These kids play table plans are inspired by a kids play/craft table on Pottery Barn. The table sits at 24″ high, with two drawers for storing all sorts of art supplies – plus it has a built in holder for an 18″ craft paper roll.
Altogether this kids play table should cost about $100 – $120 in materials, which is less than half of what you would pay by buying a similar table direct from Pottery Barn. And you should be able to complete the whole build in a weekend.
Tools Required
- Table saw, Miter saw, circular saw
- Band saw or jig saw
- Drill / Driver combo
- Brad or finish nailer with 3/4″ and 1 1/2″ nails.
- Pocket hole jig
- Right angle clamp for pocket hole joinery
- 3/4″ spade bit
- Sander & sand paper
- Wood glue
- Double sided tape
Materials Required
- 1 – 4′ x 4′ sheet of 3/4″ plywood
- 1 – 2′ x 4′ sheet of 1/8″ hardboard or plywood
- 3 – 1×4 boards @ 8′
- 6 – poplar 1x3s @ 4′
- 1 – 3/4″ wooden dowel @ 20″
- 1 – 1/2″ x 4″ poplar board @ 1′
- 4 – 1/2″ x 2″ poplar board @ 24″
- 2 – drawer pull knobs
- Craft paper roll holder (if you don’t want to build your own)
- 18″ craft paper roll
- Pocket hole screws (1 1/4″ and 2 1/2″)
- 6 – 2″ wood screws
Step 1: Legs and short skirt boards
We drew these plans specifically to use 2″ x 2″, homemade table legs. You can easily adjust them to use a store bought table leg, which are typically 1 5/8″ square. This just means your skirt board needs to be 21 3/4″ long to account for the slightly smaller size leg.
To make your own legs, cut your 1×3 boards into twelve 24″ pieces. Then face glue three pieces together for each leg. Once the glue dries, take them to the table saw to cut them to the final dimensions of 2″ x 2″ @ 23 1/4″ long.
With the legs ready, it’s time to cut two 21″ lengths from your 1×4 boards (remember to adjust the length if your legs are smaller than 2×2). Drill three pocket holes on each end, and four across what will be the top edge. Use wood glue and the 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws to attach the skirt board, centered on the legs (recessed 5/8″ in on both sides if using true 2×2″ legs).
Step 2: Add a paper roll holder
Building a craft paper roll holder is fairly simple, and the design we’ve included below in these kids play table plans easily allows for rolls that are 2 1/2″ in diameter. Of course, if you don’t want to build your own, you can always buy one and attach it to the skirt board instead. Most commercially available models will stick out past the edge of the table top, which is ok. We’ve just designed ours to stay a little more true to the original Pottery Barn model that inspired our design, so we’ve kept it tucked under the table edge.
To make your own, start with your 1/2″ thick poplar board and cut out four pieces at 3 1/2″ x 2 5/8″. Use the double sided tape to tape all four pieces together in a nice stack. This will let you cut all four pieces at one time to help ensure they are all the same. Mark a line 1 1/2″ out from 3 1/2″ long side, and draw an arc connecting the ends of the line and the center of the opposing 3 1/2″ side. Use your jig saw or band saw to cut the arc, then sand all four smooth.
Now unstick two pieces, and with the other two, drill a 3/4″ hole using your spade bit. This hole should be centered on the 1 1/2″ line so that it is in the middle of the arc. Now mark a 1″ wide opening at a 45° angle from the hole, and cut a slot to the edges of the hole using the jig or band saw. Once you’ve sanded this slot, you should be able to easily slide your 3/4″ dowel in and out.
To put the paper holder all together, glue one piece with a slot to each of the pieces without slots (make certain to have them so they face each other). Then use three 2″ wood screws, predrilled, through the inside of the skirt board into the back of each bracket. Make certain to have them pushed all the way up against the legs.
