel, so the toy can grow with your child, and the sturdy wooden construction means the creative fun can last for multiple kids and generations.
Who Will Love This: The creative kids who are always doodling, drawing, and painting…the kids who love arts & crafts time more than lunch or snack…any kid who needs a creative outlet to help with developing important skills such as fine motor, C-grip, storytelling, and more.
So Many Ways to Play: Once your kiddos feel comfortable creating with the Wooden Deluxe Standing Easel, you can gameify the creative fun to take it to the next level. Incorporate the easel into family game night for Pictionary-style competitions, have kids write choose-your-own-adventure stories, host family Hangman tournaments…the only limit to the creative fun is your imagination.
Skills at Play: Sparks imagination and curiosity; encourages color and pattern recognition, fine motor development, storytelling and narrative ability
The many benefits of creative play for kids have been well-documented: the development of hand-eye coordination, inspiring imagination, concentration, and communication, and helping kids develop social skills—and that’s just for starters. Kids are already naturally curious, so creative play is a fantastic way to inspire your child to continue to explore the world around them.
Get the Play Started: Here are some suggested play prompts to inspire your creative child to play with the Wooden Deluxe Standing Easel:
- Show them pictures of various artistic masterpieces, and ask for their interpretation
- Scramble magnetic letters on the whiteboard, and have kids spell out as many words as they can
- Model for your child and ask them to paint or draw your portrait
- Create homemade flash cards with funny/silly scenes for the kids to draw or paint
- Use random household items to add some creative play prompts: attach googly eyes, cupcake wrappers, paper/fabric/wooden scraps, paper clips, straws, string, and other assorted do-dads to the paper to inspire storytelling through art
Plays Well With: Other creative fun from Melissa & Doug. Stock up on art supplies and accessories such as:
- Easel Companion Accessory Set
- Easel Paper Pad
- Durable Artist’s Smock
- Felt Chalk Eraser
- Finger Paint Set
Quotable: “A must-have for creative households. We're big fans of this easel—sturdy setup, nice to have the chalkboard/paint option at the same time for multiple kids in the family to enjoy, and the paint cups are great for preventing spills. This is the second household of grandchildren that we have bought the easel for, and they become such beloved items that last for years,” —Paul, in a five-star review on MelissaAndDoug.com
