So your little one has shown an interest in playing the drums? Awesome! However, standard acoustic drum sets are extremely loud and not exactly neighbor-friendly.
If you’re looking to get your little dude their very own drum kit but are nervous about the inevitable racket that will consume your home (and street) from that moment onwards, don’t worry we’ve got you covered.
We recommend the perfect compromise: an electronic drum kit. Electronic drum sets are ideal for entry-level drummers that still want the full drummer experience.
These drums will allow your child to practice as much as they like at any time of day because they’re virtually silent!
They’re super versatile too because these kits still have the option to play aloud as well as in headphones. So your child won’t have to miss out on playing like a pro.
Unfortunately, knowing which kit to go for can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re looking for, so we’ve done all the research for you! Read on to hear about our top 6 electronic drum kits for kids! We’ve also included a super handy buyer's guide to take you through the purchasing process step by step.
OUR TOP PICK
The Roland TD-1DMK Dual-Mesh Kit is a high quality set for your child to learn on. This electronic set is nice and compact, complete with an onboard metronome and 10 coach functions to allow your child to track their skill progression while developing the fundamental elements of drumming.
The educational features have a game-like feel to make them more approachable for young learners. Your child will love these fun and engaging sessions!
Also included are melodics for V-Drums and a free application for Windows/Mac computers that provides free drum lessons designed to develop your child's sense of rhythm without it seeming like hard work.
Additionally, the pads are quieter than other V-drums, so your child can practice without any noise limitations - perfect for at-home practicing that won’t disrupt your entire home.
Not only is this set perfect for kids, it’s also a great practice kit for intermediate players to practice on. It’s got a great response and, as an electric kit, it replicates the feel of a real acoustic kit really well thanks to the adjustable/tunable mesh heads.
Additionally, features include 15 preset drum kits with authentic drum sounds for an accurate and true-to-life drumming experience. Plus, a built-in metronome with adjustable tempo and timing settings to help improve timing.
Its realistic sound will excite and motivate your child to work towards developing their skills to use on a real kit in the future.
This kit is an amazing investment for young learners to use throughout their drumming careers or for a more experienced drummer to practice on at home.
Pros
- Dual-Mesh heads - adjust the tension for both a quiet and realistic drumming experience
- Educational features - 10 on board coaching sessions for tracking progress and motivation to learn
- Value for money - included is a kick, snare, hi-hat & control pedal, 3 toms, a crash and a drum stand. Plus, interactive learning materials
- Suitable for children - compact and adjustable plus educational features
- Long-term use - high quality drum set great for kids and perfect for more experienced players to use for a quiet practice session
Cons
- Does not come with a kick pedal but can be purchased separately
EDITORS CHOICE
The Alesis Drums Nitro Mesh Kit is perfect for beginners, including kids. It’s a great budget option, designed to be outgrown/ used as an entry-level kit.
While this kit isn’t specially designed for children, it is pretty compact and is ideal for anyone aged around seven years and above. Additionally, the drumming pads are adjustable to suit different playing styles.
For an electronic kit, this set does an impressive job of replicating a real set of drums. While it is a compact kit, the elements are properly spread out to feel like a standard acoustic kit.
This product offers great value for money. Included with your purchase is a rubber kick tower, four mesh pads, three 10-inch cymbals and all pedals required. Plus, a four-post aluminum rack, drum sticks, a drum key, connection cables and power supply included.
The Alesis can be plugged into an amplifier for out loud playing or alternatively headphones can be worn - perfect for practicing at home. In fact, this kit is perfect for young learners playing at home. As well as playing into headphones, the mesh heads are super quiet, meaning the sound of drumsticks hitting them will be dampened.
This is an extremely popular model among kids and adult learners alike. This kit even features educational features. With 60 built-in tracks to play along to, the Alesis will have newbie-drummers playing like a pro in no time, regardless of age!
Additional features include a sequencer, metronome, AUX input and performance recorder. All of which will further hone and enhance your drum skills.
