Family time is the perfect opportunity to bond, relax, and create memories that last a lifetime. One of the best ways to engage with your kids during this special time is through creative activities, and drawing is one of the most enjoyable and expressive options. Not only does drawing foster creativity and improve motor skills, but it also offers a wonderful way for parents and children to connect and spend quality time together. Whether you’re looking to entertain your little ones on a rainy day or want to bring everyone together for a fun family night, these 25 drawing ideas are sure to inspire hours of fun.
As a bonus, we’ve also included some helpful product recommendations to ensure your drawing sessions are a success. So grab your favorite set of art supplies and dive into these imaginative drawing ideas that are perfect for kids and families!
1. Simple Shapes and Figures for Beginners
source @preschoolforyou
Sometimes, the most rewarding drawings begin with the simplest shapes. Introducing basic shapes like circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles can help kids understand the fundamentals of drawing. These shapes can be the building blocks for more complex pictures, like faces, animals, or objects. Encouraging kids to draw shapes freely will also boost their confidence, as they realize they can create something meaningful even with simple forms. Parents can join in by drawing alongside their children, helping them build on these basics. A drawing tablet or beginner sketchbooks can be excellent tools for your little one to refine their shapes and learn more as they go.
2. Cartoon Characters
source @sketch_artist_tejpal
For many kids, cartoons are not just a form of entertainment but a source of inspiration. Drawing their favorite animated characters—whether it’s Mickey Mouse, Elsa, or Spider-Man—can be a thrilling and engaging activity. Drawing cartoon characters is also a great way to teach children about proportions, expressions, and movement. Parents can encourage kids to practice by providing cartoon drawing books or following along with online tutorials. You can make it even more exciting by challenging your child to create their version of a cartoon character or have a family drawing contest to see who can make the funniest rendition.
3. Under the Sea Creations
source @quirkycactusart
There’s a magical world beneath the waves, and what better way to explore it than through drawing? Kids can use their imagination to bring sea creatures like dolphins, turtles, fish, and even mermaids to life. This theme is an excellent way to teach your child about marine life and the importance of ocean conservation. Encourage your child to use watercolors or colored pencils to create beautiful under-the-sea scenes filled with vibrant colors. You can also introduce some fun activities, like drawing the ocean’s creatures in action or creating a mini underwater world with fish, plants, and corals.
4. Dinosaur Drawings
source @primerrykids
For kids who are fascinated by dinosaurs, this drawing theme will take them on an imaginative trip to the prehistoric era. Whether it’s the towering T-Rex, gentle Brachiosaurus, or the spiky Stegosaurus, drawing dinosaurs can help kids develop their fine motor skills while learning about these fascinating creatures. Encourage your child to draw their favorite dinosaurs in different poses, or challenge them to create a dinosaur landscape complete with volcanos and jungles. For a fun twist, you could give your kids a dinosaur drawing kit or dinosaur stencils to guide them through their prehistoric adventure.
5. Family Portraits
source @kidsatartnyc
What better way to celebrate family time than by drawing portraits of one another? This activity not only helps kids practice their observation skills but also creates a beautiful keepsake that can be cherished for years to come. Drawing family portraits is a great bonding activity where everyone can participate. Whether it’s a fun, cartoonish version or a more realistic approach, creating family portraits together fosters creativity and gives everyone a chance to learn how to express personality through art. You can make this drawing session even more enjoyable by using a portrait sketching set to refine the details of each family member.
6. Nature and Landscapes
source @littledoodlerz
Nature provides endless inspiration for young artists. Whether it’s a simple drawing of a tree, a detailed landscape of a mountain, or an ocean scene with crashing waves, nature-themed drawings can teach children about the beauty of the world around them. This activity can be done inside or outside—take a nature walk and collect leaves, flowers, and other objects that your child can use to inspire their drawings. To make this even more engaging, provide them with a landscape sketchbook or encourage them to experiment with different mediums, such as watercolors or charcoal to capture the natural world’s textures and colors.
7. Superhero and Fantasy Creatures
source @wangaratta.art.school
For kids who love superheroes, fairies, and other fantasy creatures, this drawing idea is sure to be a hit. Superheroes are perfect for sparking creativity, as kids can invent their unique heroes, powers, and settings. Similarly, fantasy creatures like dragons, unicorns, and mermaids allow for unlimited imaginative possibilities. Encourage your child to draw their favorite hero or mythical creature in action, adding special details like powers, accessories, or magical settings. To inspire even more creativity, you can invest in a superhero-themed sketchbook or fantasy creature drawing book that provides templates and ideas for fantastical adventures.
