If you’re going to start your kid off on the drums, you might as well start them off young.
Learning to play an instrument takes time, and because kids have so much time and energy to dedicate to the craft, they can improve rapidly – especially if they enjoy playing music.
But part of empowering your child is setting them up for success.
How do you do that?
By buying them an instrument that makes it easy and fun for them to play.
So, let’s look at the best junior drum kits for kids.
Mendini By Cecilio MJDS-1-BR 13 Inch 3-Piece Kids/Junior Drum Set
The Mendini by Cecilio three-piece kit comes with a 8” x 13” bass drum with four lugs and a bass drum pedal, 6” x 8” mounted tom with four lugs, 4” x 10” mounted snare with four lugs and an 8” cymbal with cymbal arm.
This kit is available in Metallic Red, Metallic Blue, Metallic Green, Black Metallic and Metallic Purple, giving you the opportunity to buy a kit that’s decked out in your child’s favorite color.
The bundle also comes with a pair of wood drumsticks, padded drum throne and easy to read setup instructions.
Assembly for the Cecilio drumkit is required.
Recommended ages: 3 to 6 years old.
Highlights: Nice-looking, affordable bundle deal with all the essentials.
It’s also easy to assemble.
Negatives: It’s not the best sounding drumkit, nor is it the sturdiest.
It doesn’t come with a hi-hat either.
You can’t win them all, especially at this price range.
Mendini By Cecilio MJDS-5-SR 16 Inch 5-Piece Complete Kids/Junior Drum Set
The five-piece Mendini kit comes with a 16” x 11” bass drum, 10” x 5” and 8” x 6” tom toms, 12” x 10” floor tom, 10” x 6” matching snare drum, 8” hi-hat with stand and a 10” crash cymbal with bass drum mounted stand.
This kit also comes with a round, padded height adjustable drum throne, bass drum pedal, a pair of wooden drumsticks and easy to read setup instructions – assembly required.
You can find this kit in Black, Blue, Green, Silver, Wine Red and Bright Red, so there are plenty of colors to choose from.
Recommended ages: Cecilio has not posted recommended ages and instead suggests this kit is ideal for kids measuring 2’ 5” to 5’ tall.
Highlights: Relatively affordable five-piece bundle with a great sound, at least as far as kid’s drum sets are concerned.
Negatives: Not the most durable kit.
Doesn’t come with a ride cymbal either, though not many junior kits do.
Ludwig LC178X025 Questlove Pocket Kit 4-Piece Drum Set
Developed with beginners in mind, the Ludwig LC178X025 Questlove Pocket Kit comes with a 16” bass drum, 10” tom, 13” floor tom, 12” snare drum, foot pedal, throne and an exclusive easy to follow six-part online lesson plan with Questlove himself.
The Ludwig kit is available in Black, Red Wine and White Sparkle.
Recommended ages: 4 to 10 years old.
Highlights: Can be used by both kids and adults.
It also has great sound quality.
Negatives: While affordable, this kit still costs more than many junior drum sets.
Allegedly, setup instructions are not included either.
Ludwig Junior 5 Piece Drum Set With Cymbals
The Ludwig five-piece drum set comes with everything pictured.
The drums are tunable, which can be a major factor when it comes to how the drums sound.
This kit is available in Black, Blue and Wine.
Ludwig claims this isn’t a toy – it’s just a smaller version of a full-sized, quality kit.
Recommended ages: The manufacturer has not posted a suggested age range for this kit.
Highlights: Looks good, sounds good and it’s great for what it is.
Don’t expect a professional quality drum kit at this price point (ever), but it’s a good starter set.
Negatives: Not durable and assembly instructions are not included.
It also costs more than the Questlove kit.
RockJam RJ103-BK 3-Piece Junior Drum Set
Also available as a five-piece kit, the simple RockJam RJ10-BK three-piece junior drum set with a 16” x 12” bass drum, chain drive foot pedal and four lugs, standalone 10” x 5” snare drum with stand, hanging 10” x 7” tom tom and hanging 10″ crash cymbal.
