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In this guide, we’ll take a look at the best drum sets for kids that are great fun to play.
I’ve compared design, sound, build quality, and cost to give you my top recommendations.
Underneath you can also find a detailed buyer’s guide with lots of useful information, too!
Contents
- What Is The Best Kids Drum Set?
- Kids Drum Set Reviews
- The Best Drum Set For Kids Buying Guide
- What’s Included In The Best Drum Set For Kids?
- Is The Best Drum Set For Kids Easy To Set Up?
- How Important Is Sound For A Kids Drum Set?
- Other Considerations When Buying a Kids Drum Set
- What Is Important For Kids?
- What Age Is The Best Drum Set For Kids For?
- At What Age Should My Child Begin Drum Lessons?
What Is The Best Kids Drum Set?
Kids Drum Set Reviews
Ludwig Questlove Pocket Kit
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Ludwig Questlove Pocket Kit Review
The Ludwig Junior pocket drum set was designed with the help of drumming legend Ahmir Khalib “Questlove” Thompson, and it’s an amazing-priced and premium quality sounding set of drums for kids!
Questlove aimed to create the perfect mini drum set, after seeing a lack of quality junior kits on the market. Together, Questlove and Ludwig made this fabulous package that includes everything needed to begin having fun right away!
The wood drum shells sound rich and warm, and this small drum set features good sounding cymbals. The hardware is durable and well constructed and will hold up to many years of enjoyable playing.
Ludwig is a legendary name in drums. After seeing and hearing this junior drum set you will instantly recognize that the kit has been designed with a lot of care and attention to detail!
This Ludwig Questlove pocket kit will provide any child with the best possible start into drumming, and all at an amazing price. It is in my opinion a must-have junior drum set for children aged 4-10, and it wins my vote as the best kids drum set on the market!
Pros
- Fantastic junior drum set
- High quality design and build
- Suitable for a wide age range
Cons
- Only has 2 toms instead of 3
Pearl Roadshow Junior Drum Set
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Pearl Roadshow Junior Drum Set Review
The Pearl Roadshow Junior Drum Set is the best quality kid’s drum set on the market. It features very high-quality components throughout, and it provides a full-scale playing experience for kids.
Compared to some other options it does carry a higher price tag, but the quality of the drums and hardware are significantly better, and overall it will be a more enjoyable kit to play!
These drums feature lively Poplar hardwood shells that sound the best of any kids drum set I’ve experienced, and this drum set is suitable for kids aged between 3 and 8.
This small drum set is also super sturdy thanks to the high-quality hardware. All of the stands included are the best to feature on any kids drum set and make the drums really easy and fun to play.
If you want to ensure your child gets the perfect start into drumming, this junior drum set will get your little ones playing and having fun in no time!
Pros
- Great sounding drums
- Independant cymbal stand
- Excellent quality hardware
Cons
- Low quality crash cymbal
Mendini Junior Drum Set
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Mendini Junior Drum Set Review
Up next for review, we have the Mendini Junior Drum Set, a 5-piece drum set for kids, including everything a child needs to begin playing drums.
This kids’ drum kit makes the perfect toddler set and is also one of the best-priced children’s drum sets on the market!
This all-inclusive child’s drum set features well-made components. It’s fully functional – designed to offer years of playing and fun!
Drumming provides the framework for children to learn a host of wonderful new skills as well as encouraging greater confidence and learning essential social skills.
This kids drum set will provide the drumming tools for your child to learn and grow as well as explore their own creativity, whilst having huge amounts of fun in the process!
When tuned up correctly these drums don’t sound half bad, and the hardware is durable and robust. The cymbals are not excellent, but they make do. Plus, kids are more interested in having fun bashing the drums to notice!
This Mendini 5-piece set of drums for kids make an excellent value gift that is ready to rock straight out of the box!
Pros
- Great value package
- Easy to set up
- Durable and fun to play
Cons
- Not an established drumming brand
- Low quality cymbals
Eastar Junior Drum Set
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Eastar Junior Drum Set Review
The Eastar Junior Drum Set is a good value junior drum set that also includes absolutely everything needed to begin playing right away.
This mini drum set features genuine wood shells as well as sturdy metal hardware to ensure that this drum set provides countless hours of fun for kids.
Although children might not have the most discerning musical ears, when tuned up properly this kids drum kit sound surprisingly good!
This drum set includes drums, cymbals, stands, sticks, stool, pedal, and hardware – all at an incredible price. It is the best drum set for kids if you are operating on a tighter budget.
