The Best Tools for Kids

This Old House Reviews Team

Teach your children about tools while also giving them something to play with by purchasing one of the best tool sets for kids currently on the market.

Buying a set of tools for your kids not only helps them develop hand-eye coordination as they play with the tools, but it also teaches them the function of each tool. Before buying a tool kit for your child, consider two factors—whether your child fits the manufacturer’s age guidelines and what types of tools your child is interested in.

To help you in your search, the This Old House Reviews team researched 15 of the best tool sets for kids. Keep reading to learn more about each of these sets. 

1 Best for toddlers
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074V28V5Z

TOMY John Deere Deluxe Talking Toolbelt

Age guidelines: 2-3 years

What We Like: This product is designed to look like a tool set from John Deere. It features the John Deere logo and colors and comes with a tool belt that holds a toy hammer, wrench, screwdriver, ratchet, tape measure, and pliers. The belt itself is adjustable to fit around different waists, and it can say two phrases and make three tool noises.



2 Best wooden tool set
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005RF5D

Melissa & Doug Take-Along Tool Kit

Age guidelines: 3-5 years

What We Like: This beginner’s tool kit from Melissa & Doug is made of wood and comes with a hammer, wrench, screwdriver, nails, screws, nuts, and bolts. The tools come in a toolbox-like container that has an open top and a handle. In addition to helping children develop hand-eye coordination, this tool kit helps children with counting, sorting, color recognition, and problem-solving.



3 Best workbench
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00712Y1K0

Hape Master Workbench

Age guidelines: 3-6 years

What We Like: This wooden workbench features counter space and has slots on its side, a pegboard on its top, and an open shelf on the bottom to store a variety of tools. The workbench comes with a hammer, saw, screwdriver, vice, wrench, angle, and various fasteners for a total of 35 pieces.



4 Most realistic
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X37C3K4

DIY Jr. My First Power Drill Set

Age guidelines: 6 and up

What We Like: This product includes a real cordless drill that’s been modified for use by small hands. It’s less powerful than a typical drill to prevent serious injuries and has a smaller handle. The drill comes in a hard plastic carrying case for easy transportation with slots for the charger, drill and driver bits, and screws.



5 Best STEM toy
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q2XKDWH

HAPTIME Electric DIY Drill Educational Set

Age guidelines: 3 years and up

What We Like: This toy tool set includes 237 pieces, most of which are fasteners so that your child can practice using a drill, wrench, and screwdriver while creating colorful designs. The carrying case that’s included in the set acts as both storage and workspace, seeing as it holds all of the pieces and has holes on the outside to fit the fasteners.



FAQs

Can my child use a tool set if they don’t fit within the manufacturer’s age range?

We recommend only purchasing a set if your child meets the minimum age requirements. This ensures that your child isn’t using tools that are too advanced for them or tools that could lead to injury.

 

Are the tools in the sets real or fake?

The sets in this review have a mix of real and fake tools. The sets with fake tools are meant to teach toddlers what each tool does and help them develop fine motor skills as they use them. You’ll find sets with real tools starting for children around six or seven years old.

 

Should I supervise my children while they’re using the tools?

Yes. Even though these sets are designed for kids, you should still watch over your children while they’re using the tools to ensure that they don’t improperly use them and injure themselves.

 

Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations. 

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.

 

 

The This Old House Reviews Team provides overviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, hands-on testing in select cases, and other objective criteria unique to a given product line. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for DIY or other non-pro users only. Editor’s picks are made by members of the This Old House Reviews Team.

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