Are you searching for the perfect kids' desk? We tested 4 of the top desks for kids to find the best options on the market for children of all ages. We were too! With more kids learning from home than ever, a designated kid-sized space for class meetings and schoolwork can benefit their productivity. We purchased and tested each desk with different styles of computers and workloads. Each desk was assessed for ease of assembly, ease of use, quality, and more. After weeks of at-home, hands-on use, we have the details to find the best desk for your situation, child, and budget.
Material: Carbon Fiber Laminate & Metal | Dimensions: 51" x 23.43" x 35.8"
REASONS TO BUY
Lots of features
Large desktop
Sturdy quality
REASONS TO AVOID
Longer assembly time
No shelves
The Amazon Basics Gaming desk is anything but basic, and we can't love it more than we do. This easy-to-assemble desk has the largest work surface in the group and includes an accessory for almost anything. While it is advertised as a gaming-centric desk, we think it is the best desk for practically any at-home learner of any age, suitable for almost any purpose. This desk includes an attached monitor stand, speaker shelves, a headphone hook, a tablet stand, and more. The legs are sturdy metal, and it stays level on various surfaces. We like that the top has enough space for a keyboard or laptop, and there is still room for writing paper and an open school book, something not seen in most of the competition. It also has a keyboard tray and a power strip tray in the back for cord organization if you need more space.
This desk doesn't have shelves or drawers for smaller items like pencils and erasers. We'd love to see it with a pull-out keyboard tray, but we think most kids can get by without it. From our experience, it takes almost an hour to assemble with one person, but the assembly wasn't complicated, and we'd rather have something take longer than be harder. Overall, we think this is the best desk in the group; actually, our testers fought over this desk, and we purchased a second! Between its reasonable price tag and long potential lifespan, we think this option is an excellent buy for kids over 7 or 8.
The Amazon Basics Gaming desk is a cool desk with ample room and lots of accessories for keeping things in their place.
Material: Metal & Plastic | Dimensions: 26.2" x 14.3" x (21.3"-30" height)
REASONS TO BUY
Comes with chair
Adjustable lamp
Sliding storage drawer
REASONS TO AVOID
Potential pinch hazard
Smaller desktop
The Diroan Kids Functional Desk and Chair Set harkens back to a bygone era when children had identical desks with a lift-top lid to house their books and supplies. This newly updated version has a lift-top lid for different angled activities and a pull-out drawer for supplies, so you no longer need a clear top to get to your goods. We like the rotating and bendable lamp with varying strengths and the different cubbies on the worktop and the pull-out drawer. Our testers loved this little desk, and it made some feel like big kids and professionals with all the little gadgets like the book holder and lamp. The desk and included chair are both height-adjustable, and adjustments are simple. The chair's bottom and back are sturdy plastic, and our 100 lbs tester had no trouble.
This desk is smaller, and we aren't convinced it is a good solution for teenagers as the manufacturer claims. The worktop is small, and it won't hold a laptop, book, and writing paper all at once, making it a poor solution for older kids who may need to write while in an online meeting. Also, the lid angle adjustment is weird and not easy for younger kids to use independently. We worry about potential pinching and other injuries if young children try to make changes without an adult. This desk is a good solution for younger children or those who need less space for schoolwork. We also think those with smaller homes will appreciate its smaller footprint; keep in mind the lifespan is probably shorter than the manufacturer claims.
The Diroan Kids Functional Desk has a larger top than its similar competitor, and we like the lamp that sets it apart from the competition.
The Guidecraft Children's Media Desk is a heavy desk with a hutch and chair. This desk has a stature good for elementary kids under 8, and the shelves and chair are perfect for smaller kids and their fewer supplies. We like this desk's quality and the oversized surface top, and younger testers liked its similarity to a grownup desk. It comes in various colors, and the manufacturer claims it works for 5-12-year-olds.
