Regardless of your artistic abilities, you can still help your students improve their own artistry thanks to directed drawing activities. These activities walk you through the process step-by-step so anyone can create their very own masterpiece. Teachers often lead the session by drawing on the whiteboard or chart paper while students follow along. Here are some of our favorite free directed drawing activities for kids. Grab your favorite art supplies and get creative!
FREE PRINTABLE
Free Step-by-Step Directed Drawing Printables
Grab our bundle of directed drawing printables with step-by-step directions for 12 of our favorite tutorials.
Adorable dog
Kids will definitely love this easy-to-follow guide on how to draw a basic dog shape. With a few tweaks, they can personalize it to look like their favorite furry pal.
Pumpkin
This joyful pumpkin would be especially cute in autumn but could be drawn any time of year!
Butterfly
Our free printable has step-by-step instructions for teaching kids how to draw a butterfly. Make it a fun Friday group activity or keep it on hand for your fast finishers.
Rose
There are six easy-to-follow steps for teaching kids how to draw a beautiful rose.
Snowflake
Watch the video and use the printable to teach kids how to draw different kinds of snowflakes, including “blizzard burst,” “Nordic lace,” and a simple swirl.
Taylor Swift
Kids will be excited to draw their favorite pop star in six easy steps!
Cat
Starting with simple shapes for the cat’s face and body, kids then fill in the eyes, nose, whiskers, stripes, and more using the free printable and video.
Dragon
Let kids color in their very cool-looking dragon, which they’ll create in eight easy steps.
Snowman
Bring your own Olaf or Frosty to life with our free printable complete with step-by-step instructions for teaching kids how to draw a snowman three different ways.
Shark
Whether your students are old enough to watch Jaws or are still rocking out to “Baby Shark,” they’ll appreciate a good shark-themed activity. Get their creative juices flowing with this awesome shark drawing tutorial.
The Kitchen Table Classroom
Fancy flowers
Draw these simple flowers, then fill them in with markers or colored pencils to personalize them.
Regardless of their drawing ability, kids can create a simple house or building like the one shown here just by using basic shapes. Artists can easily customize it to their liking by adding more windows, changing the shape, or choosing different colors.
Need some quick Christmas decor? Have your class create a whole collection of Santas for the walls.
Art Projects for Kids
I Heart Crafty Things
Globe
Ignite an interest in drawing and geography with this fun step-by-step tutorial on how to draw a globe. Although you can draw a realistic map of the world on your globe, you definitely don’t have to!
A lot of schools have panthers for mascots, so why not teach your students how to draw one?
Skiing squirrel
Too cold to go outside? Put on your slippers, get a piping-hot cup of cocoa, and then sit down to draw this adorable skiing squirrel!
Creepy-crawly spider
Draw the outline for this easy spider and then decide how you want to color his body. You can also add a web around him if you’re feeling adventurous!
Flower doodle
This brief tutorial is so simple, but it’s the perfect activity to keep an overactive mind quiet.
Welcome to Nana’s
Easy scribble art
This scribble art is similar to the previous project on our list, but it’s perfect for the younger cohort of students. Simply have them scribble a doodle pattern with a Sharpie and then color in the shapes that have been created.
Since everyone loves a dalmatian, why not learn to draw this adorable little cartoon version? Personalize them with your choice of spot placement and collar colors.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
There has been a resurgence of interest in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles thanks to the 2023 movie, so we think kids will love this drawing tutorial. They say this one is Leo, but you could easily make his fellow ninjas!
Friendly hearts
Directed drawing activities that are holiday specific but can be used anytime are some of our favorites! While these adorable hearts would be perfect for Valentine’s Day, we think they would make a great gift during any season.
Easy Peasy and Fun
Burger
Some directed drawing activities are super quick but still easy to follow. If you’re short on time but feeling creative, this cute hamburger is the right choice. Just be warned, you will most certainly feel hungry afterward!
Frozen face
This is our face too when the temperature starts to drop! Directed drawing activities like this one are perfect to do during those long, cold winter months.
Arty Crafty Kids
Bright sun
It might seem like there is only one way to draw a sun, but this tutorial shows that you can get really creative in your approach.
Drawing realistic-looking facial features, especially eyes, can feel scary, but this art tutorial simplifies it. Follow along and then practice in the mirror with your own eye!
Learning to draw this adorable cake is perfect for kids since they love to make homemade cards for friends and family. We especially love the folded-paper technique that reveals the happiest surprise.
Best teacher ever
Well, this one is certainly going to be a favorite with teachers! This directed drawing makes the perfect gift for your favorite educator.
Shape candy
Learning to recognize and draw shapes is an important part of any preschool or kindergarten education, so make it fun with this directed drawing video.
Easy Peasy and Fun
Volcano
While we don’t typically think of volcanoes as being cute, this directed drawing is as adorable as it is explosive. Couple it with a science lesson on volcanoes and you have a whole well-rounded afternoon!
Lava lamp
Fans of the 1960s will love this drawing tutorial. If you happen to own a lava lamp, you could bring it in to show your students since most kids have probably never heard of one!
Bicycle
This bicycle is a bit more realistic than some of the other directed drawing activities on our list. Grab a pencil and follow along and then trace over it with a Sharpie.
Bedroom
Learning to draw an animal or object is great, but there is no substitute for being able to draw a whole scene! Follow along to create this adorable bedroom and then add your own personal touches.
School
While most real-life schools probably don’t look so quaint, we think this drawing tutorial is perfect for just about any school day. Regardless of whether you color it realistically or in rainbow colors like the tutorial here, it’s sure to be frame-worthy.
Get my printable directed drawing bundle!
Grab our printable bundle of 12 directed drawing tutorials with simple, step-by-step instructions, and start creating some art with your class!