The convenient bundle arrives with a lightweight pair of drumsticks and an adjustable drum throne.
The RockJam kit is available in Black and Metallic Red.
Recommended ages: 3 to 7.
Highlights: The kit comes nicely packaged in the mail and is a lot of fun for kids to play.
Negatives: Apparently sound quality leaves something to be desired and the kick pedal isn’t as durable as it could be.
Union DBJ5052(DB) 5-Piece Junior Drum Set
The Union DBJ5052(DB) five-piece drum set comes with a 10” x 16” bass drum, 5” x 8” and 6” x 10” rack toms, 11” x 13” floor tom and a 5” x 12” wood snare drum.
It also comes with a hi-hat, crash cymbal and hardware, including snare stand, hi-hat stand, straight cymbal stand, chain drive bass drum pedal and drum throne.
Union has thrown in a couple of accessories as well, in the form of drumsticks and a drum tuning key.
The Union kit is available in Black, Metallic Blue, Wine Red and Dark Blue.
Recommended ages: 3 to 8 years old.
Highlights: Affordable, durable and easy to assemble.
Negatives: Not a professional grade drum kit (never mistake a junior kit for one) and apparently the heads it comes with aren’t anything special.
Heads are replaceable, by the way.
LAGRIMA 16 Inch 5-Piece Complete Kids/Junior Drum Set
The LAGRIMA five-piece set comes with genuine poplar hardwood shells, double layer oil skins and stainless-steel cymbals holder.
Included in this kit is a 16 x 11 bass drum, 10 x 6 tom, 8 x 6 tom, 13 x 11 floor tom, 12 x 5 snare drum, 10” brass crash-ride and 8” hybrid hi-hats.
It also comes with a few hardware pieces – cymbal stand, hi-hat stand, snare stand, bass drum pedal, throne and two tom holders.
The LAGRIMA kit is available in Sparkling Bright Blue and Sparkling Bright Red.
Recommended ages: The manufacturer makes no claims beyond being perfect for the “young drummer.”
Highlights: Attractive kit with everything you need to get started.
Good tone, too.
Negatives: None specifically, but we’re always open to hearing what you have to say.
Spectrum AIL 620B 3-Piece Junior Drum Set
The Spectrum AIL 620B three-piece junior drum set is available in Electric Blue and Rockstar Red.
The kit comes with a bass drum, tom tom and snare, as well as an 8” crash cymbal with stand, adjustable drum throne, drumsticks and bass drum pedal.
The stands and throne come with non-skid rubber feet.
Some assembly is required for the Spectrum kit.
Recommended ages: Manufacturer makes no claims, but they do note it’s a choking hazard and is not be utilized by children under 3.
Highlights: Reasonable cost, durable and fun to play.
Negatives: Customers have noted some issues with size.
This kit may not be ideal for children over 7 or 8.
Eastar EDS-280Bu 16 Inch 3 Piece Kids Junior Drum Set
The Eastar EDS-280Bu three-piece kit comes with a 16 x 10 bass drum, 10 x 5 snare drum and 8 x 6 tom.
Made of poplar wood, the kit comes with high-quality drum skins, kid’s drumsticks, 7A wooden drumsticks, adjustable snare drum belt, setup instructions and a 12-month warranty.
Additionally, the bass drum features a six-drum-lug structure.
You can get the Eastar kit in Metallic Blue, Metallic Green and Mirror Black.
Recommended ages: 3 to 8.
Highlights: Reasonable price for just the basics and it sounds decent too.
Negatives: None specifically, but we’d love to hear your thoughts.
De Rosa DRM316-MPK Junior 3-Piece 16-Inch Drum Set
Also available in a smaller 12-inch configuration, the De Rosa DRM316-MPK junior kit comes in Black, Blue, Green, Pink, Red and Silver.
Manufacturer claims this is a real drumkit scaled down to child size and is made with birch wood and authentic metal hardware.
