Art Projects for Kids
Looking for easy art projects for kids that work at home, in the classroom, or with a homeschool group?
This page brings together simple, creative art activities using everyday materials. Explore famous artists, painting, watercolor, drawing, process art, STEAM art, printable projects, seasonal ideas, and more.
You do not need a full art room to get started. Many projects use paper, paint, markers, crayons, glue, scissors, and recycled materials.
💡 Bookmark this page as your starting point for art throughout the year.
What Kids Learn Through Art
Art gives kids opportunities to experiment, make choices, solve problems, and express their ideas.
Through hands-on art projects, kids can practice:
- Fine motor skills
- Creative thinking
- Observation
- Color mixing
- Drawing and painting techniques
- Planning and revising
- Art vocabulary
- Confidence with materials
Most projects can be adapted by changing the materials, amount of support, and level of detail.
Start Here With Art for Kids
Not sure where to begin? Choose the type of art activity that best fits your group.
- Preschool Art Activities: Playful, hands-on projects that focus on color, texture, movement, fine motor skills, and exploration.
- Printable Art Projects: Ready-to-use art activities for classrooms, homeschool, art clubs, early finishers, and busy weeks.
- Famous Artist Projects: Explore art history through kid-friendly projects inspired by well-known artists and techniques.
- Process Art Activities: Open-ended projects that focus on experimenting with materials and making creative choices.
- Elements of Art: Build a foundation with line, shape, color, form, value, texture, and space.
Try the 7 Day Art Challenge
This free 7 Day Art Challenge is a fantastic introduction to art and is designed to let you get started immediately!
Popular Art Projects to Try First
Not sure which project to choose? Start with one of these colorful, flexible ideas.
Kandinsky Circle Art: Explore color, shape, and composition with a bright artist-inspired project.
Paul Klee Collage: Combine line, color, and cut paper in a simple mixed-media activity.
Silhouette Art: Use bold shapes and contrast to explore positive and negative space.
Watercolor Resist Art: Add crayon lines before painting to create patterns that show through the watercolor.
Romero Britto Flower Art: Experiment with bold outlines, bright colors, and repeated patterns.
Splatter Painting: Explore movement, color, and open-ended paint techniques.
Famous Artist Projects for Kids
Famous artist projects give kids a hands-on way to explore art history.
Instead of copying one finished artwork, encourage students to notice how an artist used line, shape, color, pattern, texture, or composition. Then let them try a similar idea while creating something of their own.
Explore projects inspired by artists such as Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Alma Thomas, Yayoi Kusama, Frida Kahlo, Romero Britto, Hilma af Klint, Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso.
👉 EXPLORE FAMOUS ARTISTS FOR KIDS
Print-and-Go Famous Artist Projects
Need something especially easy to prepare?
The Print-and-Go Famous Artist Projects include ready-to-use activities inspired by well-known artists and art styles.
Each project also includes a simple sketchbook warm-up so kids can explore lines, shapes, colors, patterns, or techniques before beginning the main artwork.
These work well for:
- Classroom art lessons
- Homeschool
- Art clubs
- Early finishers
- Substitute plans
- Independent work
👉 EXPLORE PRINT-AND-GO FAMOUS ARTIST PROJECTS
Explore the Elements of Art
The seven elements of art give kids a useful vocabulary for talking about what they see and create.
- Line: Explore straight, curved, thick, thin, wavy, and expressive lines.
- Shape: Work with geometric and organic shapes.
- Color: Practice color mixing, warm and cool colors, complementary colors, tints, and shades.
- Texture: Explore how artwork can look or feel rough, smooth, soft, bumpy, or patterned.
- Form: Introduce three-dimensional forms through drawing and construction.
- Value: Practice light and dark areas through shading and color.
- Space: Explore foreground, background, overlap, positive space, and negative space.
👉 EXPLORE THE 7 ELEMENTS OF ART
Book Art Activities
Pair a favorite picture book with a simple art activity to extend the story through drawing, painting, collage, color, and creative play.
Book-inspired art works especially well for classroom read-alouds, homeschool lessons, preschool groups, and art centers because the story gives kids an easy starting point for their own ideas.
The collection includes activities inspired by books such as Beautiful Oops!, Harold and the Purple Crayon, The Dot, Sky Color, Press Here, Mouse Paint, Ish, and Henri’s Scissors. The projects explore ideas such as color mixing, line, collage, printmaking, imaginative drawing, and turning mistakes into art.
You can start with a free book-themed art activity, then explore the complete printable pack for even more book and art pairings.
👉 TRY A FREE BOOK ART ACTIVITY
👉 EXPLORE THE BOOK ART ACTIVITIES PACK
Painting Projects for Kids
Painting gives kids a chance to explore color, brushwork, texture, layering, and different ways to apply paint. Projects can be inspired by famous artwork, nature, seasonal themes, or simply experimenting with a new painting technique.
Try painting with traditional brushes or switch things up with unexpected materials and surfaces. Kids can explore bold strokes, blended colors, textured paint, and different styles while developing confidence with the medium.
A few favorites include Coffee Painting Starry Night, artist-inspired painting projects, nature painting, and colorful seasonal ideas.
Our Painting Projects collection brings together easy ideas using watercolor, tempera, homemade paints, and other kid-friendly materials.
