A tabletop easel can give a child a defined place to draw without leaving a floor easel permanently in the room. The Melissa & Doug double-sided magnetic model is a promising fit for that job, but it borrows space from a table and still needs storage for loose supplies. The purchase makes sense when you have planned both the drawing session and the reset afterward. For a related step-by-step approach, see Melissa & Doug Water Wow! Review: Reusable Quiet Time With Clear Limits.
This is a research-based review of the linked product, not a hands-on test. Product photographs come from its Amazon listing. Price, seller, stock and selected options can change.
Buy the work area, not just the gift box
The first question is where the child will use it. A tabletop easel raises the drawing surface above the table, so a comfortable flat-drawing setup is not automatically a comfortable easel setup. The child needs to reach the useful part of the board without climbing, leaning over the table or pulling the frame toward them.
Choose the table and seating arrangement before ordering. If the only available surface is used for meals, decide when an art session can happen and where the easel goes afterward. A product that is easy to store can still be inconvenient if every session begins with clearing an entire dining table. You may also find Crayola Inspiration Art Case Review: Can a Kids’ Art Kit Pack Away After Dinner? useful for a closely related small-home problem.
What is in this particular set
The linked set provides a magnetic dry-erase side, a chalkboard side and a holder for 12-inch paper rolls. The listing includes a 50-foot roll, a dry-erase marker, five chalk pieces, an eraser and letter-and-number magnets. It lists the product for ages three and up and describes a wooden frame that folds flat.
That is a useful starting kit, not an unlimited supply collection. Markers run out, chalk gets used and paper needs replacing. Check the selected package rather than assuming a nearby bundle has identical contents.
The age label also matters when several children share a room. An older child’s art station can contain loose pieces that are not suitable for a younger sibling. Plan storage around everyone who has access to the area.
Three surfaces, three different routines
The dry-erase side suits temporary drawing, repeated patterns and games that can be cleared for another turn. Keep suitable markers with that surface and make it easy to distinguish them from permanent markers elsewhere in the home. The convenience disappears quickly if supplies become mixed together.
The chalk side offers a different drawing feel, but chalk also introduces dust and fragments. A family that dislikes chalk cleanup should not count that surface as a major benefit simply because it increases the advertised feature count.
Paper is the option for work the child wants to keep. It adds a refill and paper-management routine: feed a usable length, protect the surrounding surface, and decide where finished drawings go. The easel does not solve the growing stack of artwork by itself.
Two sides do not guarantee two comfortable users
A double-sided board can suggest simultaneous sibling play, but the table must provide usable space on both sides. If the easel sits against a wall, one face may be effectively unavailable until an adult turns it around. If it sits in the middle, check whether both children can reach it without bumping elbows or moving the frame.
Different activities can also produce different cleanup needs. Chalk on one side and a carefully saved paper drawing on the other may be a less convenient combination than the product photograph implies. It may be simpler to use one surface at a time and switch activities deliberately.
We have not measured stability under child use. A wooden frame does not remove the need for a suitable level surface and supervision. Treat the open arrangement as something to check in your home, not as a universal layout that works on every table.
The small-space advantage is conditional
Folding the easel can give a shared table back to the household. That is a meaningful advantage over a floor easel left open all week. However, the folded frame still has width and height, and supplies may not disappear neatly inside it.
Measure the actual storage location, including the route into it. A narrow gap behind furniture may be inaccessible to the adult who handles setup. A shelf might fit the folded frame but leave no room for the paper roll or supply container.
Keep the storage plan simple enough to repeat. If cleanup requires dismantling an elaborate arrangement, the easel may remain open longer than intended. A nearby shelf and a modest supply box can be more useful than trying to make every accessory fit into the smallest possible space.
Refill costs and the paper habit
A built-in roll encourages drawing without hunting for individual sheets, but it can also make paper consumption easy to overlook. Before buying refills, confirm the supported width and the fit requirements in the supplied instructions. A roll marketed broadly as easel paper is not automatically the correct replacement.
Watch how your child actually uses paper. Some children work carefully on one section; others enjoy pulling out a long strip. Neither pattern is a defect in the easel, but they lead to different refill needs and cleanup expectations.
You do not need to buy a large accessory bundle on day one. Begin with the included materials, observe which surface gets used and add supplies for that activity. That approach avoids accumulating paints, brushes or extra chalk for a mode the child rarely chooses.
Protect the table and make cleanup visible
Choose a surface covering suited to the materials being used. The easel’s tray is a place for supplies, not a guarantee that marks and debris stay contained. Keep water-based activities separate from dry supplies unless you have planned for spills and the manufacturer permits the intended use.
At the end of a session, account for the small pieces, cap the marker and return supplies to their place. Store the easel in its intended folded position according to the instructions. Adults should manage folding if the child cannot do it safely and reliably.
A visible reset routine can be short: clear the board, collect the supplies, save the artwork and release the table. It is easier to maintain than a vague instruction to tidy the whole room. The product is most useful when it supports that repeatable routine. You may also find Sorting Surprise Picnic Baskets Review: A Small-Table Toy With a Clear Cleanup Job useful for a closely related small-home problem.
When flat paper or a floor easel is better
For a child who mostly colors printed pages or draws with pencils, a flat table and paper may already be the best work surface. An upright board changes the activity; it does not automatically improve it. Do not buy an easel merely to make an existing drawing routine look more complete.
A floor easel can be a better fit when you have a permanent art corner and want to avoid borrowing a dining or play table. Its cost is floor space and a different storage problem. Compare it by where the child will stand and how the room is used between sessions.
This tabletop model is strongest in the middle: more variety and structure than loose paper alone, less permanent room occupation than a large standing station. That middle position is valuable only if it matches your household.
How to decide during the first week
Notice which surface the child returns to without prompting. Also notice whether an adult has to reposition the frame repeatedly, whether supplies stay organized and how long the room takes to reset. These observations are more informative than counting all the activities the listing suggests.
We have not run developmental testing, measured educational outcomes or assessed long-term hinge and board wear. This review therefore does not promise learning gains or a service life. It evaluates the practical arrangement the product makes possible.
Keep it if the child enjoys using it at a comfortable table and the family can restore the space easily. If setup consistently outweighs actual drawing time, a simpler surface may produce more art with less equipment.
Choose by the job, not the product count
| Your situation | Better starting point | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Shared table and varied drawing activities | This tabletop easel | Can be stored after the session |
| Mostly coloring pages and pencils | Flat paper on a suitable table | Less setup and fewer loose components |
| Dedicated permanent art corner | Floor easel | Does not borrow another table |
Amazon product and current listing
Check Melissa & Doug Double-Sided Magnetic Tabletop Easel on Amazon. Confirm the exact variant, seller, delivered price and return terms before ordering. This link identifies ASIN B01B1UUNCW; it does not guarantee an offer is currently available.
Our buying decision
This easel suits a recurring tabletop art routine when the table height, open footprint and storage location work together. It is less convincing as an impulse gift with no place to use it. Budget attention for loose supplies and replacement paper.
Continue with Kids Room ideas and our Buying Guides. For the surrounding routine, read How to Organize Kids’ Art Supplies in a Small Home Without Creating a Permanent Craft Room.
Sources and review scope
We checked the specific Amazon listing for product identity and listed features. The room scenarios and purchase comparisons above are editorial analysis. We have not measured performance, lifespan or long-term durability.
Sources
- Amazon product listing — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B1UUNCW