8. Space and Planets
source @mtmtstudios
Space-themed drawings open up a whole universe of possibilities. Kids can draw planets, stars, astronauts, spaceships, and even aliens as they explore the galaxy. Space is a great theme for teaching kids about science and imagination at the same time. They can create their own outer space adventures, complete with astronauts navigating distant planets or space stations orbiting far-away stars. You could make it even more exciting by using glow-in-the-dark paints or space-themed stickers to create a vibrant cosmic masterpiece.
9. Animals from Around the World
source @theartsykidbyaditi
Drawing animals from different continents and habitats is an exciting way to learn about the world’s diverse wildlife. From the wild animals of Africa to the polar creatures of the Arctic, this drawing idea lets kids explore various environments and the animals that inhabit them. Kids can draw animals in their natural habitats, like a lion in the savannah or a panda in a bamboo forest. Provide them with a world animal coloring book or challenge them to draw an animal they’ve never seen before. This activity can also double as a fun geography lesson as they explore different continents and ecosystems.
10. Seasonal and Holiday Drawings
source @kidsatartnyc
Seasonal and holiday-themed drawings are an excellent way to make family time even more special. Whether it’s Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Easter, drawing holiday-themed objects or scenes can help kids connect with the spirit of the season. They can draw pumpkins for Halloween, turkeys for Thanksgiving, or ornaments and snowflakes for Christmas. You can create fun family traditions around these holiday drawings, like turning them into homemade cards or using them as part of your family’s decorations. For seasonal art, consider investing in a holiday-themed drawing kit that provides all the materials needed for festive creations.
11. Favorite Foods and Desserts
source @yusantaavi
Everyone loves food, so why not draw it? Encouraging your kids to sketch their favorite meals or desserts can be a fun and engaging activity. From ice cream sundaes to pizza, kids can explore food’s shapes, textures, and vibrant colors. You can even make it a challenge by asking them to design their dream meal or a fantastical food creation, like a candy castle or a chocolate volcano. Provide them with food-themed art supplies, such as colored pencils or watercolors, to bring their delicious ideas to life.
12. Cars, Trucks, and Transportation
source @artprojectsforkids
Kids who love vehicles—whether it’s race cars, trucks, or airplanes—will have a blast drawing them. This activity helps develop their spatial awareness, as they think about how vehicles move and interact with their environment. Encourage them to draw vehicles in action, like a race car speeding down the track or an airplane soaring through the sky. You can further inspire their creativity by giving them a transportation drawing pad or using vehicle-themed stencils to help them shape their vehicles more precisely.
13. Wild West and Cowboy Drawings
source @gregorymortenson
The Wild West is a fascinating time period, and drawing cowboys, horses, and wagons allows kids to explore this adventurous theme. They can create their own cowboy scene with dramatic desert landscapes, cacti, and even a saloon. A fun family challenge could be to design your own Wild West town or create a story behind each character. A Wild West-themed sketchbook or cowboy stencils can provide guidance for making their cowboy adventures come to life.
14. Funny Faces and Emotions
source @goodparentingbc
Understanding emotions and being able to express them through art is a valuable skill for children. Encourage your kids to draw faces with different emotions—happy, sad, surprised, or angry. They can have fun exaggerating these feelings and even creating funny faces with silly expressions. This activity also serves as a fantastic introduction to the concept of portraiture, and helps kids practice their observation skills. Use a character design sketchbook or a funny faces drawing kit to guide their exploration of emotions through art.
15. Insects and Bugs
source @thatsjustscrump
Bugs are everywhere, and they make fascinating subjects for drawing. From ladybugs and butterflies to ants and caterpillars, there’s an abundance of creepy-crawly creatures that kids can draw. Encourage your kids to pay attention to the tiny details of each bug, such as wings, antennae, and legs. A bug-themed coloring book or insect stencils will give them the tools to capture these tiny creatures with accuracy.
16. Fairy Tales and Storybook Illustrations
source @thelmavanrensburg
Kids love fairy tales and magical adventures, so why not bring those stories to life through drawing? From castles and enchanted forests to princesses, dragons, and talking animals, the possibilities for creating magical worlds are endless. This activity encourages kids to tap into their imagination and create their own stories. They can even draw illustrations for their favorite fairy tales or invent entirely new characters and plots. You can make it even more magical by introducing fairy tale drawing guides or storybook illustration sets, where kids can follow along to create their dream worlds.
