The 9 Best Pottery Wheels For Beginners – So Good, They’re Pretty Much Meltdown Proof!

If you’re looking for hobbies that engage your child’s creative spirit without encouraging crayon colorings on our walls, getting a pottery wheel for beginners may be the right move while we’re stuck at home. Pottery wheel for kids specifically can yield a lot of independent, creative time with minimal investment. Pottery making for kids can lead to improved self-esteem and gross motor skills, as well as decreased stress, anxiety, and hyperactivity, (and maybe some interesting-looking tchotchkes around the house). There is just something alluring about the smooth motion of clay spinning around a pottery wheel (Patrick Swayze in Ghost anyone?). What better way to have fun with your little one (or give yourself time for a nice break) and give them a new way to be creative than giving it as a birthday or holiday gift?

Among the various creative benefits of creating pottery, it also will help your kiddos relax and keep calm. When working with the pottery wheel, kids are so engrossed in the clay and creativity that they focus in depth on a single masterpiece. For kids not quite ready for a pottery wheel, the simple molding and playing with clay is enough to keep them intrigued. It’s like Play-Doh with a purpose. The smooth turn of the clay keeps them honed in while their imagination is running wild on the inside! Can they create purple frogs? Sure! Three-legged dinosaurs? Why not! Clay is a perfect tool for younger kids to handle because it’s easily moldable even with their small hands. Make a mistake? Just roll it in a ball and start over. (If only we could do this in life too!)

All of this smoothing and rolling and shaping is actually shaping our LOs hand-eye coordination and building arm and hand muscles as well. Achieving a perfect piece of art is not the goal for pottery for kids. Instead, we are using this to champion creativity and help kids build self-esteem as they mess up and keep going and eventually create something fun! Do you need to use the mugs, pencil holders and dishes they’ll create? No. Seriously, no. But you can keep them on display and ooze with proudness every time you walk by your custom piece of art.

We’ve compiled nine of the best pottery wheels and clay kits guaranteed to keep creativity at an all-time high all year round. It’ll quickly become one of their favorite toys and activities (right along with their legos and magnetic toys). They’re so fun and easy, you might just get in on the action yourself! (Note to buyers— make sure you’ve got batteries and a plastic tablecloth or newspaper at the ready. The kids will want to use these immediately.)

Best Pottery Wheels for Younger Kids Ages (6 & Up)

Arguably the best of the best for kids pottery wheels is the MindWare Pottery Wheel for Beginners. It’s basically the Dyson of kids pottery wheels. Designed to be the strongest and most durable, MindWare goes so far as to include an ac adapter to power this beauty. (That’s right — no batteries needed here!) Because of the power adapter, this pottery wheel is able to have multiple speeds and multiple directions, making for better quality products (we hope). This starter kit comes with the biggest bounty of all; including 2 ½ pounds of clay, 12 paints, a splatter screen, and multiple tools for molding, carving, and cutting. Our favorite feature however is the attention to safety. Sure a splatter screen is nice for protecting our walls, but MindWare put a pressure sensor in this pottery wheel. If too much pressure is applied, then the wheel stops to prevent overheating or burning out of the motor. Meaning we can relax and enjoy the new dinnerware soon to come our way! (#justkidding)

Rated five stars by a 13 year old on Amazon, (we all know they don’t like anything, EVER!) this pottery wheel for beginners by Cra-Z-Art is a guaranteed win. Budget friendly and stocked with enough supplies to complete multiple projects, our little ones will be ready for hours of fun. Be sure to provide a container of water nearby for continuous dipping of the hands, or working the clay will definitely spark frustration. The foot pedal will give our LOs control when they need it by allowing the wheel to start and stop on their command, enabling them to fix their work as needed. Once Picasso molds through the included two pounds of air dry clay, it’s time to bedazzle! For decorating the finished piece, this kit includes every possible art supply: six brightly colored paints, a glitter pen, and sparkling gems to complete the look.