Pros
- Mesh drum heads - 4 all-mesh heads included that dampen drumsticks while keeping the sound realistic
- Educational features - 60 play along tracks as well as a sequencer, metronome, AUX input and performance recorder to develop skills
- Value for money - rubber kick tower, 4 mesh pads, 3 cymbals, pedals, built-in features, drumsticks, drum key and more
- Suitable for children - compact and adjustable plus educational features
- Affordable - budget-friendly price, perfect for learners to out-grow
Cons
- While the drumming pads are adjustable, the rack is not, so it will not be suitable for those under five feet tall
BEST VALUE
Another option from Alesis, the Alesis Compact Kit 4 is a smaller model designed for more compact spaces and is great for shorter children that may struggle with a larger full kit.
Though not designed specifically for children, using table-top electronic drum pads are perfect for new learners young and old.
What’s particularly great about this option is the drum coach feature, so your child can practice their rhythm and timing. Other educational features include in-demand sound such as 70 electronic and acoustic drum kit voices, 10 effect voices and 50 play along songs to develop your child’s drum skills.
Plus, a coach feature that shows notes on an LCD screen to instruct your child for an engaging learning experience. Moreover, your child can utilize the games feature to make learning more fun.
Included are four velocity sensitive drum pads, with a built-in speaker and a headphone jack, so your child can keep practicing without disturbing the rest of your home. Alternatively you can use the port to connect to an external speaker.
This machine is battery operated, so you can practice on the go! Alternatively you can plug in using the AC adapter provided to re-charge.
Pros
- Battery operated - can use this anywhere or plug in using AC adapter provided
- Educational features - coach feature shows notes on a screen plus games features
- Value for money - 4 velocity sensitive drum pads, 70 electronic and acoustic drum kit voices, 10 effect voices and 50 play along songs
- Compact - takes up less space than a standard electronic drum kit
- Built-in speaker - volume adjustable plus headphone port that can also be used to connect an external speaker
Cons
- This option is quite small which is what makes it so great for practice on the go but, some users found their older children would benefit from a bigger machine
RUNNER UP
The PAXCESS Electronic Drum Set is a more unconventional option. This roll-up drum set is more like a toy to introduce little learners to playing drums and great for smaller children that aren’t tall enough for full electric kits.
It’s also super handy because it can be simply rolled up and stored away when not in use - the perfect option if you’re limited on space.
These drum sets are the perfect place for little learners to develop a sense of rhythm and fall in love with drumming. They can use the built-in metronome to naturally develop an understanding of timing and rhythm. Moreover, this set comes with eight demo songs to play with and can be connected to a computer to play games and music.
Alternatively, this set can be handy for older/ more experienced drummers to practice on the go. You can alter the positioning at the click of a button to change the hi-hat and snare drum into a normal playing position to better replicate a proper acoustic drum set.
Benefit from a built-in, good quality speaker or plug in some headphones for a quieter experience - particularly good for noisy children or late night playing!
Complete with a 2400 mAh battery that lasts up to 10 hours, it’s super portable! Additionally, it comes with a USB port and cable to allow you to plug it into the electric and re-charge when using it at home.
Pros
- Rechargeable battery - can be used anywhere for up to 10 hours
- Educational features - 8 demo songs, 3 rhythms & games to play along with to develop sense of time and rhythm
- Value for money - includes 1 snare, 3 toms, 1 crash, 1 ride, 1 hi-hat; 2 foot pedals, 8 demo songs & 3 rhythms to play along with, USB charger cable
- Compact - takes up very little space when in use and can be rolled up and stored away when not in use
- Built-in speaker - don’t worry about purchasing a separate amplifier
Cons
- Won’t give your child the feel of a real drum set up but perfect for smaller children
RUNNER UP
This Rabing Kids Electronic Drum Set is aimed specifically at children aged under seven years old. It won't provide the professional, high quality drumming experience of the other products mentioned in this review, but it’s the perfect starter kit for very small children to get a feel for playing a musical instrument and learning about sounds and rhythm.
Perfect for your child's sensory development, this set features 10 engaging songs to play along with, as well as different sound effects, three rhythm simulations, light-up buttons, a brightly colored design and even a microphone to get your child singing along too!
