10 Drawing Ideas for Kids

By
Megan Graney
Megan Graney
Megan Graney
Megan Graney is a crafting expert, art teacher, and writer who shares her knowledge of DIY painting, furniture refinishing, and sewing. She has almost a decade of hands-on experience and has been writing about crafts for five years. 
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Updated on 05/18/20
Rainbow Scratch Art

Barley and Birch

A drawing activity is a great option for an indoor afternoon with the family because it requires just a few simple supplies, the cleanup is typically quick and easy, and the creative options are practically endless. Drawing can help the littlest artists practice their motor skills or can encourage teenagers to refine their skills. If your young illustrator has hit a rut lately, take a glance through the ideas below to initiate a fresh, original drawing session sure to create refrigerator-worthy pieces of art.

  • 01 of 10

    Watercolor Zentangle Hearts

    Zentangle hearts on a colorful background

    Color Made Happy

    While a watercolor background helps these patterned hearts pop, you could easily forego any painting in this project and simplify it to a black-and-white drawing (and eliminate messy clean up while you’re at it) or use crayons or markers to color in the doodles. If you’re not familiar with Zentangle drawing, it’s a method that focuses on a repeated structured pattern to bring a sense of relaxation to the artist, which can be especially beneficial for kids. There are tons of online resources to help you get started with Zentangle art, including this tutorial from Color Made Happy. 

    Watercolor Zentangle Hearts from Color Made Happy

  • 02 of 10

    Doodle Art

    Four pictures of doodle art

    Kinder Art

    If you’re looking for a super simple drawing project that will also keep your little artists entertained for hours, try this clever doodle art. Challenge kids to create a single-line scribble/swirl using a thick black marker, then fill each organically-created shape with a different color, texture, or pattern. 

    Doodle Art from Kinder Art

  • 03 of 10

    Exquisite Corpse Group Drawing

    Exquisite corpse drawing idea

    Craft Whack

    Don’t be turned off by the morbid name of this classic drawing activity, it’s actually totally appropriate (and highly enjoyable) for kids. You can print a template to get this group drawing started, but folding a plain sheet of paper works just fine too. Encourage kids to think outside the box on this one to come up with some truly surprising characters. 

    Exquisite Corpse Group Drawing from Craft Whack

  • 04 of 10

    Optical Illusion Drawing

    Example of an optical illusion drawing

    Art by Ro

    To help kid drawers begin to understand how to create three-dimensional art, teach them this simple optical illusion technique. To really achieve that dynamic, looks-like-it’s-moving effect, be sure to darken each color at its edges (this is a great activity to emphasize the importance of shadows and highlights in drawing as well). 

    Optical Illusion Drawing from Art by Ro

    Continue to 5 of 10 below.
  • 05 of 10

    Observational Drawing

    Girl doing an observational drawing of a flower

    The Artful Parent 

    One of the great lessons in creating realistic drawings is to draw what you see, as opposed to what you think an object looks like. Arrange a still life (or better yet, have your little artists scout out their own scene to draw), and encourage kids to draw from observation. This is a great activity to do timed drawings for: try a quick sketch in three minutes, a second draft in ten, and a finished drawing in an hour. 

    Observational Drawing from The Artful Parent

  • 06 of 10

    Blind Contour Drawing

    Blind Contour Drawing

    Artsy

    This activity can be a bit frustrating at first, but practicing blind contour drawing is actually quite beneficial to beginning artists—it can help determine any preconceived misconceptions, especially in portraiture. Consider making this activity into a game by having a second person guess the subject the blind artist is attempting to draw. 

    Blind Contour Drawing from Artsy

  • 07 of 10

    Rainbow Scratch Art

    Rainbow unicorn scratch art

    Barley and Birch

    Using just plain crayons, kids can create original scratch art. It’s best to use a thick sheet of drawing paper for this activity; it’ll need to stand up to two layers of crayon and a scratched-in image (try an open paperclip for an easy scratching tool). 

    Rainbow Scratch Art from Barley and Birch

  • 08 of 10

    One Point Perspective Shape Drawing

    Drawing of one point perspective shapes

    Art by Ro

    This fun drawing looks impressive once it’s finished, but is actually quite simple to achieve. Be sure you have a ruler on hand—the trick to achieving a one-point perspective illusion is perfectly straight lines. For a fun challenge, ask kids to spell a word (or their names) using single-point perspective instead of creating random shapes.

    One Point Perspective Shape Drawing from Art by Ro

    Continue to 9 of 10 below.
  • 09 of 10

    Hand Tracing Ideas

    Hand drawing on paper

    Craft Whack

    Light years away from the tried-and-true hand-traced turkey, these clever tracing ideas will help kids get their creativity flowing. From filling with a pattern to creating an optical illusion, a hand outline is the perfect blank slate template for an imaginative drawing. 

    Hand Tracing Ideas from Craft Whack

  • 10 of 10

    Sticker Drawing

    Sticker drawing of fish in the sea

    The Artful Parent

    Have kids select a sheet of stickers, place them randomly across a blank sheet of paper, and draw to complete the scene. Once your little illustrator has finished drawing, direct them to write a corresponding story, too. 

    Sticker Drawing from The Artful Parent

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