Visionaries designed learning towers to provide parents and children with tools to help them bond, explore simple tasks that can help kids grow physically, and build the foundations for independent play.
Toddlers love hanging out with their moms and dads. They’re eager to learn what it’s like to be grown up and will have fun learning about the small office or kitchen tasks. Parents can keep their kids involved by spending time with them as they work through their tasks for the day. But because of their developing bodies, children can have a hard time just peeking over tables and counters.
To allow them to learn with parents by their side, learning towers provide children with a safe way to reach countertops without fear of falling over or any form of harm. Unlike the possibly hazardous step stool, children will be able to extend their exploration to new heights with the security and stability parents need to focus on their tasks while teaching their curious toddlers new things.
Through this article, parents will be able to explore the various options that they have in discovering the best learning towers for their kids. The list will provide them with vital information that includes product background, specs, and pros and cons.
This guide will also discuss crucial information such as things to consider and more information about why it’s vital to provide your children with the best learning towers for their needs.
What Are Learning Towers?
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Children, especially toddlers, learn in two distinct ways: through their five senses and play. As children grow older and start exploring beyond toys and their playrooms, there are very few places in a household where children can learn better than in the kitchen. Kitchens are rife with activities and sensory experiences to explore as it provides children with an environment that can stimulate their vision, their hearing, their sense of smell, their sense of touch, and their taste buds.
However, the kitchen isn’t exactly the most child-friendly location in the house, as it is also full of tools and instruments that require adult supervision. With these factors in mind, innovative designers developed learning towers to be a way for children to explore the raw information in various places in the home. Designers realized that the best way to give children better freedom to explore their surroundings is by increasing the space they can reach through safe and secure elevation.
Experts describe learning towers as an instrument that professionals “designed to help kids learn and explore.” These thought leaders believe that these inventions help children reach tabletop height alongside parents.
Things To Remember in Buying Learning Towers
You know your kids best. Like any other toy, some learning towers address your kids’ needs better than others. In looking into options for the best learning towers for your children, consider evaluating the ease of assembly, quality of construction, stability, and maintenance.
Be on the lookout for additional features like tower step-ups, adjustable heights, various attachments, and even other modules. These will be difference makers that will affect your kids’ overall experience with the learning towers.
Ease of Assembly
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Remember that you, the parent, are a crucial co-equal factor in choosing the best learning towers for your toddlers. For busy parents, the assembly of learning towers can become a hassle. So, finding a unit that can make things easier for you as parents should be a great factor to remember when purchasing the perfect learning tower for you and your family.
Quality of Construction
As parents, you will notice that every child is different. It’s your job to remember tendencies and habits that might be important to remember in exploring learning tower options. If you feel like your kids love moving around or jumping up and down, it would be wise to invest in learning towers that have a strong constitution and sturdy handlebars.
Stability
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A learning tower’s stability will give children and their parents some security as they move around during their activities. Kids who have a history of being animated during exciting exercises will definitely need more stability. Check on the base of the learning towers and how firmly they take hold of the floor.
Maintenance
Parents are the main figures to consider when it comes to the maintenance of the learning towers. Your busy schedule can only cater to so many tasks, so finding a learning tower for your kids that’s easy to clean will contribute to your day’s efficiency and productivity as well. There are learning towers that are easier to maintain than others due to materials and construction. There are foldable options that you can explore and varieties that will need disassembly if ever you need space in the kitchen or certain areas.
Learning Towers vs Step stools and Other Alternatives
Primarily, safety and security are the two main things that separate the novel learning towers from simple alternatives like step stools or basic chairs. However, these two benefits create a ripple effect that makes learning towers even more special.
The security that both parents and children feel when surrounded by handlebars and various other safety features allows them to concentrate on the activity they have at hand. There will be no fear of falling over and no fear of suddenly slipping. It will allow children to build confidence as they work and nurture a bond with their parents without distractions.
Neuropsychologist Amanda Gummer Ph.D. believes that the beauty of learning towers lies in the fact that children “can help children safely access the work surfaces and feel more leveled with adults, which is good for confidence.”
Learning towers are also popular for developing children’s independence. Through experiences they spend with their parents as they work on tasks like cooking and many other activities, children absorb processes and solutions that they can mimic safely and independently.
Physical development is also among the key factors that learning towers build as kids can jump in and out of the novelty as long as they develop the motor skills, bones, and muscle strength to do so deliberately.
Top Learning Towers in 2023
The best learning towers deliver excellent features when it comes to ease of assembly, quality of construction, stability, maintenance, and extra features.
Editor’s Value Choice: All Circle’s PlayTower
All Circle’s PlayTower includes a removable rear safety bar, and an adjustable top platform to accommodate toddler to ten year olds. The price and quality makes this an easy buy.