This package includes a 16” bass drum, 10” tom tom, 10” snare and 8” cymbal.
Some assembly is required.
You also get drumsticks, bass drum pedal and a junior drum throne with the De Rosa bundle.
Recommended ages: 8 and up.
Highlights: Available in a variety of colors, made with birch wood.
Negatives: A little pricy for a kit in this range.
CB SKY 13 Inch 5-Piece Kids/Junior Drum Set/Beginner
The CB SKY 13-inch five-piece drum set comes with a bass drum, tom drum, snare drum, height adjustable stool and cymbal.
The seat is retardant sponge and the cymbal and drum shells feature lead free stainless steel.
The CB SKY drums come with durable PET drumheads.
Recommended ages: 3 to 8.
Highlights: Good price, easy to assemble and sturdy.
Negatives: Not recommended for children over 8.
Not a five-piece kit as advertised (this is actually a three-piece kit).
GP Percussion GP55WR 5-Piece Junior Drum Set
The GP Percussion GP55WR five-piece junior drum set comes with clear GP logo drumheads, GP logo cymbals, bass drum pedal, drumsticks and drum key.
Everything you see is included with the Granite Percussion kit.
Recommended ages: Manufacturer does not offer guidance, but it’s not for kids under 3.
Highlights: Good price for what you get.
Negatives: Assembly is apparently a bit of a challenge as the kit does not come with the right setup instructions.
Union UJ3 3-Piece Junior Drum Set
The Union UJ3 comes with a 10 x 16 bass drum, 6 x 10 tom, 5 x 10 snare, snare stand, hi-hat stand, chain drive bass drum pedal, drum throne, hi-hats, crash and tuning key.
This kit is available in Metallic Red, Black, Pink and Dark Blue.
Recommended ages: 3 to 8.
Highlights: Good price, good sound, stylish and fun to play.
Negatives: Some customers have had issues with the included throne, citing stability issues.
Pacific Drums PDJR18KTCB PDP Junior 5-Piece Drum Set
The Pacific Drums PDJR18KTCB PDP junior set features a kick drum, two rack toms, a floor tom, snare, crash cymbal and hi-hats.
All hardware, including the junior throne are included in the Pacific Drums and Percussion kit.
Recommended ages: 3 to 7 years old.
Highlights: Solid sound.
Negatives: Kind of pricy and apparently the packaging kind of sucks (if that matters to you).
First Act Discovery FAD0140
The First Act Discovery FAD0140 drums come with bass drum and foot pedal, snare drum, tom drum, drum key, drumsticks, drum seat as well as a Color & Shape Learning Guide for visual learning.
While this does appear to be a toy kit, the drums are tunable and it comes with patented push mounts, which makes it easy to assemble.
The First Act kit is available in Pink Sparkles and Blue Stars.
Recommended ages: 6 and up.
Highlights: Attractive design and price point.
Relatively easy to assemble.
Negatives: Questionable durability.
GP Percussion GP50SV Complete Junior Drum Set
The GP Percussion GP50SV kit comes with bass drum, tom-tom with holder, snare with stand, 10” cymbal with holder, junior hi-hat cymbal with stand, bass drum pedal, junior drummer’s throne, drum key and drumsticks.
Recommended ages: Manufacturer does not offer any suggestions.
Highlights: Relatively easy to assemble, good sound quality and kids love it.
Negatives: Apparently the snare assembly is a little unusual.
Price is slightly on the higher side for a junior kit.
Other than that, this appears to be a solid choice.
Music Alley DBJK02-MR Kids 3-Piece Beginners Drum Kit
You can get the Music Alley DBJK02-MR three-piece beginner kit in Black, Blue and Metallic Red.
The Music Alley kit comes with two hanging tom-toms, cymbal, bass drum with lugs, bass pedal as well as drumsticks and a stool.
Recommended ages: 4 to 7.
Highlights: Affordably priced, good sound and decent quality.
