How to Build a Children's Table

by Heather Vale Goss

Overview

Children love to draw, paint and make crafts at a table that's all their own. It's simple to build your own sturdy table and doesn't take long to do. To make it the perfect size for kids, it should be shorter than your average dining room table; about 24 inches to 26 inches works well for preschoolers, right up to preteens.
Make a Kids' Table From a Door

Step 1

Cut 12 inches off each of the dowel rods to make four 24-inch rods. Drill a hole in one end of each rod, right in the center of the circle. These rods will be the table legs.
Step 2

Make a pencil mark on each of the four corners of the door, one inch from each edge. Drill a hole through each of the pencil marks. The door will be your table top.
Step 3

Have someone hold the table top upright, as you hold each dowel rod behind a hole in the door, matching up the hole in the rod and screwing the table top to the legs. Countersink the tops of the screws by continuing to tighten the screw until it's slightly lower than the top of the table.
Step 4

Fill each screw hole with wood putty, and scrape the surface smooth with the putty knife. When it's dry, sand the putty smooth.
Step 5

Paint the entire table, including the legs, with high-gloss white latex paint. This allows children to draw on the surface with crayons or watercolor markers, and you'll be able to wipe it clean afterwards.

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Four 36-inch-long, 2-inch-diameter wooden dowel rods One 32-inch wide x 80-inch long solid core door Pencil Table saw Drill with drill bit and screwdriver bit Four large wood screws Acrylic-based wood putty and putty knife Sandpaper One can white high-gloss latex paint
Four 36-inch-long, 2-inch-diameter wooden dowel rods
One 32-inch wide x 80-inch long solid core door
Pencil
Table saw
Drill with drill bit and screwdriver bit
Four large wood screws
Acrylic-based wood putty and putty knife
Sandpaper
One can white high-gloss latex paint
If you want a shorter or taller table based on the chairs you have or whether adults will be working at the table alongside the children, simply cut the dowel rods to the length you need. You can paint the legs a different color if you'd like the table to match the décor of a specific room.
If you want a shorter or taller table based on the chairs you have or whether adults will be working at the table alongside the children, simply cut the dowel rods to the length you need.
You can paint the legs a different color if you'd like the table to match the décor of a specific room.