This is our official list of the best drum sets for kids on the market today. Scroll further down for full details on each product and a brief overview of kids drum sets.
5 Highest Reviewed Kids’ Drum Sets
Not only is drumming lots of fun for a child, it also can help with a child’s emotional, motor, social and cognitive development. According to a research study called “Beat the Odds” and published in the Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal found that a drumming program is effective in improving significant emotional and social improvements in students. In addition, another 1976 study published in the Journal of Music Therapy found that children’s social behaviors were improved by playing a percussion game.
Other benefits of drumming for a child include:
- The different techniques of playing a drum can provide experiences for children to improve their fine and gross motor skills.
- A drumming experience can help children to develop skills of paying attention, decision-making and controlling impulse.
- Playing a drum in a band can induce the feeling of being a part of and contributing to the process of a group.
- A child can improve social skills such as turn-taking and sharing skills by participating in drum experiences.
- Banging on a drum can provide a child with a way to release feeling of anger.
In order to provide these beneficial drumming experiences for your child, you, of course, will have to purchase a drum. Perhaps the following five drums for kids will help you to decide on the best for your child at this time.
1.) Gammon 5-Piece Junior Starter Drum Kit
The Gammon kid’s 5-piece drum set simply has everything your child will need for drumming. The set includes a 12-lug bass drum, a wood snare drum, hang toms, a floor tom, 2 high-hat cymbals, 1 crash-ride cymbal, stand for snare drum, stand for high-hat cymbal, a pair of drum sticks, pedal for bass drum, drummers key and drum stool.
Assembly is required. This Gammon 5-Piece junior set is rated with 4.4 stars out of 5 by Amazon customers.
PROS
- The Gammon 5-Piece starter drum kit includes everything your child will need since it is the most complete of the sets reviewed here.
- The set has a high gloss finish in black, blue or purple. Rims are chrome.
- Excellent quality set for an amazing low price.
- Set is a top seller.
- Set includes a drum key. Adjusting the tension of rods of a drum as well as the pitch of a drum is done by using a tool called the drum key.
- One Amazon customer said that this set’s assembly was quite easy.
CONS
- One Amazon customer reported the cymbals are cheap in quality.
2.) Mendini by Cecilio 3-Piece Kids Drum Set
The Mendini 3 piece junior drum set is specifically designed for children. A hanging tom drum, bass drum, and snare drum are the 3 pieces included in the set. However, a chain driven pedal for the bass drum, 2 wooden drum sticks, a cymbal and mounted holder, and an adjustable, round padded drum seat are also included in the set.
Assembly set up is required. The Mendini set is rated with 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
PROS
- This set is available in metallic red, blue, green, black and purple.
- This set is recommended for 3 to 8 year old children.
- Instructions for setting up this set are included and easy to read.
- The set is warrantied against defects by the manufacturer for one year.
CONS
- An Amazon customer reported that the sound of the cymbal was “fairly unpleasant”.
- The tom and snare drum mounts need to be tightened every once in a while in order to prevent them from moving out of position.
3.) Kids Drum Set – Beginners Complete Set
This kid’s 3-piece percussion kit is offered by Best Choice Products and perfect for beginners. Included in the kit are 1 bass drum, 2 tom drums, 2 drum sticks and a cushioned stool. It is constructed in all wood material and its hardware is chrome plated.
This kit is recommended for 3 year and older children. Assembly is required. This set is rated with 4.2 stars out of 5 by Amazon customers.
PROS
- This kit looks very much like an adult set, but it is made in a smaller scale.
- This drum set is offered in a blue, black, red or white attractive design.
- The 2 tom drums and bass drum are the 3 main pieces of this set, but it is complete with 2 cymbals, 2 drum sticks and a cushioned stool. It simply has everything your child will need.
- The support legs of this set give it adequate sturdiness to prevent it falling on a child.
CONS
- No instructions for assembly are included. A customer of Amazon reported that a guide for how much to tighten the skins would be helpful. He was worried that if he tightened them too much they might bust.
4.) Alesis CompactKit 4 Portable Tabletop Electronic Drum Kit
What a young drummer needs now-a-days is an electronic drum. One that is a tabletop drum kit that can get your child to sharpen his or her skills is the Alesis Compact Kit 4. This kit has four velocity-sensitive drum pads, drumsticks and a power adapter.
Built into this kit are 70 percussion voices with 10 effect voices. This drum kit is a best seller on Amazon and is rated with 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.
PROS
The kit’s pros based on its features include:
- A realistic sound and feel are provided by the velocity-sensitive drum pads.
- 50 play-along songs make it possible for your child to experience drumming along with a band.
- The coach feature shows the child notes on a LCD screen and instructs the child as well.
- The power adaptor makes it possible for the child to take the set anywhere and use 6 C batteries for power.
CONS
- In order to use this kit to drum, the child needs to make an adjustment due to the drum pads being a bit smaller than actual drums.
- The bounce isn’t quite the same as real drums.
- The pedal are also smaller and take a bit of getting used to.
5.) Best Choice Products 11 Piece Kids Drum Set
For your child’s first attempt at drumming, this set of drums for kids would be a good choice. It includes everything your child will need and it’s reasonably priced. The set includes a bass drum, 2 drum sticks, 5 toms, foot pedal, cymbal and stool. Coloring of the set is a combination of black and silver.
Having as many as 11 pieces, this set will certainly stimulate your child’s creativity and imagination and develop both the child’s motor skills and hand eye coordination. This set is rated with 3.3 stars out of 5 by Amazon customers.
PROS
- Since this set is recommended for a 3 year old or older child, it is a good set to introduce your child to musical instruments.
- Assembling this set is easy.
- The set is mostly made in plastic which is low in weight. The cool exterior decals nicely add to its overall appearance.
- Being complete, this set will be a great addition to your child’s play area.
CONS
- One Amazon customer said he expected this set to be small, but it was tiny. He also reported that after 5 months of use by a 3 year old, it is falling apart.
Wrapping Up
The most important aspect to consider when buying your child a drum set is the skill of your child at the time. Is the set a first set for a three year old? If so, a basic set with a minimum of pieces and lowest in price would be a good choice.
If your child’s skills are more advanced and your child shows a real interest in drumming, you might want to buy a set that is more complete with a better quality. Of course, the amount you can spend on the set will also be part of the decision. However, the main factor of your final decision of the best drum set to purchase for your child is determined by the age, skills and interest of the child.