Negatives: No snare, which is a tad unusual (you could always use one of the toms as a snare instead).
Decent quality but not necessarily the best.
ddrum D1 Junior Complete Drum Set
The ddrum D1 junior kit comes in Police Blue, Midnight Black and Candy Red.
This ddrum kit comes with 5 x 8 and 5 x 10 rack toms, 10 x 13 floor tom, 4 x 12 snare drum, 10 x 16 bass drum, 12 inch crash cymbal, 10 inch hi-hats, a pair of sticks, throne, hi hat stand, snare stand, bass drum pedal, straight cymbal stand and two tom holders.
Recommended ages: No manufacturer recommendations.
Highlights: A solid drum kit.
Negatives: Somewhat costly and cymbals certainly leave something to be desired when matched with the rest of the kit.
Is There Something Specific I Should Be Paying Attention To When Buying A Junior Drum Set?
You asked – we listened.
If you haven’t figured out which drum kit to buy yet, you should see your question answered in the sections that follow.
And, of course, if you don’t see your question answered here, be sure to let us know, so we can get to it in the future.
So, is there something specific you should be looking at while shopping for a kit?
As the buyer you are the most qualified person to make that decision, but we always like to offer a few constructive tips.
Here are the core elements we like to consider when buying a junior drum set:
Sound Quality/Loudness
Sound quality and loudness is probably not the foremost factor when we’re talking about starter kits, but it stands as a minor consideration.
Don’t let your expectations get out of control in terms of sound quality, because you’re not going to get an amazing sounding drum kit at this level, no matter how hard you try.
Some do sound better than others, and to that extent, we’d suggest watching demos or reviews on YouTube, if you can find them, to get a sense of how they sound.
In terms of loudness, be prepared for it.
Most drums kits are loud and that’s normal.
Parents usually find it’s a good thing, because they know when their kids are playing.
But if you’re worried about this, then soundproofing a room is not a bad idea.
Otherwise, ear plugs can certainly come in handy.
Durability/Sturdiness
All things being equal, it’s nice to have a kit that’s relatively sturdy and robust.
You can only expect so much at this price range, but again, certain kits are better than others.
Generally, I would discourage you from constantly moving the kit to different locations in the house, because that could result in unwanted wear and tear over time.
Keep the kit in its designated spot.
Beyond that, it’s always nice to be working with sturdy gear when it comes to kids.
They don’t necessarily understand or know the proper handling of instruments and may do unusual things with the gear, which can sometimes result in damage.
We find most kits on the list are good enough, but if you’re in any doubt, do your research.
Also know that it’s not unusual for cheap cymbals to break easily.
Safety
Obviously, it’s nice to know that your child will not be in harm’s way while banging away on their kit.
There are some basic risks you can’t always prevent – hitting oneself with a stick, a stand falling over, accidentally bumping into the drum set and so on.
What you can do is ensure the kit is made of safe materials and that there are no choking hazards (and, if there are, ensure that the drum kit is out of reach when you’re not monitoring your child).
Drum kits are generally safe and most manufacturers have taken the time and care necessary to ensure nothing unusual happens but it’s always best to be careful.
Budget
The price range for beginner kits is predictable.
With that in mind, you may not have a lot to spend on a kit for your child.
Spend responsibly and don’t go over budget unnecessarily.
And, if you don’t have the money right now, take your time and save up.
Features/Accessories
Ensure you’re getting everything you need with the drum kit.
You can always purchase additional accessories if necessary, but if you’re expecting the kit you purchase to have everything you need, double check the product description before purchase.
Most kits include hardware (stands, pedals, etc.), drumsticks and a throne, which is the bare minimum.
Depending on your needs, you might want additional accessories like a drum key.
You know what you need best, so purchase based on your requirements.
Also, you don’t necessarily need to buy based on the bundle offered.
You can always buy a kit that appeals to you most and then purchase any other components you need later.