Pottery Cool Studio is a perfect setup for beginning sculpture. This all in one kit includes everything our LOs need to get started (except the C batteries of course)! The five metallic paints are one of the standouts of this set. They’re plentiful enough to coat all the projects included. Some of the projects are trickier than others, however the step by step directions make it all doable. Ideal for kids aged 6 & up, the Pottery Cool Studio Kit is easy enough to set up and maneuver (with the detailed instructions) that our kids can even do it themselves, leaving us some much needed “me time”!

This pottery set-up by MindWare is slightly different than a few of the rest on the list. It has a hand-wheel, so that children can manually make their creations. All of the tools inside are designed for kids, so you can feel confident that they can use them on their own without too much adult supervision. This wheel doesn’t come with clay, but you can use either the air dry or polymer variety to get started.

Best Pottery Wheels for Older Kids Ages (8 & Up)

Faber-Castell’s Do Art Pottery Studio is more than just an artist’s creation station, it’s a full on studio— apron included! The illustrated instructions also provide a little mini history lesson of pottery as a craft. We know most kids just want to get their hands (okay whole bodies) dirty and make something to put in their room. Older kids who are really getting into the craft will appreciate these tidbits of information, especially if they want to continue with this hobby. Although this is a battery powered wheel, there are two options for making it move – the foot pedal and a flip switch. This kit opens up the opportunities for creation with a wider variety of projects, including ornaments and beads for a necklace. Get ready, we are going to be bedazzled and they are going to expect us to wear it! (We won’t tell if you take it off in the car each day, just remember to put it back on before pick-up!)

The IAMGlobal Pottery Wheel is a best seller on Amazon. The battery operated wheel comes with 800g of air-dry clay, 1 cutting cord, 2 sculpting tools, and 6 colors of metallic paint for decorating. One mom reviewed, “So happy with this purchase! Have been looking for creative things for my little ones to do, to get them off the video games! This pottery wheel was just the thing! Hours of fun and bonding time. My kids age in range from 8-14 and they all enjoyed it! Easy to use , sturdy and durable! Amazing value!! One of my favorite Amazon purchases ever!”

Sick of the noise of a battery operated potter wheel? Well here’s a new idea. The USB Mini Pottery Wheel Machine has more power and less noise (Whoohooo!) and an adjustable speed motor creating a real pottery experience every time. This is definitely a machine for teens (or for us mamas who let our kids “help”). It’s still small and compact like a plastic pottery kit, making it good for younger people, but the speed is not controlled by our child’s foot. Like other electric wheels, there is an adjustable knob on the side to allow for the correct speed for anything our LOs can dream up! Clay is not included, but this could be an opportunity to try firing clay, which needs to be fired in a kiln, or you can buy assorted colors of air dry clay in packs on Amazon. ” We love this! Has kept the kids busy for hours each day!” said one Amazon reviewer. “The kids are always wanting to get on it and they have made some very cute stuff!”

One of the best parts about this National Geographic pottery wheel is the fact that it comes with everything you need to get started right away. The kit includes two pounds of air dry clay, three arm attachments, and three sculpting tools so that your kiddos can create their own unique masterpieces. This one also doesn’t rely on batteries. The company made sure their version was powered with a two-speed AC-powered motor, so pottery projects will never slow down or lag.

Pottery wheel aside, how cute is the company name of “Buddy N Buddies”? Surely your kids would love to create some pottery with their buddies, so it’s quite fitting. This set is great for kids over the age of eight. Available in blue, pink, or yellow, your child can feel like this wheel is more personalized towards them. This kit also comes with clay, acrylic paint, and paint brushes to help them create the ultimate best vases and bowls. As one reviewer claims, it’s also not too bad for teens. “Bought this for my 13-year-old, keeps her off the phone!” they wrote.

Looking for more fun and engaging kids crafts to keep the littles occupied? Check out all of our recommended kids toys on our Spotted page.