I made a drawing wall for my toddler

Late last year I made this drawing wall for my toddler and it’s one of my favourite things we have done for him. I obviously love drawing, so it’s an activity that I want to encourage. I couldn’t think of anything better than a massive drawing wall in my living room. Yes, there has been drawing on the walls, fridge, floors and furniture but I honestly don’t care. He has gotten a lot better and 99% of the time draws on the paper now (he has just turned 2).

I can’t claim that this was my own idea. I was inspired by a few different drawing walls that I had seen on Instagram. They however all used a whiteboard backing and magnets to hold the paper. I didn’t really want to spend the money on a whiteboard. So I came up with this idea to use a plywood backing (and old piece we already had, so it feels free). The paper is held down at the bottom with a wooden bar. The paper is then secured at the top with a wooden panel that has four VERY strong magnets attached, this then magnets to a metal piece that is screwed to the plywood backing. You could probably use any metal that magnets attach to but I got this magnetic memo board from Officeworks. The paper holder at the top is a hacked version of the kids IKEA paper dispenser. We hung the paper holder upside down and left off the paper tearer.

We use this paper wall nearly every day and I think it will be something that we continue to enjoy for years. I have even used it on my own to doodle after my son has gone to bed!

We also recently started using his toddler tower with the drawing wall so that he can reach the top of the paper! This has been a game changer as I was previously just holding him up.

I also love using the drawing wall as decoration for special occasions! This was the set up for Hamish’s second birthday!