DIY: Drawing Table for Kids

You can create a drawing table for kids from scratch or you can take a short cut and find a wood table from a thrift store or yard sale and modify it for your little ones. Kids will love this chalkboard table top that they can draw directly on with chalk or they can use it as a regular table upon which to create their other craft and coloring projects.

Things You'll Need

• 1 beam of wood, 4 inch by 4 inch by 8 feet
• Ruler
• Pen
• Clamp
• Saw
• 1 piece plywood, 3 feet by 3 feet
• Hammer
• Nails
• Rectangular or square wood table (optional)
• Coarse sandpaper
• Terry cloth
• Chalkboard paint
• 3 inch paint brush

Instructions

1. Divide the wood beam into four 2-foot-long pieces using a ruler and a pen for marking.

2. Clamp the beam to a table with the excess hanging over the edge of the table. Saw each of the four pieces from the beam.

3. Stand each of the four pieces upright in a square. These are the legs of your table. Place the plywood on top. Adjust the legs underneath so that they are squarely in each of the four corners. Hammer two nails through the top of the plywood into each of the four legs. Skip to step 7.

4. Find a thrift store or yard sale table as a shortcut (skip steps 1-3). Lay the table on its side. Decide how long you would like the legs to be. Depending on how big your kids are, 2 feet is usually a good height.

5. Measure each leg with the ruler and mark the measurement you decided upon with a pen.

6. Saw off the bottom part of each leg along this marking.

7. Use coarse sandpaper to smooth off and prepare the table top for paint. (This should be done if you make your own table from scratch or if you are using a thrift store table.) Use the terry cloth to wipe down the table.

8. Paint on the chalkboard paint according to the manufacturer's directions. Allow to dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Kids will probably be happy to kneel or sit cross-legged at the table or you can get some small kid-sized chairs so they will be comfortable sitting at the table for a while.

• Be sure to saw off the legs very evenly or else your table will wobble. You can use some sandpaper to even it off a bit, if needed.

References

• Home Depot Garden Club: Build a Kid's Table