This desk has a complicated assembly with lots of parts, and it is easiest if you have two people working on it. It is also not adjustable, and once your child grows too big for the chair and no longer can fit their knees under the table, that will be all she wrote. With a higher price tag than most of the competition, this could be a deal-breaker factor for some. However, we think this is a high-quality desk that can justify the price by being good for multiple children as a hand-me-down or resale. We like the stylish design that looks nicer than much of the competition.
While we aren't convinced a 12-year-old will fit in this desk set, we do like the quality and the added features not found in most of the competition.
Material: Wood | Dimensions: 16.15" x 23.6" x 23.25"
REASONS TO BUY
Wood
Hidden storage
Included chair
REASONS TO AVOID
Small surface area
Limited lifespan
The Melissa & Doug Wooden Lift-Top Desk & Chair is the cutest pre-schooler desk that little ones will love. This desk and chair combination is the perfect height for little ones under 7, and the all-wood materials make it a sturdy, quality option that multiple kids can use for many years to come. This desk is easy to assemble and has excellent under-lid storage for all your supplies and crafts. It works well in small spaces and can be an excellent snack place.
This desk has a short lifespan, but it also comes with a chair that fits it just right. The tabletop is small, so it isn't a good choice for those who need to use a computer and write simultaneously on the same surface. Because the lid opens, it isn't a good option for those using a monitor either, as you can't access your supplies without moving anything on top. While this desk has some drawbacks that make it a no-go for older kids, it is a high-quality, functional set for little ones to get things done, from crafting to learning, and it can look clean quickly by stowing goods inside.
The lifting table top makes the Melissa and Doug desk good for little ones who need a place to keep supplies and aren't using a laptop.
It is best if your desk has ample storage to keep supplies close at hand and a work surface big enough for your needs.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Why You Should Trust Us
We considered more than 20 potential contenders for our kids' desk review. We looked for economical and durable options knowing that kids can be hard on things they use daily. We narrowed our selection and purchased 8 desks to test side-by-side. As fewer kids were doing remote schooling over the years, some of these have been discontinued, but we believe the current selection, small as it might be, still holds good options for most children who need a desk.
We've been testing gear for babies and kids for over eight years. Leading this review is Senior Review Editor Wendy Schmitz. Wendy is a mother of 2 boys (ages 8 and 10 years old at testing) who complete remote learning. Wendy assembled each desk, and both kid testers used the desks for several weeks.
Some of the desks were over-packaged and took forever to get out of the box, like the SIMBR Kids Desk and Chair Set shown here.
The Amazon Gaming Desk has lots of parts to screw on, but assembly wasn't difficult.
Analysis and Test Results
We purchased and tested top desks for kids to find the best options for little ones doing schoolwork from home. Our testers used each desk during regular school meetings and worked with laptops, monitors, books, etc. We considered ease of assembly, use, features, and quality in our analysis to find award winners.
Most of the desks took almost an hour or more to assemble from getting them out of the box and organizing parts to looking for a drill to avoid forearm fatigue.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Assembly
Each desk in this review needs to be assembled. Each comes with a pack of hardware and instructions, but not all of them are great. Most of the instructions failed to provide written words and only showed pictures, or they offered written instructions by someone who is not a native English speaker, so they weren't as helpful.
The Amazon Basics Desk shelves feel like paper over particleboard and the screws could easily be misaligned if you aren't careful when putting it together.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
The Guidecraft Children's Media Desk has the most parts and takes the most time, but all the pieces line up well, the hardware feels better quality, and nothing stripped in the process. The directions are laid out well with helpful drawings; even if there aren't any words, everything is labeled, and the end product is very sturdy. The Amazon Gaming Desk has lots of add-on parts that take time, but the hardware is good, and we didn't have any trouble but plan accordingly; it takes almost an hour if you go slow and pay attention to the details from unboxing to the finished product.