This set is battery-operated and contains a volume adjustable speaker and includes and comes complete with three drum pads and one cymbal, as well as light-up buttons and a microphone as mentioned above. It includes two drumsticks too, so your child will feel like the real deal!
Pros
- Sensory development - flashing light-up buttons, colorful design, sound effects, play along songs and more
- Educational features - 10 play along songs, 3 rhythm simulations
- Value for money - an exciting way to introduce your child to drumming without committing to hundreds of dollars worth of kit
- Compact - takes up very little space when in use
- Built-in speaker - volume adjustable
Cons
- No option to switch to headphone playing, so your little one may disturb the rest of the house with their skills
Electronic Drum Kits for Kids Buying Guide
When it comes to buying your child the perfect first drum kit, it can be hard to know exactly what you’re looking for if you’re not a drummer yourself.
This handy buyer’s guide is designed to break up the buying process into simple jargon-free chunks, so you can feel confident in your purchase.
Pad Construction
Often, people buy electronic drum sets because they want a quieter option than a regular acoustic kit. However, a lot of noise can still come from the drumsticks hitting the pads.
The pad volume all depends on what material the pad is made from. There are four main types of pad construction. These include closed-cell foam/silicone, mesh-headed, rubber over steel, and acoustic-headed with dampening inside. The quietest options are mesh-headed and closed-cell foam.
The four different types of pad will also feel very different when you play them, so it’s a good idea, if you have the option, to take your child to try out a number of different options to see which one they prefer.
Built-in Educational Features
If you’re planning on spending your hard-earned cash on a brand new electronic drum set, you need to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
Some of the best electronic options will come with super handy educational features. These features could include a metronome to teach your child rhythm, coaching/training programs to play along with, realistic drum voices, engaging games and more.
The more motivated your child is by playing drums the more likely they are to stick to it!
Size
Most homes will struggle to fit a full size acoustic kit without clearing out an entire room. This is one of the main reasons why people go for electronic versions. However, some electronic kits are spaced out to replicate an acoustic kit and require more space.
So, if space is an issue for you, maybe a compact table-top set rather than a full-size mounted kit.
These models are great for introducing your child to playing drums without them having to wrap their head around a full kit.
Alternatively, for an even more compact option, try introducing your child to a roll-up drum set like the Alesis Compact Kit.
Electronic Drum Kits for Kids - FAQ's
What is an electronic drum kit?
An electronic drum kit consists of a series of rubber trigger pads, designed to replicate drums found on a standard acoustic drum set. These include the snare drum, toms, bass drum and cymbals. Plus pedals.
These rubber pads are all connected on top of a rack with the pedals on the floor below them. Each pad and peddle are connected to a ‘module’ which is the screen part of the set where you can play along with songs or practice rhythm following the metronome.
Typically, users will wear headphones while playing which is what makes these drums so desirable. Alternatively they either have a built-in speaker or can be easily connected to an external amplifier.
Is an electronic drum set better than an acoustic one?
There is a pretty big difference between the two types. However, with technological advancements in music technology, electronic drum kits are sounding better and more realistic than ever. Plus, they give you the option to play quietly as well as out loud, something an acoustic drum set cannot do.
Moreover, with electronic drum sets the sound possibilities are virtually endless. You can download presets and change drum voices to suit your chosen style. With an acoustic kit you’re pretty much stuck with what you’ve got.
Can you teach yourself drums?
Yes! You can teach yourself drums as long as you have the dedication and willingness to learn and not give up if it’s hard at first.
You can find plenty of free instructional videos and books to learn the basics or play along with. If you’re disciplined, you should be able to master the basics of drumming in just a few weeks!
Additionally, if you have an electronic drum set these often come complete with a number of educational features such as coaching sessions, play along tracks, rhythm practice with the help of a metronome and more.
Can I learn drums without a drum kit?
Lots of people quickly give up on their dream of playing drums because buying a drum kit can be super expensive and requires a lot of space in your home.
But, there are actually plenty of ways you can practice basic drum skills using much cheaper, much smaller items.
If you want something as close to a real drum kit as possible, the next best thing is a table-top electronic drum set. They’re much cheaper than full-size kits and are super compact - hence the name table-top.
Last update on 2023-03-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