The GuideCraft Classic Kitchen Helper Stool is popular because of its durable and flexible features. Despite being excellent for small spaces, this Guidecraft classic doesn’t sacrifice weight capacity for easy maintenance and design. Its unique foldable design also doesn’t get in the way of its excellent safety features and extra functionality with which developers equipped this particular model.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
One of the parents’ biggest concerns with buying learning towers is figuring out how the learning towers fit in with their house’s layout. This concern is where the Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper Stool shines best. The special foldable feature that this learning tower boasts allows it to be used in small spaces in the house.
Despite being foldable, the Guide Craft Classic Kitchen Helper Stool is highly robust and durable due to its hardwood and hard plywood materials. This Guidecraft learning tower also has three different levels of adjustable heights so it can provide you and your kids with the flexibility you need as your children start growing.
To ensure that your kids receive extra protection from possible hazards, the GuideCraft Classic Kitchen Helper Stool comes with a non-slip mat for better traction and movement and two Kitchen Helper Keepers or safety nets to guarantee safety by catching the kids in accidental cases that they might fall over.
Guidecraft Classic Kitchen Helper Stool can manage up to 175 lbs and is best for children two years old and above. This innovative learning tower is widely regarded to be the best learning tower for parents and their kids as it serves a premium in safety, stability, maintenance, construction quality, and easy storage.
After doing much research and scouring the markets for the learning towers that parents love most, the Little Partners Kids Learning Tower Step Stool came out as one of the most preferred models because of its satisfactory features across the board. Parents and experts believe that this particular model by Little Partners is the original learning tower, providing a safe way to expand children’s reach as they explore the spaces available to them in their homes.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
The Little Partners Kids Learning Tower Step Stool is an award-winning unit that delivers excellent features to a family, setting the standard for many learning towers that came after.
This learning tower has four adjustable heights, giving your kids the option to adjust to a level they prefer as they work alongside you. If you need to keep your active toddlers occupied, you can opt for an easel and chalkboard that you can add to your purchase.
Durable and sturdy, the Little Partners Kid Learning Tower Step Stool can last from their toddler years and up to their childhood. Manufacturers equipped this learning tower with safety rails, handholds, rounded edges, and ample space for movement and safety.
A Montessori school educator professionally designed this Little Partners innovation, ensuring that the product is educationally impactful and environmentally friendly. The Little Partners Kids Learning Tower Step Stool can handle up to 250 lbs and can accommodate children over 18 months old.
Pros
Sturdy for Toddlers and Children
Four Levels of Adjustable Heights
Easel and Chalkboard Additional Features are Optional
Multifunctional novelties are always a hit for families worldwide. Like many other high-quality learning towers, the Mini Chef Convertible Kitchen Helper Tower is an effective learning tool for children. What sets this ever-popular model is its ability to deliver a secondary function as a convertible table.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
Piccalio, the innovative company behind this convertible wonder, is popular for its pristine wooden products for kids. True to its trademark, the Mini Chef Convertible Kitchen Helper Tower benefits from Piccalio’s modern design and robust wooden materials.
The Mini Chef Convertible Kitchen Helper Tower has three adjustable height levels that your children can use as they grow. Its learning tower form can provide your children with the confidence they need to develop their independence as they work by your side, brush their own teeth, peek over counters to explore, and even help you cook. An optional net that can ensure your children’s safety is also available as an optional add-on.
In just a few simple steps, the learning tower can easily transform into a small table that your kids can enjoy. The size-appropriate table can be used for mealtime, art time, or playtime. The Mini Chef Convertible Kitchen Helper Tower is best for children around 12 months old and can carry a weight of up to 175 lbs.
The Sous-Chef Toddler Tower may seem like your run-of-the-mill learning tower. But the Sous-Chef Toddler Tower might, arguably, be the easiest learning tower to assemble out there. Its assembly process requires no tools or special instruments, so you, the parents, can easily piece together the learning tower your babies need hassle-free. Thanks to its ingenious design, this ease of assembly sacrifices neither safety nor stability.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
With the Montessori learning principle in mind, the designers of the Sous-Chef Toddler Tower designed the learning tower to develop children’s independence. This learning tower can help your kids become the little helpers in the kitchen they need to be to learn and explore more about the space they live in.
Helping around the kitchen gives them the exercise they need to develop bones, muscles, and motor skills they need as they accomplish tasks. The Sous-Chef Toddler Tower benefits from the strength and durability of Baltic Birch that can be assembled, disassembled, and adjusted depending on what your children need and want to do.
