Are your kids wondering what to draw? Get this list of drawing prompts and fun things for kids to draw!

“Mom, what can I do?”

“Well, you like drawing. Why don’t you draw something?”

“Okay… What can I draw?”

At some point, you’ve likely had a similar conversation with your children. Even the most creative of kids — why, even the most creative of adults — sometimes experience difficulty when staring at a blank sheet of paper and deciding what to do with it. I do.

That’s where drawing challenges, drawing-a-day journals, and lists of things for kids to draw come in handy, and that’s only the beginning. They have other benefits as well.

Benefits of Drawing Prompts

1. Drawing challenges push one to try new topics and push their boundaries a little bit.
2. They inspire one to create art frequently, which is important for developing artistic skills.
3. Drawing prompts make it so that when one has a moment for making art, one can quickly pick a theme.
4. It’s quite fun to complete such challenges with friends, making drawing a sociable activity.

52 Fun Things for Kids to Draw

Most of the challenges are for adult artists though, and I wanted to create a list of fun things for kids to draw. In composing it, I thought about the things that my children would find inspiring.

They like to dream and make fantasies – about robots, dragons, and what they could do when they grow up. So, many of the prompts on this list are connected with imagining fantasy scenarios and turning them into pictures.

Some other drawing ideas for kids suggest trying a certain technique, like trying lettering, limiting colours or using a reference. One of the challenges even encourages young artists to go outside and draw something in nature!

Finally, a couple of challenges suggest making mazes or connect-the-dots pictures. Many children like doing them in puzzle books, but here they are encouraged to make their own version, then find someone who would be interested in completing it.

You can read all the challenges below. Then, if you want to download a hi-resolution version for printing, it’s available for free at the end of the post.

The suggestions below include affiliate links to Amazon.

Best Drawing Supplies

Prismacolor Premier pencils are considered the best by many professional artists. But it doesn’t matter that they can only be used by professionals – I got my son, who is seven and likes to draw, a 72-pencil pack as a gift a couple of years back, and he has been using them ever since. They are soft, vibrant and have a great variety of colours! For younger artists, big Lyra pencils are also a good choice.

Gel sticks draw in a creamy oil-pastel way, and adding water creates a watercolour effect. Because they are water-based, they clean up easily. They’re very vibrant, but from our experience, it’s impossible to create very detailed images with them alone. A lot of fun for making experiments though, and the white gel stick creates a very thick layer, so they are good for coloured paper. Both my husband and my three-year-old daughter are big fans of those!

Sakura Pigma Micron pens are my recommendations for those who enjoy making ink art – black-and-white illustrations, calligraphy, zentangles, etc. Honestly, there are very few art projects that I’ve done since discovering them where I haven’t used them! Ranging greatly in diameter, they can make both thin and thick lines and pair nicely with pencils, watercolours, and acrylics. If you’d like drawing white on black, Sakura Gelly Roll pens are great for that.

Staedtler Dual-Tip markers, Paper Mate Flair Tip pens are also some of our favourite supplies.

And as for sketchbooks? We like Canson XL sketchbooks, but, in all honesty, often use printer paper for the kids’ quick sketches.

Drawing Ideas for Kids

Drawing prompts are unfinished pictures that invite young artists to complete them. They are great, in a wide variety of scenarios! Get the pack of ten free printable drawing prompts here.

If you’d like to try something with an educational spin, try Animal Drawing Prompts! Children will discover fun animal facts and create fifteen science-themed pictures.

Draw the missing half prompts are popular with my kids – we’ve done insects, flowers, landmarks, and vehicles. They’re also good for explaining the concept of symmetry.

For more activities that combine math and art, try the free printable game Robot Math. Roll a die and see what kind of robot you will draw. This game challenges children to draw while working on simple geometry – shape drawing and recognition. Monster Math does the same with numbers and monsters!

Keeping a nature journal is a fun side hobby for those who like sketching, drawing, and making art. With this free printable journal, children will start a nature journal, following ten creative challenges. It is a perfect nature STEM activity for kids as it encourages them to go outside, explore nature scientifically, then record their nature finds artistically!

And while you are outside, try drawing on leaves.

Do your children like puzzles? They can make their own with these simple puzzle drawing prompts!

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Start a 21-day journal by Childhood 101 and develop a regular journal writing and doodling habit!

Children love surprises. They will giggle themselves silly making these surprise folded creatures, created by Craft Whack.

Sometimes common things can provide an inspiration for drawing – try using pompoms, stickers by Simple Everyday Mom, a rock (Magamerlina), or yarn (Picklebums).

Get the Free Printable List of Things for Kids to Draw!

There are three versions available inside – one with coloured pencils, as pictured above, one with watercolour splashes, as pictured below, and one black and white, for saving ink.

Thanks for reading!