Best Drum Set for Kids: A Foolproof Guide for Parents

Being able to play an instrument is an amazing skill for anyone to learn.

That’s why I’m passionate about encouraging kids to take up music. But say they want to play the drums, now it becomes tricky…

as you need to research the best drum set for kids available right now.

And it’s a minefield!

Lucky for you, I’ve done a lot of the research so by the end of this post, you’ll be able to make a decision on a drum set!

In this article I cover:

• The difference between drumming toys and drums as instruments
• What’s the best age for kids to take up drumming (Hint: It’s older than most people think!)
• Whether to choose a junior drum set or a full-size beginner drum kit
• Whether to choose a budget electronic drum kit or acoustic drums
• 3 of the best drum sets for kids available today!

Let’s get to it.

Best Drum Set for Kids

Choosing a drum kit: Musical Instruments vs. Toys

There’s one key distinction between drum kits for kids: toys vs. instruments.

Take a look at the image below:

This kit looks like a solid choice – but really, it’s a toy.

Here’s what wrong with it:

• Poor Layout
  • The layout is unnatural and doesn’t compare to a real drum set.
• Quality isn’t going to last
  • Drum kits need to take a beating! Toys don’t stand the test of time.
• Lack of instruments
  • The lack of a hi-hat stand and floor tom means your child won’t build the muscle memory that will help them later on in life.

My one caveat on the above is, if you’re shopping for a toddler.

A drum set a 3 year old requires is going to be different than what an 8 year old requires.

So if you’d like your child’s energy to start going into something productive early on in their life, a toy drumset can actually be a good option.

But:

Now comes the age old question…

What’s the right age to start drumming?

The results are in.

Generally when your child is around 8 years old they have the concentration and physical ability to learn the drums.

Keep in mind that I’m talking about a traditional drum tuition environment and techniques.

Andy Ziker has written a book called “Drumset For Preschoolers” which focuses on other techniques and methods to introduce younger children to drums.

Andy focuses on teaching kids by using colours and words they’re learning at their current stage in life.

He also talks about how hand technique is easier to learn while a child still hasn’t chosen a dominant hand.

3 reasons to encourage kids into drumming and music

1. Attention span
2. Physical development
3. Academic skills

Do you need a junior drum set or a full-sized drum set?

I’ve mainly talked about age but we also need to take into account size.

Afterall some children are going to be larger and smaller than others – so they’ll need a drum kit to match.

We need to make sure that everything from the bass pedal to the crash cymbal is easy-to-reach and comfortable.

Here are the types of kit I recommend:

• Junior Drum Sets: 2.5 to 5 feet (0.76m to 1.52 metres)
• Full Size Beginner Drum Kit: 5 feet and taller

If you’re child is nearly 5 feet or already taller, you definitely should look into full-size beginner sets as they’ll quickly outgrow a junior drum set.

Electronic Drum Set or Acoustic

One last thing and very important thing to consider is whether to go electric or acoustic.

Electric kits are great for learning on and can be positioned to resemble an acoustic kit’s layout.

So that’s a not a big issue.

The big issues are the noise that comes with acoustic kits and the space they require.

If these are limiting factors – I strongly recommend picking up a budget electronic kit!

3 of the Best Drum Sets for Kids & Juniors

GP Percussion GP50BL Complete Junior Drum Set

Overview

This junior drum kit from GP is pretty much exactly the same as the Ludwig kit – but cheaper!

Now, you may think it’s cheaper because it might be worse, but really they’re very similar – check out this list of things that are the same as the Ludwig kit.

• 16″ x 10″ kick drum
• Includes bass drum pedal, hi hat stand.

The main difference between the two (apart from brand name) is that GP mount’s their cymbal on the tom arm using a clamp.

Ludwig mount it on a full cymbal stands which gives you better placement options.

Best features:

• Full featured drum kit – just smaller!
• Kick pedal and hi hat stands included
• Available in black, blue, red, green and pink!
• Tuneable heads

Worth keeping in mind:

• Easy to set up and use
• Cheapest on the list – best value for money!

---

Ludwig Junior Outfit Drum Set

Overview

Ludwig are very well known in the drumming world. They produce some of the highest end drum kits in the world, so you know you’re getting quality here.

The junior kit by Ludwig is made using similar techniques and materials as their larger siblings – the only difference is size.

Since it’s built like an adult-kit, you can easily add hardware and cymbals to the initial setup without needed to buy specialist equipment.

With all of the junior kits the cymbals will be fairly low quality AND they do affect the overall sound of the kit quite a lot.

It’s not a big deal to start out with as you want to make sure your child enjoys playing – it’s likely they won’t care too much about the sound.

If your child gets bitten by the drumming bug, I’d recommend looking into some budget cymbal options fairly quickly!

Here’s a good video demo of the Ludwig in action to give you an idea of how it sounds:

Best features:

• Full featured drum kit – just smaller!
• Comes with cymbal and hi hat stands included.
• Tuneable heads
• Trusted Ludwig build quality

Worth keeping in mind:

• A few people have said that building them was a bit tricky!
• Most expensive – around $299 at the time of writing this article.

---

GP Percussion GP55BK Junior Drum Kit

Overview

The final in the lineup from GP Percussion and it sits between the Gammon and Ludwig in terms of price.

It uses a similar setup to the Gammon – using a clamp instead of a full cymbal stand.

As with all the other drums in this list you’ll want to look at upgrading cymbals and drum heads down the line – but kit is more than enough to get your child started!

Best features:

• Available in gloss black & wine red
• Kick pedal and hi hat stands included
• Fast shipping available from Amazon
• Tuneable heads

Worth keeping in mind:

• Cymbal is mounted using a clamp which limits placement options.

---

There we go, there’s my run down of the best drumkits for kids available today!

Have I missed anything? Let me know in the comments.

I’ve researched the best junior drum kits to hopefully help guide you in buying the right drums for your daughters, sons, family, friends and grand kids. If you choose to buy one of the kits I mention, please consider buying through one of my links as I will earn a commission from Amazon. If not, feel free to search the product title in Amazon to find the right product