Best Doodle Pad for Toddlers
Introduction
Magna Doodles and doodle pads are more than just cool toys that keep your toddler entertained. These nifty gadgets allow your little one to practice drawing and increase their creativity in a low mess, easily portable way. They’re also excellent tools for teaching your child how to write and read.
If you ask us, this is also an excellent way of entertaining your toddler without adding more television and Internet use. This article will help you choose the best doodle pad for toddlers that you can buy today.
What Makes Doodling Great for Toddlers?
Before we jump into our top picks of drawing pad for toddlers, we thought we’d run down why doodling is such a great activity for young minds. Hopefully, this section will help show you all the ways that doodling is beneficial to your budding artist.
Easy to Learn, Tough to Master
Doodling is a great activity to introduce to toddlers because it is so simple and easy to learn! Any young kid can learn to pick up an instrument and leave their impression on the doodle surface. It is so satisfying for young kids to see their imaginations come to life on a page.
It’s also great because it’s a skill that they can keep improving on! With time, they will see their sketch proficiency grow. Young kids love to have goals to work toward, and this is a goal that they can pursue their whole lives if it interests them!
Easy-to-Use Materials
Another aspect of doodling that makes it so great for toddlers is that it is so easy to pick up and learn. Many of the doodle pads on our list utilize incredibly simple tools and surfaces. Whether it’s a drawing tablet, doodle mat, sketch pad, ipad, or anything else, these are all very intuitive, even for young toddlers. They can be as creative as they want, and make their creations from scratch.
Motor Skill Development
Doodling is a great way for young kids to develop hand eye coordination through precise movements. Young kids are always developing, and it doesn’t hurt to give them extra activities to help their little hands build on these skills. Drawing is an awesome way to spur this development while they have fun!
Portable!
A great thing about doodling is that it’s portable! If you struggle to find a portable activity that isn’t just iPhone games, then you might want to swap the phone for a pen and paper. Doodling can be done anywhere, and it’s a real bonus if your child can develop an interest in a portable activity that is also beneficial to their development.
Fun & Creative!
We couldn’t make a list of benefits without including the most obvious one – doodling is just plain fun! It gives kids of all ages the opportunity to see their imaginations come to life. There truly are no boundaries to what they can create, and there are so many different drawing accessories for them to explore this creativity. Check out all the options on our list below to find the perfect tool to get your young toddler into the vast world of doodling!
Best Magna Doodle and Doodle Pad for Toddlers Reviews
VTech Write and Learn Creative Center
VTech creates toys which inspire children to explore, learn, and create. They have developed their own Magna doodle toy so that your child can learn while playing.
The VTech Stencil and Learn Studio includes 26 letter stencils which can help you teach your child how to write and pronounce letters and words. Besides that, there is a shape stencil and a number stencil.
With the built-in magnetic drawing pen, your child can start developing their drawing skills from a young age. There are five drawing tools included that can help them draw creative sketches.
VTech Stencil and Learn Studio’s drawing board is designed to grab your toddler’s attention, as it features five different activities and three magnetic stamps. One of the features that your kid will definitely enjoy is the musical instrument sheet. This feature will allow them to create various sounds on the press of a button.
Now, I know what you’re thinking – noisy toys can be a nuisance. Drawing is a quiet activity, so why add sound effects? But the interactivity will keep your toddler engaged for a longer period of time, and it makes this educational tool more effective. And when your kid’s done playing, they can easily put the toy away into the VTech carry case.
If you’re looking for a fully-featured Magna Doodle, the VTech Stencil and Learn Studio could be the best option to go for, and it should keep your toddler occupied for hours.
Pros
- 5 drawing tools
- 26 letter stencils
- Carry case
- Musical instrument sheet
Cons
- The drawing board is prone to damage
SGILE Large Magnetic Doodle Board
There are three stamps positioned on SGILE Large Magnetic’s doodle board – a triangle, square, and a round stamp. The drawing board is easy to erase by dragging the sliding eraser. The SGILE Large Magnetic doodle board allows drawing in four colors, which include red, yellow, green, and blue.
What makes this Magna doodle model special is its size. The SGILE Large Magnetic doodle is 12.8 inches long and 16.3 inches wide. Its drawing board’s large size ensures that your child has more space to draw freely.
Aquadoodle Classic Mat
Creativity is important for toddlers but it often results in messy floors, dirty clothes, and even stained walls. But with the Aquadoodle Classic Mat, you won’t have to spend countless hours of cleaning after your youngster.
Simply spread the mat on the floor and let your toddler have fun. Whatever they draw on the mat will disappear quickly, as it dries.
This is because your child will use water to paint and draw. All that you have to do is fill the Aquadoodle pen with water and watch the magic happen. There are currently four available colors for your child to use — purple, green, blue, and red.
The Aquadoodle Classic Mat is very comfortable as it’s made of soft fabric. It comes with an extra Aquadoodle pen (with a cap) for free.
Pros
- Soft fabric
- Mess-free
- Easy to use and fun
- Only requires water
Cons
- A bit pricy
AquaDoodle Accessories Travel Doodle
Here’s another mess-free wonder that you can take on trips. The AquaDoodle Accessories Travel Doodle is designed to be easily carried with you wherever you go. This includes picnics, vacations, road trips, etc.
It’s made of soft and durable materials, so you can rest assured that it won’t get damaged while traveling. Since it’s very lightweight, your toddler can carry it themselves. This AquaDoodle can easily be transformed into a carry bag.
You can probably guess that the pen works by adding water, so it is completely mess-free. The drawings will disappear when they dry out.
Pros
- Mess-free
- Easy to use
- Easy to carry
- Only requires water
Cons
- The Aquadoodle pen easily dries out
NetX Magnetic Drawing Board
The NetX Magnetic Drawing Board has a simple design. Its drawing board’s size is 27 x 18 cm, which is more than enough for your toddler to have fun doodling for hours.
Everything that your toddler has drawn or written can be easily erased by dragging the sliding eraser. This toy is made of non-toxic ABS plastic, and the plastic is also smell-free.
The NetX Magnetic Drawing Board comes with five stamps and various stickers that your toddler can have fun with. It’s quite durable and break-resistant, and the manufacturers have rounded its edges for safety.
You can choose between blue, blue-yellow, and blue-red NetX Magnetic Drawing Board models.
Pros
- Antitoxic material
- Three color options
- Durable
- 5 different stamps and several stickers included
Cons
- The Magna Doodle pen can be easily torn out from the drawing board
Make the Best Choice
With all the choices on our list, you might just be wondering one thing – how do I make the best choice? The truth is that there is no one “best” choice for a child. The best choice is simply the one that matches their personal tastes. So try to pick the one that is most in-line with how your toddler likes to play. After all, the parent often knows best.
You won’t make a mistake whichever model you opt for. It’s up to you and your little one to decide which of the mentioned products is the best Magna Doodle for toddlers in your households.
Additionally, if your child is old enough to help in the decision making process, ask them for input! Ask them what type of art they would most like to pursue (doodling or otherwise). Show examples of toddler art projects, and let them pick their favorites. Getting your kids engaged in the process from the outset can go a long way in ensuring that they develop a lasting interest.
This might be the start of a life-long interest in art!
Alissa Zorn is an author, and founder of the website Overthought This. She's a coach and cartoonist passionate about helping people overcome perfectionism and shame to build authentic, joyful lives. Alissa is certified through the International Coach Federation and got her Trauma-Informed Coaching certification from Moving the Human Spirit. She wrote Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection, Not Perfection, and is always following curiosity to find her next creative endeavor.