Do you ever notice how a blank sheet of paper can feel a little intimidating for your child? One minute they want to draw, and the next they don’t know where to start. With the right approach, those moments can turn into exciting opportunities for creative drawings and storytelling.
Knowing a few simple strategies makes a big difference. Creative drawing doesn’t have to be complicated or messy to be meaningful and effective, and you don’t need to be an artist to guide your child or your students. In fact, the easier it is, the more likely kids are to enjoy it and come back to it again.
In this article, you’ll find easy creative drawing ideas, printable resources, and practical tips you can use right away. Try them at home, in class, or whenever you need a calm and creative moment for your kids.
- Why is creative drawing beneficial?
- 20 free printable creative drawing resources for kids
- Tips for getting the most out of printables
Why is creative drawing beneficial?
Creative drawing is more than a fun activity.
- It supports memory, focus, and emotional wellbeing in both children and adults, as shown in research on drawing as a learning and memory tool from studies like this one on drawing and memory retention. When children draw, they are not only expressing themselves, they are also strengthening how they learn and remember information.
- Drawing also supports attention and problem-solving. Studies such as those published in PLOS ONE and Cognitive Research show that combining visual thinking with learning tasks improves understanding and retention. That’s why creative drawing ideas work so well in the classroom and at home.
- There’s also a strong emotional benefit. Research on art-making and wellbeing, like this study on art and emotional regulation, shows that drawing helps children process feelings and reduce stress. A few minutes of creative drawing can calm a busy mind and give children a safe way to express what they feel.
If you want to explore this further, you might enjoy reading Beyond Scribbles: Exploring the Benefits of Drawing for Children and Why Creativity is Essential for Kids in Today’s World. They explain in a very clear way why creative drawings matter so much as children grow.
Free printable creative drawing resources for kids
One of the easiest ways to get started is by using printables. They give children a starting point so they don’t feel lost in front of an empty page. These easy creative drawings are designed to guide, not limit, your child’s imagination.
Here you’ll find 20 handmade creative drawing prompts. Each page invites children to add their own ideas, characters, and stories, turning a simple worksheet into a personal piece of art. They are perfect for quiet time, early finishers in class, travel activities, or a calm moment after school.
You can download them for free and use them anytime you need a simple, inspiring activity.
Impossible Equilibrium
Wow, isn’t that impressive? Draw where this skilled equilibrist is standing.
Boosts critical thinking as kids illustrate a surreal, impossible balance. Challenge them to think unconventionally. What might the character be balancing on besides a rope or a ball?
Visual Music
Listen to the music and draw the pictures, shapes and colors you feel like drawing.
Helps kids translate sounds into shapes and colors, boosting abstract thinking.
Surprise Egg
This egg has just hatched but… what will come out?
Encourages curiosity as children decide what hatches from a mysterious egg. A bird, an alien, a monster, a baby, a lettuce? There are no wrong choices.
The Crazy Hairdresser
The crazy hairdresser has made you a hilarious hairstyle, can you draw it?
Encourages playful creativity by letting kids design wild and colorful hairstyles.
Your Very Own Video Game
If your kids could create their favorite video game, what would it be like?
Perfect for gamers and storytellers, this activity blends imagination with design by asking kids to invent characters and worlds for a game of their own.
Let’s Have a Party
Decorate this room for a party. Who is coming?
Kids plan and draw their dream party, for their friends, their favorite artists, etc. allowing them to mix creativity with real-world planning and visual storytelling.
Blank Giraffe
This giraffe has lost all its spots! Draw a new and original coat for it.
Offers a blank template to spark pattern design, color play, and creativity. Challenge them to think unconventionally, they can use patterns and colors that are never seen in the animal world.
Alien Orchard
What trees and vegetables will grow in this amazing garden?
Combines science‑fiction and nature as kids invent strange plants and landscapes.
Animal Hair Salon
Design cool hairstyles for these wild creatures
Lets kids give animals wacky hairstyles, combining humor and design.
