40 Fun Drawing Prompts for Kids Who “Don’t Know What to Draw”
Looking for the perfect response to the age-old statement, “But I don’t know what to draw”? Say no more! Below is a list of 40 creative and silly drawing prompts that are sure to keep your students (or your own kids) engaged while flexing their creative muscles.
By now, y’all know I’m a BIG advocate for sketchbooks in the art room—yes, even for elementary students! I know it can feel like there’s not enough time to use them, but I promise, if you give sketchbooks a chance, your students will truly love them. (That’s a blog post for another day… 😉)
Let’s talk about what students should actually draw in their sketchbooks.
I use sketchbooks for all kinds of things:
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Preliminary planning sketches
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Outdoor drawing on nice days
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Emergency sub plans
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But most of all… my one and only early finisher activity
Once students complete their main project for the day—and I’ve checked it over—they’re allowed to grab their sketchbook and choose a prompt stick. Why prompt sticks? Because when you tell students to “draw whatever you want,” it usually turns into “I don’t know what to draw.” Too many choices can be a creativity killer!
That’s why I created this list of 40 sketchbook prompts for you to turn into craft stick challenges in your classroom.
Art Teacher Tip:
Write each prompt below on a large craft stick and place them in a cup or jar. Students love the surprise element of randomly pulling a stick—it feels like a game!
40 Creative Drawing Prompts for Kids
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Design your dream castle to live in
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Draw your dream vacation
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Draw a dinosaur ice cream shop
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What’s hiding under the couch?
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What if the moon was made of cheese?
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Where did that other sock disappear to from the laundry?
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What do you want to be when you grow up?
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Draw something out of place in an aquarium
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Draw yourself as a famous artist
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Design your dream treehouse
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Draw a man with crazy facial hair
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What’s inside the treasure box?
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Design a treasure map
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Draw your teacher as a pirate
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Draw your dream bedroom
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Design your dream house
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Invent a video game
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Draw your pet (or favorite animal) as a superhero—with a name!
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Design a robot to do your chores
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Draw your dream meal
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Design a robot that does your homework
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Combine two animals into one new creature
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Draw your dream pet
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Design a thinking cap that gives you all the right answers
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Where does the rabbit hole lead? Draw underground…
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Draw your principal as a monster
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Draw your family as aliens
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Design your dream backyard
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Draw me as a monster!
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Draw something that smells really bad
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Invent something new
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What’s living in your closet?
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Draw a 4-panel comic
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If you were President…
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Draw something you’re craving to eat right now
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Create an art supply dance battle
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Draw yourself as part human, part animal
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Draw a person with wild, crazy hair
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Draw something totally out of place in the ocean
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Draw a space cat 🚀🐱
Or you can click the link below to download a PDF!
Download this drawing prompt list for your students!
If you're looking to help build your students' confidence in their drawing skills, be sure to check out my Drawing Guides! They’re designed to be approachable, engaging, and perfect for students who need a little extra encouragement when staring at a blank page.
I hope this list helps jump start your little artist's creativity! If you decide to use sketchbooks in the classroom, I'd love to see! Just tag me (@artwithmrs.e) on Instagram or Facebook!
Happy Drawing!
4 comments
Those are great prompts for grown up kids, too! I’m about to design a robot to do my chores in my sketchbook right now!
Thx
Great ideas for prompting! Thank you Kaitlyn
Thank you