To make sure that the learning tower is easy to clean, its materials and surfaces were smoothed to perfection. Its size allows the Sous-Chef Toddler Tower to be a perfect fit in the kitchen. The intricate design makes the learning tower safe and secure as it uses a tapered form for additional stability and provides children with handlebars for easy movement.
The Sous-Chef Toddler Tower can carry up to 150 lbs and is best for kids around 28 inches to 44 inches tall.
Pros
Easy to Assemble
Sturdy and Durable
Good Fit for Small Spaces
Safe and Secure
Cons
Age Limit Not Indicated
Happy Tower Convertible Learning Tower
The Best 3-in-1 Table, Chalkboard, and Learning Tower
When it comes to keeping children busy, the Happy Tower Convertible Learning Tower is a premium for both parents and children. This fantastic innovation from Happy Tower gives you the experience-based learning of learning towers, the creativity-stimulation of a chalkboard, and the utility of a table. Despite its multifunctionality, the Happy Tower Convertible Learning Tower is just as durable and robust as other models, proving to be an innovative and efficient design.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
Using Baltic Birch as the prominent material, the Happy Tower Convertible Learning Tower boasts sturdiness on the level of its competitors. What sets the Happy Tower Convertible Learning Tower, on the other hand, is its multifunctional feature that develops creativity and provides utility.
The chalkboard is accessible to children for creative activities, giving them a canvass to draw on and enjoy art time. Children can also use the table for drawing artwork. However, the kids can also use them as a way to bond with children their own age, enjoying food or art activities to develop their social and emotional skills over snacks, juice, and play.
Once transformed into its main learning tower form, your children can enjoy some bonding time with you, the parents. They will be able to reach the counter and cook with you. Through the learning tower, they can enjoy activities that they can’t normally access because of their teeny tiny bodies.
The Happy Tower Convertible Learning Tower is best for kids 12 months of age and above and can safely bear up to 155 lbs.
Pros
3-in-1 Multifunctional Table, Chalkboard, and Learning Tower
Durable with Baltic Birch
Develops Physical, Mental, Social, and Emotional Aspects of Growth
Cons
Requires Assembly
Little Partners Limited Edition Learning Tower Step Stool
The Best Heavy Duty Learning Tower with Activity Center
When it comes to weight capacity, the Little Partners Limited Edition Learning Tower Step Stool has no match. This learning tower is a massive titan that gives your children a safe, secure, and spacious platform to carry out tasks alongside their parents. This colossus also provides children with an activity center that they can use to express their creativity and imagination through art.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
Manufacturers of the Little Partners Limited Edition Learning Tower Step Stool used excellent-quality solid birch and poplar wood, popular for its long-lasting durability and rigidity. A Montessori school principal personally designed this heavy-duty learning tower to strengthen the bond between parents and their children.
Durable enough for years of use, your children can grow with this learning tower physically and mentally as it presents opportunities to learn through tasks with moms and dads or the blackboard that they can use to draw, scribble, and practice their letters and numbers.
The Little Partners Limited Edition Learning Tower Step Stool is certified Greenguard Gold as it guarantees its contributions to cleaner indoor air and a healthier environment. This learning tower can carry up to 250 lbs and is optimal for children above 18 months of age.
The SIMPLAY3 Toddler Tower Children’s Step Stool, in addition to the fact that it’s the most affordable learning tower on this list by far, has more to offer than just its competitive price. This learning tower is also compact, easy to move, and storage-friendly. The SIMPLAY3 Toddler Tower Children’s Step Stool is a fantastic novelty that’s more than just a nice price tag.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
The designer used plastic to create the SIMPLAY3 Toddler Tower Children’s Step Stool as it is cost-saving and provides decently serviceable durability. Through its plastic constitution, the learning tower is extremely lightweight and easy to move around.
The SIMPLAY3 Toddler Tower Children’s Step Stool has three adjustable heights to which your kids can grow accustomed. It’s perfect for any area of the house as it doesn’t take up too much due to its slimmer build. It is also easy to assemble and can be stored under island counters once the activities for the day wrap up.
The SIMPLAY3 Toddler Tower Children’s Step Stool is equipped with a completely enclosed platform to ensure safety and security for your animated learners. This learning tower can carry up to only 60 lbs and is best for children 18 months old or more.
For its weight capacity, durability, and portability, it’s amazing how this learning tower is offered on the market at around only $100. Prices, however, may vary from store to store.
Pros
Easy to Store
Easy to Clean
Affordable
Space-Saving
Cons
Can Only Support 60 lbs.