Crystal Ball
What can you see in the crystal ball?
Encourages storytelling as kids imagine what the future might reveal.
Your Comic Book
Imagine a story and draw it – how exciting!
Great for budding writers and illustrators, this worksheet helps kids combine storytelling and art as they build their own comic with characters, dialogue, and scenes.
What Are You Thinking?
Draw inside your head what you are thinking or what interests you.
This thoughtful and often humorous activity encourages self-expression and emotional awareness as kids draw what someone (or something) might be thinking.
Magic Potions
What will these magic potions do? Fill them with your drawings
Do you have a potential Harry Potter or Hermione Granger? This versatile activity adapts to every season and celebration. Picture your child crafting springtime magic potions, conjuring up a Christmas wonderland, or delving into the spooky realm of Halloween.
Colorful Snake
Decorate this snake with your own colors, patterns and doodles!
Encourages pattern‑making and color experimentation on a fun shape.
Imagine Your Own Map
If we know the way, we can get where we want to go.
The options with a blank map are endless: is it of the real world or an imaginary one? of this planet or one far away? of how to get to the supermarket or to find treasure? Teaches spatial thinking while kids design fantasy maps and worlds.
Empty Museum
What a dull museum! Where are all the paintings? Let your kid draw them!
Invites kids to “curate” their own exhibition by filling blank museum walls with art. Leave the topic completely free to the child’s imagination or customize to the child’s interests and what they’re learning in school.
Exploring the Deep
This submarine is looking for new marine species. Can you draw them?
Lets children invent underwater worlds, creatures, and hidden treasures. Stimulate their imagination with different possibilities – what if the sea the submarine is exploring is on another planet?
Delicious Ice Creams
How delicious these ice creams are! How many flavors can you imagine?
Invites playful design as kids invent unusual flavors and colorful scoops.
My Craziest Dream
Draw the craziest dream you’ve ever had
Encourages storytelling as kids bring a dream or fantasy scene to life.
Urban Art
Wow, what a marvel of urban art! What has this artist painted on the wall?
Inspired by real-world street art, this prompt encourages creative freedom and bold thinking, letting kids design something expressive and culturally relevant.
Spaceship Window
What do you see out there in outer space?
Encourage your child to imagine: is it somewhere in the Solar System, or much further away? Is it in the present or the future? What would they like to discover in space?
You can combine these resources with what you already do at home or in your lessons. If you want more ideas on how drawing supports thinking skills, take a look at Get Kids to Think Creatively Through Drawing. It’s a great companion to these printables.
Tips for getting the most out of printables
- Start simple. Offer your child or your students one prompt at a time and give them space to explore it. The key to making these easy creative drawings work is letting children feel there is no “right” answer.
- Offer different materials when possible. Colored pencils, markers, crayons, or even watercolor can completely change how a child approaches the same creative drawing idea. A small change in materials can bring new excitement.
- Don’t rush the process. Some children will start drawing right away, others need a few minutes to think. Who hasn’t needed a moment to get inspired? Give them time and trust that creativity will appear when they feel comfortable.
- You can also use these activities in different moments of the day. They work well as a calm morning activity, a transition between lessons, or a quiet task while you finish something else. The flexibility is what makes them so useful.
A simple way to keep creativity alive
Creative drawing doesn’t need perfect conditions or complicated materials. It just needs a small invitation and the space to explore. With these easy creative drawings and printables, you can make creativity part of everyday life in a calm and natural way.
If you’re looking for more ideas, you can explore the rest of the articles and resources on Little Big Artists. You’ll find many more creative drawing ideas to support your children or your students. I also love and recommend these books:
- Taro Gomi has THE BEST BOOKS that encourage children to draw. I love them, and we have several at home.
- Daily Doodle Journal: 365 Days of Creative Prompts.
- 642 Things to Draw.
Take a pencil, print a page, and start. Creativity can grow one drawing at a time.