This kids drum set makes the perfect gift for children and will allow them to explore their creativity and learn new skills, but most importantly have lots of fun!
Pros
- Excellent value package
- Genuine hardwood shells
- Includes everything your kid needs to play!
Cons
- Not an established drum manufacturer
- Experienced some small build quality issues
Ddrum D1 Junior Drum Set
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Ddrum D1 Junior Drum Set Review
Up next for review we have this junior drum set manufactured by ddrum. This drum set is priced towards the premium end, but it is a well-crafted and highly functional kids drum set.
This junior drum set contains everything required for your kids to begin playing drums right away, providing the tools to explore their untapped creativity!
I’m pleasantly surprised by the sounds of these drums for a kids drum set. The snare drum is focused and tight, and all of the toms deliver a clear tone. The bass drum does require a pillow inside to muffle the ringing overtones, but sounds decent nonetheless.
The hardware is strong and durable, and allows for optimal and easy to reach playing for children. The hi-hat cymbals sound okay, but the crash cymbal is not the best within the junior drum set category.
Overall this Ddrum D1 Junior drum set is fun to play and sounds good, and it’s well built to last many years of enjoyable drumming for children. The drums are easy to tune and despite its tiny sizes, it functions just like a full sized drum kit!
Pros
- Focused sounding drums
- Strong and durable hardware
- Fun and easy to play
Cons
- Expensive option
- Low quality cymbals
GP Percussion Junior Drum Set
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GP Percussion Junior Drum Set Review
This junior drum set is a well-made and all-inclusive package, which offers great value for money. This drum set is perfect for children aged 3-8 and it will stand up well to countless hours of playing.
The GP Percussion Junior Set makes for an excellent toddler drum set, yet will still be fully functional for children up to the age of 8. Around this age a child will hopefully show enough interest in the drums that you might look to invest in a full size drum set to help further a child’s musical journey.
This package is a great set of drums for kids, featuring genuine wood shells that sound open and resonant when tuned up correctly, and hardware that is easy to use for children and is durable enough to withstand lots of bashing about!
This drum set is really easy to put together, and will have your child enjoying playing the drums in no time! This drum set is constructed from well-made components, and it’s one of the best kids drum sets for under $200.
Pros
- Affordable price
- Robust and adjustable hardware
- Highly functional kit
Cons
- Low quality cymbals
The Best Drum Set For Kids Buying Guide
Buying a drum set for your child is a fantastic opportunity for them to explore their creativity through rhythm and to learn essential skills!
Drumming is incredibly rewarding and fun and offers a huge number of benefits for young children.
Drumming is not only great fun, but it is also scientifically proven to boost brainpower and develop coordination in young children. Drumming utilizes all four limbs in order to play the whole drum set, developing motor skills, rhythm, and timekeeping.
Drumming also provides the framework for children to develop vital skills such as communication, sharing and listening.
Buying the right kids drum set will ensure that your child has the opportunity to enjoy playing the drums hassle-free and without any equipment issues or breaking.
There are lots of very cheap and tempting drum sets for kids available online, but most of these are poorly made toys and will either break quickly or don’t fulfill their purpose of a drum set.
All of the junior drum sets featured in this product guide are fully functioning kids drum sets that are designed to withstand lots of bashing and to be easy and fun to play.
What’s Included In The Best Drum Set For Kids?
Each of the drum sets within this product guide includes everything your child needs to begin playing the drums. All of the drum sets within this guide will include the following components:
- Drums (5-Pieces)
- Hi hat & crash cymbals
- Hi hat stand
- Cymbal stand
- Snare drum stand
- Bass drum pedal
- Drum throne
- Drum sticks
- Drum key
Is The Best Drum Set For Kids Easy To Set Up?
Kids drum sets are easy to set up and all of the components will generally be shipped in one large box. All of the drum kits in this guide will include drum setup instructions or potentially a DVD.
This is a picture of what all of the components will look like together out of the box. To set it all up should not take longer than one or two hours, but the drums will also require tuning with the provided drum key to sound as good as possible.
The likelihood is that the drums may not come with the drum heads attached. This means you will need to place the drum heads on the drums with the drum hoop and screws (known as tuning rods) provided.
The hardware will also arrive in boxes, and you will be required to put the pieces together. This shouldn’t be too difficult, it will involve attaching the steel tubes together and opening up the tripod legs so it remains sturdy while playing.
How Important Is Sound For A Kids Drum Set?
Because children are not the most discerning listeners, the drum sounds might not be that important to them. However, how good a drum set sounds will matter more over time, and it will also matter for your sanity as parents!