Little Partners Explore N’ Store Learning Tower
An Excellent Sturdy and Space-Saving Learning Tower
The Little Partners brought together a slim build and a durable constitution to create the Explore N’ Store Learning Tower. This learning tower’s overall design makes it an ideal choice for families that have small kitchens. It boasts one of the most narrow designs available in the market, making it an excellent option for parents who love an organized home.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
Experts have recognized the Little Partners Explore N’ Store Learning Tower as one of the slimmest models in the industry. What makes this particular learning tower special is its durability and sturdiness despite its narrow build.
It is competitively sturdy and easy to build. Measuring only 19 inches wide, this learning tower is a friend to moms and dads who love keeping their kitchen neat and organized. The Little Partners Explore N’ Store Learning Tower features an innovative folding step that allows it to be manageable and space-efficient.
Kids can adjust the learning tower’s platform to three different heights, allowing it to be ideal for growing kids. As the cherry on top, it also provides families with grippy stickers that are excellent for safety and sensory stimulation.
The Little Partners Explore N’ Store Learning Tower is best for children three years old and above, capable of carrying up to 150 lbs.
Pros
Space-Saving and Compact
Sturdy and Durable
Can Carry up to 150 lbs
Comes with Extra Features
Cons
Does Not Have a Lower Crossbar so More Appropriate For Three-Year-Olds
Visually stimulating and tougher than it looks, the Simri Home Living Convertible Turtle Tower is an amazing convertible learning tower. This innovation features the 2-in-1 functionality of a learning tower and a table. The Simri Home Living novelty is also amusing and endearing to children because of its whimsical turtle-inspired design.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
This cleverly designed turtle learning tower is as sturdy as the animal that inspired its form, as developers built this model with birch plywood. Its turtle-shell design allows children to grab hold of the wood and navigate the learning tower safely.
Once children are ready for their meals after a hard day’s activities, the Simri Home Living Convertible Turtle Tower transforms into a table and bench that your kids can use for mealtime or a relaxing time doing some artwork.
To top things off, the Simri Home Living Convertible Turtle Tower comes with an extra feature: a Little Chef’s Apron that manufacturers created using 100% cotton. The Simri Home Living Convertible Turtle Tower is a safe platform for your kids as they explore activities in the kitchen and other spaces at home.
While listings don’t specify the weight capacity of this learning tower, both sellers and reviews indicate that the learning tower is best for children above 18 months old.
The Katanabana Kids’ Kitchen Step Stool Helper provides solid services across the board. Its simple design delivers a sturdy learning tower that parents can position in a variety of locations at home. But the feature that separates the Katanabana Kids’ Kitchen Step Stool Helper from the rest of the learning towers in the market is its special tape that provides a stable grip for excited children as they go about their activities.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
Developers made use of solid hardwood on the Katanabana Kids’ Kitchen Step Stool Helper to ensure that the learning towers are durable and sturdy. Its robust constitution can easily take on the rigors of excited children who can be animated as they work on tasks alongside their parents.
The security children gain from a safe and secure tower allows them to freely explore spaces that they typically cannot reach. They will be able to take part in tasks in the kitchen, brush their own teeth in the bathroom, and explore the house without fear of falling over or having accidents.
The highlight of the Katanabana Kids’ Kitchen Step Stool Helper’s design is its highly effective extra-grip tape. This special feature ensures that the learning tower is slip-free and encourages children to stay active and move as they play.
The anti-slip tape is on the platform and the step to ensure safety as children get on and off the learning tower. The Katanabana Kids’ Kitchen Step Stool Helper has two adjustable levels and can carry up to 150 lbs and even more. With the safety features available, this learning tower is guaranteed to be safe for children around 21 months of age.
The ECR4Kids Learning Tower is one of the sturdiest learning towers in the market. Its straightforward design allows it to hold heavier loads, giving your children a reliable learning tower so they can participate in counter-height activities.
Features, Specs, and Pros and Cons
The ECR4Kids Learning Tower can handle 200 lbs with no problem. Thanks to its straightforward design, this learning tower is stable and stout. Its steps have an anti-slip feature that provides extra security for children who have the tendency to move actively.
The ECR4Kids Learning Tower’s timeless design allows children and parents to use it outside the kitchen as it can help the family reach high places anywhere at home. As developers designed the ECR4Kids Learning Tower using birch plywood, the whole family can be confident of its durability and constitution.
This learning tower is eco-friendly, tough, scratch-resistant, and easy to clean. The company recommends the ECR4Kids Learning Tower for children over three years old.
Hi, my name is Elena Jones, and my full-time job is a teacher. Through teaching, I have discovered that children learn in many different ways, and have seen the positive impact both STEM and Montessori toys have on children.
Through this site I hope to educate parents and adults about these toys, providing them with useful information on how they can be used, and provide some in depth reviews of different toys to consider too.