Age Appropriate
This can be a tougher area to navigate but in general we suggest buying a kit that’s age appropriate.
Smaller kits are generally fine for kids aged three to seven.
Kids can grow rather rapidly between the ages of eight to 10, and it’s best to buy a bigger kit for kids at this age.
There aren’t any one size fits all solutions here, so choose based on your child and their growth.
3-Piece Kit? 5-Piece Kit? Other? What’s The Difference & Which One Should I Buy?
So, there are some basic differences between a three-piece and five-piece kit.
One, the number of drums included.
A three-piece kit will often come with a bass drum, tom and snare (though different configurations are available).
A five-piece kit usually includes a bass drum, floor tom, two rack toms and a snare (again, different setups are available).
Two, the price.
There can certainly be a price difference between the two setups and that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Three, ease of use.
Three-piece kits can be a little easier to wrap your head around.
With drums, each piece plays a different role, whether a tom or a cymbal.
This doesn’t make much of a difference if you’re just looking to let your child have some fun on their instrument.
But if you want them to take the craft seriously or put them into lessons later, this can be somewhat of an important factor.
Five pieces is obviously more to think about.
This is not good or bad – just something to be mindful of as you’re deciding what kit to buy.
With these three points established, it’s still up to you.
There isn’t a right and wrong answer here, and it depends on what you see working best for your child.
If My Child Is Getting Into Lessons, Should They Have Their Own Drum Kit?
It’s generally a good idea.
Lessons usually last for 30 minutes to 60 minutes once per week – even less if you choose to have lessons biweekly or monthly.
That means your child only gets to spend so much time with a drum kit, whether it’s at the teacher’s home, lesson studio, church, school or otherwise.
By the time that amount of time has passed, your child has already forgotten what they learned, and they’re basically back at square one for next lesson.
If you wanted to learn Spanish, you wouldn’t just go in for a few lessons here and there.
The lessons cost money and that would make you take the process more seriously.
You would do your homework.
And, if you were serious about learning fast, you might even watch Spanish TV, practice speaking Spanish with a friend who’s fluent, put some money into Spanish literature, and so on.
It works much the same way with an instrument.
If you own it, you can practice whenever you want and retain what you learned in class.
You take it more seriously, too.
If you want your child to get good at the drums, it would be wise to purchase a kit.
Any Alternatives Worth Considering? A Full-Size/Standard Size Kit Perhaps?
In addition to junior kits, beginner friendly electronic kits can also be a good option.
Full-size kits are a good idea if your child is excited about the drums and they’re playing a lot.
You might end up putting them into lessons, or they might even begin playing in a school band, in which case they are going to need a kit of their own – preferably a full-size kit.
Full-size kits can also be great for jamming in general and if your child ends up getting together with friends to jam, they’ll appreciate having a drum set that sounds good.
Just make sure the kit isn’t too big for your child.
Full-size kits are certainly bigger than junior size kits.
Also note that standard entry level kits can cost more than junior drum sets.
If your child is especially young and they aren’t ready for a junior kit yet, you might look at the various toy drum sets that are available.
Brands like VTech, IQ Toys, Dimple and many others all provide fun and colorful toys that can be great for younger children.
Although most of these toys aren’t much like junior drum kits or for that matter full-size kits, they can teach your child the basics of percussion and rhythm, which can be a good stepping-stone onto the drums.
So, if junior kits just aren’t right for you or aren’t what you’re looking for, there are a few other options you can research.
Your budget and requirements are two important factors to keep in mind while searching for the right solution.
Go And Find Your Perfect Junior Drum Kit Now
Having done your research, there is truly only one thing left to do – buy a drum kit for your child.
There are many options to choose from, though ultimately, many of them are within the same price range with the same features and about the same level of quality.
If you’re looking for a high-quality kit, then make sure to buy a proper beginner level kit instead of a junior kit.
It will cost more, but in the end both you and your youngster will be happier for it.
If you just want to give things a try and your child loves playing the drums, then buy a kit on this list.