👉 MAKE HOMEMADE PAINT WITH KIDS (12+ Recipes)
Watercolor Art Activities
Watercolor is a versatile art material for kids because it can be used for quick technique practice, open-ended painting, and complete art projects.
Kids can explore how water and pigment behave through blending, layering, washes, resist techniques, salt effects, and color mixing. You can also make simple homemade watercolors and compare how they work with store-bought paints.
Watercolor projects are a good way to introduce brush control, color relationships, texture, and experimentation without needing a long supply list.
Our watercolor collection includes 15 ideas, including resist art, salt painting, technique ideas, homemade watercolors, and more.
Drawing Activities for Kids
Drawing is a simple way for kids to slow down, look closely, and communicate ideas. It also gives them practice with line, shape, pattern, proportion, and detail.
Drawing activities can be structured or open-ended. Kids might follow a few simple steps, draw something they observe, create a self-portrait, build a picture from a starting shape, or fill an area with repeated patterns and marks.
The goal is not for every drawing to look the same. Encourage kids to notice details, make their own choices, and build confidence through practice.
Drawing also works well as a warm-up before painting, collage, or a famous artist project.
Printable Art Projects
Printable art resources are useful when you need an activity that is easy to organize and ready to use.
Includes:
- Drawing prompts
- Art challenges
- Famous artists
- Book and art projects
- Color wheel and color mixing
Look for projects that give kids room to make individual choices rather than requiring every finished piece to look the same.
👉 EXPLORE PRINTABLE ART PROJECTS
Collage and Mixed-Media Art
Collage is one of the most flexible ways for kids to make art.
Combine construction paper, painted paper, tissue paper, magazines, cardboard, yarn, nature materials, markers, and paint.
Kids can cut, tear, layer, arrange, and combine materials to build pictures, patterns, and abstract designs.
👉 Try a Matisse Collage Art project here
👉 EXPLORE COLLAGE PROJECTS (coming soon)
Process Art Activities
Process art focuses on what kids discover while making art rather than requiring one specific finished result.
Paper Towel Tie Dye: Super fun and much less messy than the real thing.
Splatter Painting: Experiment with movement, tools, and paint consistency.
Marble Painting: Observe how rolling objects create changing paths and patterns.
Bubble Painting: Use bubbles to create overlapping prints and colorful textures.
String Painting: Explore unexpected shapes and designs.
Printmaking for Kids
Printmaking introduces repetition, pattern, texture, and positive and negative space.
Kids can make prints using leaves, cardboard, foam, sponges, bubble wrap, string, recycled materials, and found objects.
Use printmaking techniques for artwork, cards, backgrounds, seasonal projects, and artist-inspired activities.
👉 Try Alma’s Prints here
👉 EXPLORE PRINTMAKING PROJECTS (coming soon)
STEAM Art Projects
STEAM art combines creativity with science, engineering, and math.
Fizzy Paint: Explore chemistry and reactions with baking soda paint.
Salt Painting: Combine texture, watercolor, and absorption.
Chromatography Art: Separate marker colors and use the results to create artwork.
Scientific Illustration: Learn how to observe, document, and draw natural materials
Shadow Art: Investigate light, shape, and how shadows change.
Self-Portrait Art Projects
Self-portraits help kids explore identity, observation, expression, and artistic choices.
Portraits can be made with drawing, paint, collage, mixed media, abstract shapes, patterns, symbols, or artist-inspired techniques.
Preschool Art Activities
Preschool art should be playful, hands-on, and centered on exploration.
Choose projects that allow young children to experiment with color, texture, movement, shapes, and materials without expecting every finished piece to look the same.
Preschool art can include painting, stamping, collage, color mixing, nature art, and other process-based activities. Try shape stamping, potato masher art, or fizzy space art!
👉 EXPLORE PRESCHOOL ART ACTIVITIES
Nature Art Activities
Nature can provide both inspiration and materials.
Try leaf art, nature printing, flower pounding, land art, nature weaving, outdoor watercolor, sun prints, and projects using natural materials.
Seasonal Art Projects
Use seasonal themes to explore new materials, colors, and techniques throughout the year.
Fall Art: Leaves, apples, pumpkins, warm colors, and nature-inspired projects.
Winter Art: Snowflakes, cool colors, winter landscapes, and Arctic themes.
Spring Art: Flowers, rainbows, birds, insects, and garden-inspired art.
Summer Art: Ocean themes, outdoor art, sun projects, and nature activities.
Holiday Art Projects
Find creative projects for:
Easy Art Supplies to Keep on Hand
You can make a wide range of art projects with a small collection of versatile supplies.
Start with:
- White drawing paper
- Construction paper
- Cardstock
- Watercolor paper
- Markers
- Crayons
- Colored pencils
- Watercolor paint
- Tempera paint
- Glue
- Scissors
- Paintbrushes
- Tissue paper
- Recycled cardboard
Add specialty materials gradually based on the projects your kids use most.
👉 LEARN HOW TO SET UP AN ART CART
Looking for more ways to explore ART?
Explore our Art Project Bundle; it’s filled with hands-on art activities inspired by well-known artists. Plus, you’ll find extras for collage, mixed media, printmaking, watercolor, and the 7 Elements!
Start Creating
Art does not need to be complicated to be meaningful.
Choose one material, technique, theme, or artist and begin there. Give kids time to experiment, make choices, solve creative problems, and develop their own ideas.
Bookmark this page and return whenever you need a new art project, printable, technique, or teaching resource.