Step 3: Add the long skirt board
The next step in these kids play table plans is to cut the long skirt board and attach the two leg assemblies. Cut one of the 1×4 boards to 40″ in length (again remember to adjust if your legs are not 2×2″). Then drill 3 pocket holes on each end and 8 along what will be the top. Use wood glue and the pocket hole screws to attach it to the legs, making certain it is centered.
Step 4: Attach the top and remaining skirt board pieces
The top of this play table is made from a simple pieces of 3/4″ plywood, cut to 27″ x 48″. Lay your leg assembly on top of the plywood, and center it. The legs should be inset 2″ from the short ends, and 1″ from the long ends. Use the 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws to attach the three skirt boards to the bottom of the table top.
Now cut two pieces of 1×4 to 3 3/4″ long, and use three pocket hole screws to attach to each leg, and two to attach to the top in a similar fashion as the other skirt board pieces. The most important thing to check here is that these short pieces are attached square to the other skirt boards and in a straight line to each other.
Step 5: Attach the drawer runner supports
Now it’s time to attach the drawer runner supports. All three of these supports are cut from 1x4s @ 22 1/4″ in length. Once these three pieces are cut, and you’ve drilled three pocket holes in one end and four along the top edge, it’ll be time to add the runners. The runners are made by ripping 3/8″ wide strips from your 1/2″ x 2″ poplar board, and then cutting them down to the required 14″ length. Use wood glue and finish nails to attach the runners to the drawer supports. They should be centered, and flush to the end without the three pocket holes drilled. Each outer support gets one runner, while the center support gets two runners (one on each side).
After the runners are attached, use the pocket holes and wood glue to attach the outer runners to the top and the long skirt board. It is extremely important to ensure these are positioned properly and are square. I find it best to use two identical 4″ spacer blocks placed between the skirt board and the support to help ensure they are placed correctly. This will result in the outer supports being offset from the short skirt boards you attached in the previous step by 3/8″. The center drawer support should be positioned exactly in the middle of these two outer runners, again making certain it is 100% square and parallel to both. Using four 15 1/2″ spacer blocks (two on each side) should help you position this board.
Step 6: Build the drawers
We’re going to show a very basic drawer design in these kids play table plans. There are obviously many ways to build drawers, with varying levels of difficulty, which result in sturdier designs. However for a kids play table, these should do just fine.
All four sides of these drawers are going to be made from 1×4 boards, so start by cutting the following pieces:
- 4 sides @ 14″
- 2 fronts @ 16 1/8″
- 2 backs @ 13 7/8″
Now, since we’ll be using a piece of 1/8″ plywood for the bottom of the drawer, we need to cut a 1/8″ wide slot, 1/4″ deep, 1/8″ up from the bottom of each board. So set your table saw blade to 1/4″ deep, and your fence to 1/8″ from the edge of the blade. Now run all eight pieces through your table saw to create this groove.
For the four side pieces you’ll need to cut a 1/2″ wide x 3/8″ deep dado in the middle of the board on the opposite side from the groove you just cut. If you have a dado blade for your table saw, now is a good time to use it. Alternatively, a flat tooth table saw blade can be used to make each of these cuts in a few passes. I love my Ridge Carbide Super Blade for making these type of quick cuts.
Now cut a pieces of 1/8″ plywood or hardboard to 14 5/16″ x 13 1/2″ for the drawer bottom. Attach three sides of the drawer together using wood glue and finish nails, then slide the drawer bottom in place and attach the drawer front. Finish the drawer by adding the drawer pull knob of your choice.
Step 7: Finish and enjoy
At this point, you’ve completed all of the construction of these kids play table plans. Now it is on to finishing. You’ll want to give everything a nice sanding with 120 and then 180 grit sandpaper. For the edges of the table top, you may want to round them over slightly and then use either edge tape or wood filler to hide the exposed plywood edges. Then it is onto painting and letting your kids enjoy their new play table.
If you have any questions about these plans, leave us a comment down below. We’d also love for your to Share your Build so we can all enjoy your finished work.
* This post may have affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting the work I put into this site.