17. Treasure Maps
source @slowriverstudio
Every child loves the idea of finding hidden treasure, so creating treasure maps can be an exciting and adventurous drawing project. Your child can design a map that leads to a mysterious treasure, complete with secret paths, treasure chests, and obstacles like mountains or rivers. This activity can be turned into a fun family game where everyone takes turns drawing a treasure map and the others follow the clues. To make the treasure maps even more exciting, you can encourage the use of aged paper or antique map templates that give the drawings a sense of mystery and adventure.
18. Zoo Animals and Safari Adventures
source @theartsykidbyaditi
A safari adventure is a great way to immerse kids in the world of wildlife. They can draw animals from the African savanna, like lions, elephants, and zebras, or even from the jungle, like monkeys and parrots. This drawing activity gives them the opportunity to explore different animal habitats and practice their drawing skills by capturing animals in action. To make this even more interactive, you can create a zoo animal drawing kit with animal templates, or provide Safari drawing books that feature cool animal designs to inspire them.
19. Outer Space Aliens
source @leovincible
Aliens and outer space beings are an exciting topic for kids. Whether they imagine aliens as little green creatures or gigantic, multicolored beings, drawing aliens opens up a world of creativity. Kids can design their own alien species, invent their home planets, and decide what powers their aliens have. Encourage kids to use their creativity and add fun details like multiple eyes, antennas, and unusual shapes. This activity can be paired with alien drawing stencils or space-themed sketchbooks to guide their creativity and make their alien world come to life.
20. Farm Animals and Barnyard Fun
source @katie_illustrations
Farm animals are beloved by kids, and drawing them is a great way to learn about rural life. Encourage your child to draw farm animals such as cows, pigs, chickens, and sheep, and create scenes like a barnyard or fields of crops. You can teach your kids about where their food comes from while fostering creativity by designing farm-themed illustrations. A farm animal drawing book or country life sketch kit can provide them with the tools to bring farm life to life on paper.
21. Pirates and Ships
source @lewisrossignol
Pirates are another classic drawing theme for kids, allowing them to design their own pirate ships, treasure chests, and pirate characters. You can even turn this into a treasure hunt where kids draw a pirate map and then go on an adventure to “find” a hidden treasure. You can encourage your kids to think about pirate symbols like skulls, swords, and flags while drawing. Providing a pirate-themed sketchbook or pirate sticker set can help them build a more detailed pirate world.
22. Robots and Futuristic Machines
source @jakeparker
Kids are fascinated by technology, and drawing robots is a fun way to explore the future. Encourage them to design their own robots, vehicles, and machines with futuristic features. They can sketch robots with different powers, like flying, laser beams, or even shape-shifting abilities. This drawing activity helps kids think about how technology might look in the future while developing their creative and technical drawing skills. A robot drawing guide or futuristic machine templates will help them create detailed, imaginative designs for their creations.
23. Birds and Flight
source @kate__fedos
Birds are fascinating creatures, and drawing them helps kids understand the beauty of flight. Whether they draw a majestic eagle, a colorful parrot, or a tiny hummingbird, drawing birds provides an opportunity to explore different species and how they fly. Kids can challenge themselves to draw birds in mid-flight or perched on branches, capturing the beauty of nature. Consider using a bird watching and drawing kit that combines both observation and creativity, making this activity both educational and fun.
24. Mystical Creatures and Mythology
source @airanddarkness
Mythical creatures such as unicorns, griffins, and phoenixes are the stuff of legend and fantasy. Drawing these majestic creatures allows kids to explore mythology and create their own fantastical beasts. They can design their own interpretations of classic mythological creatures or invent entirely new ones. A great way to guide their creativity is to use mythology-themed drawing books that feature detailed illustrations of these mystical creatures and teach kids how to draw them in a realistic or imaginative style.
25. The Four Seasons
source @robinagenewspaper
Drawing the four seasons is a fantastic way for kids to explore the changing world around them. Whether it’s the fresh blooms of spring, the sunny days of summer, the colorful leaves of fall, or the snowflakes of winter, each season brings its own beauty and inspiration. Kids can create drawings that represent each season through landscapes, weather, and natural changes. To make this activity even more engaging, provide them with seasonal drawing kits or nature journals where they can explore and record the beauty of each season as they draw it.