The provided drumheads with kids drum sets are not of good quality, but they can sound acceptable with good tuning and dampening.
I would strongly recommend placing an old towel or pillow inside the bass drum to give it a more punchy and focused sound. You can do this by removing the resonant bass drum skin with the drum key provided.
If a child is showing a lot of enthusiasm and interest in playing the drums then I would suggest eventually upgrading the cymbals to a better quality cymbal pack.
How good a kids drum set sounds is going to be reflective of its build quality and also its durability. The reasons why a kids’ drum set might sound bad will be because of poorly crafted shells, with uneven lugs and malformed bearing edges.
The best sounding junior drum set by far is the Ludwig Questlove Pocket Kit, which is far superior to its rivals in terms of sound as well as design and functionality. The quality of this drum set is like a smaller sized adult drum set!
Other Considerations When Buying a Kids Drum Set
You Can Improve The Sound
When your drum set arrives, you’ll need to build it and tune it to allow the drum set to sound as good as possible. Don’t be too alarmed, this won’t be too difficult.
Basic tuning simply requires you to tune all of the lugs (by using a drum key on the tension rods around the drum) to roughly the same pitch.
You can also greatly improve the sound of the kids-sized drums by adding dampening to the drums. First off, throw a pillow or some blankets inside the bass drum to add muffling and help it achieve a better tone. You can also put some tape on the snare drum and toms to reduce the annoying or ringy overtones.
You Will Likely Need To Buy Better Quality Drum Sticks
Again, no need to be alarmed – good quality drum sticks are inexpensive, yet they will be much better than the cheap drum sticks provided with the kids’ drum sets.
Look for either Vic Firth, Pro-Mark, Vater, or Zildjian drum sticks. These are the best quality options available and they will be comfortable and durable to play with.
Also, you can buy specific kid-sized drum sticks from each of these brands, but if there are none available then choose to buy 7A sized drum sticks.
Encourage and Inspire Your Child to Learn With Online Materials
There are so many great resources online you can use to your advantage to help your child on their drumming journey. You can introduce them to lots of new types of music and show them different types of drum beats.
There is a huge volume of awesome content on YouTube geared towards beginner drummers, including instructional videos and how-to guides.
You can also show your child videos of the best drummers in the world to help inspire them to want to pick up the sticks and play like them! Check out some drummers including Travis Barker, Ringo Starr, Tre Cool, and Keith Moon.
Acoustic Drums Will Make Some Noise
When buying a kid’s drum set, you ought to consider that it might be somewhat of an inconvenience for neighbors or other residents. It shouldn’t present too much of an issue, but it’s worth considering the time of the day your child will be playing, and for how long.
If you live in an apartment or smaller living space (where noise might be an issue) then I would suggest taking a look at buying an electronic drum set for your child. I’ve put together a comprehensive list of the best kids’ electronic drum sets for you to check out, too.
What Is Important For Kids?
For kids, the most important thing is to simply be able to experiment and have fun bashing away on the drums! Drumming is incredibly satisfying; it is expressive as well as being great fun!
Kids drum sets should be comfortable to play with, and all of the hardware should be fully adjustable to be easy-to-reach for children. All the components should be fit for their required purpose within the drum set.
What Age Is The Best Drum Set For Kids For?
Most junior drum sets are advertised to be suitable for children aged 3-8 years old. All of the drum kits on this list are suitable toddler drum sets that will still function suitably up to the later years. The optimal age for most kids’ drum sets is between the ages of 4-7.
The reason why kids drum sets are best suited for this age is that the drums and cymbals are much smaller. After this age, all of the components will be too small to play on comfortably.
If you are looking for a drum set for a 10-year-old or older, then I would suggest you check out my top recommended full-size beginner drum sets!
At What Age Should My Child Begin Drum Lessons?
Children can begin having drum lessons from any age, but it is important to remember that older children will receive more out of drum lessons than a toddler.
There are children from as young as 3 or 4 that possess excellent rhythm and you can watch videos online of young prodigies playing the drums showing enormous promise.
But most children will not yet possess the ability or willingness to practice at such a young age.
I would advise that aged 7 or older is the best age to begin learning the drums with a professional drum tutor, and children of this age will get far more out lessons than younger children.
Generally speaking, children of 7 and older will have the cognitive ability to retain, process, and learn information more so than younger children. Older children will also have the emotional intelligence required in order to be disciplined with practice and have the capability to read drum tabs and sheet music.