The TOUNTLETS Teen Computer Desk is a very cheap desk with exposed hardware and screws that are soft with heads that strip easily.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Quality
Most desks offer middle-of-the-road quality suitable for a workspace you don't plan to pass down for generations. They aren't particularly shaky, and we believe all will stand up to regular use of school activities. However, some are of better quality than others, with materials and assembly that indicate they will last longer and withstand the beating kids can dish out when bored in an online classroom.
Our TOUNTLETS Desk came with a damaged board despite some serious packaging. Luckily we were able to hide this chip during the assembly.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
The Amazon Basics Gaming Desk is a good quality choice with a laminated carbon fiber top and sturdy metal legs that keep the desk level with no wobble. The accessories screw onto the tabletop and work well for their intended purposes. Even with feet on the table and using them to push back in chairs, this desk survived under pressure. The all-wood desks also offer nice quality and better looks that complement most rooms.
The Simbr desk is nicer quality than the similar option in this review, but the work surface is smaller, and it lacks the cool lamp found on the other option.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Ease of Use
The larger desks are the easiest to use. Even younger kids need the space for homeschooling as they all use computers or tablets, and those take up space. Some schools offer laptops to students, which take up more surface area than a monitor, and once you add an open book and a piece of paper to write on, there isn't much room for anything else. This lack of space could be less of an issue for younger children as our younger testers fidgeted a lot, and they moved from the chair to the floor frequently enough that work seemed to get done no matter how much space there was.
The Guidecraft Children's Media Desk has a hutch with shelves and corkboard we didn't see on the competition. Plus it comes with a sturdy chair.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
However, testers over nine years old required more space and preferred the open space and accessories of the Amazon Gaming Desk. The surface is carbon fiber laminate and wiped clean with a wet cloth. The accessories provide a place for everything off the table surface, so there is room for all the other stuff kids need. The metal desk, Diroan, has a nice top, but once a laptop is in place, all you'll get is a piece of paper next to it. However, it has a book prop, so you can keep your book open while studying. There is also a pull-out drawer where kids can keep pencils, extra paper, and other supplies, making it easier to use than more straightforward desks that don't offer storage space.
The Diroan comes with a book stand and lamp with three light levels to illuminate your work surface or book.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Features
Some desks in this lineup are pretty basic and have few, if any, features, while other options are full of features that make remote schooling easier to manage. While younger kids attending preschool or elementary school may not need many features for success, older kids might need more flat space and benefit from the additional features found on some desks.
The Amazon Basics Gaming Desk has a lot of features that make it easier or nicer to use including a tablet/phone shelf and speaker shelves.
The Amazon Basics Gaming Desk has loads of useful features that are great for more than gaming. If you have older kids or teenagers, this large desk provides a place for everything from speaker shelves to soft-lined tablet-holder. We like the monitor shelf and the tray that helps organize cords and surge protectors. The only thing missing here is a pull-out keyboard tray. The Guidecraft Children's Media Desk has many cool storage features to help keep little ones organized, with a shelf and storage cubbies everywhere inside the hutch and under the desk surface. This desk also comes with the perfect size chair, which could save you some money trying to find a little chair to match. The Diroan includes a pull-out drawer, book holders, and a tray for pencils and small supplies. The Diroan also has a cool lamp with variable light intensity and a cup holder.
With kids doing more schoolwork from home than ever before, a great desk may be just what you need to set a successful tone.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Conclusion
More children than ever before are taking part in homeschooling or remote school. This relatively new schooling method means finding an excellent desk for schoolwork could be a critical necessity for many children. Given this, we purchased and used the top desks on the market with real kids working from home in virtual classrooms. We hope our testing details and information can help you find the best desk for your needs, even if it isn't one of our award winners.
BabyGearLab was founded by a Pediatrician Mom with a mission to provide a reliable, independent, source of information to new parents. Our experts have tested thousands of baby and kids products to share key performance, health, and safety findings. We spend tens of thousands of dollars crash testing car seats to inform our ratings. And, we combine our review work with gobs of expert parenting advice. To assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing by people who care.
