How to Build a Homemade Table for Your Kids

Because of their small stature, kids love things that fit their little hands and bodies. Take a table, for example. Sitting at an “adult” table is hard. The chairs are heavy to pull in and out, and often too wide, and the table is too high. They have to sit on their knees to reach the tabletop, which is often uncomfortable. Kids would rather sit at a table that’s “just their size”. Instead of buying one, why not learn how to build a homemade table for your kids? Your kids will use their “kid-sized” table to color, play with small toys, and eat a snack.

So the main advantage of building a homemade table for your kids is that you can make it the width and height you want. You can also stain or paint it the color you want. And, another advantage to building your homemade table, as opposed to buying one, is that it can become an heirloom as it’s passed down from generation to generation.

The first step in this project is to decide how tall and wide your homemade table is going to be. Keep in mind that the table will need to seat your kids and maybe one or two friends from time to time.

Then, the second step is to obtain the wood you’ll need for construction. Pine wood is easy to work with, but it’s a soft wood that doesn’t always hold up well. The strongest furniture is made from Oak, Maple, and Cherry woods.

You’ll need four- one inch by two inch pieces of wood. These will be the legs of the table and will make up most of the height. You can use them as they are. Or, you can use a lathe to taper them so they are fancier looking. To look right, just make sure the top of each table leg is larger than the bottom.

Once you have shaped the table legs to your satisfaction, use a piece of sandpaper to smooth off the bottom ends where the legs will set on the floor.

Now, you’ll need two more long pieces and two short pieces of wood. They will be the same one by two inch diameter. The longer pieces will need to be the length of the homemade table for your kids. The shorter pieces will measure the width of the table.

The third step is to place these four pieces of wood in a rectangular pattern. Connect the four corners together by using an electric drill with a screwdriver bit and wood screws. You now have built the frame of the tabletop.

You’ll need to fit the legs -one at a time- inside the frame at each corner. Securely attach each table leg to the frame by again using the electric drill and additional wood screws.

The fourth step is to measure and cut out a piece of wood for the table top. The tabletop should be large enough so it hangs over the edge of the frame a couple of inches. A quarter-inch to half-inch table top would make a nice thick, hard surface for your kids to play on.

Before you secure the table top to the frame, use a piece of sandpaper and smooth out any rough edges. Then, place the table top on the frame and use additional wood screws to secure it into place.

The final step in this project to build a homemade table for your kids, is to stain or paint the table whatever color you desire. If you choose to stain it, use a good-quality varnish or polyurethane to protect the wood with.