We’ve all been there, you’re trying to check off your to-do list, prep dinner, or just find five minutes of peace, when you hear those two dreaded words: “I’m bored.”
While it’s tempting to hand over a tablet, drawing is a fantastic way to keep little hands busy while actually boosting their brainpower. It builds fine motor skills, encourages focus, and helps them observe the world around them more closely.
But sometimes, a blank piece of paper is just too much pressure. To help your budding artist get started, I’ve put together a list of 28 nature-inspired ideas.
Each one comes with a simple “story prompt” you can use to spark their imagination, no “art teacher” skills required on your part!
Just grab some crayons or markers, pick a prompt from the list below, and watch their creativity take over.
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Drawing Animals
- 1. Puppy: “Can you draw a tiny, fluffy puppy with floppy ears chasing a bright red ball through the grass?”
- 2. Cat: “How about a cozy cat curled up fast asleep on a colorful patterned rug?”
- 3. Pony: “Can you draw a pony with a long, flowing mane grazing in a field of clover?”
- 4. Elephant: “Draw a big elephant using its trunk to spray a cheeky baby elephant with water!”
- 5. Lion: “Try drawing a proud lion with a huge, golden mane resting on a flat rock in the sun.”
- 6. Bear: “Draw a fuzzy bear sitting in a tree”
- 7. Panda: “What if you drew a chubby panda sitting down and munching on a giant stalk of bamboo?”
- 8. Monkey: “Draw a silly monkey swinging by its tail from one jungle vine to another.”
- 9. Rabbit: “Can you draw a little bunny with long ears twitching, hiding inside a patch of carrots?”
- 10. Cow: “Draw a spotted cow standing near a wooden fence with a little bell around its neck.”
- 11. Mouse: “Draw a tiny mouse peeking out from a little hole in the wall, looking for a snack.”
- 12. Fox: “Try drawing a bright orange fox with a big bushy tail, sitting in your garden”
- 13. Frog: “Draw a frog from above, sitting perfectly still on a green lily pad next to a pink flower.”
Drawing Birds
- 14. Parrot: “Use your brightest colors to draw a parrot perched on a tropical branch.”
- 15. Owl: “Draw a wise owl with big, round eyes sitting looking out of a hole in a tree.”
- 16. Penguin: “Draw a group of penguins huddling together”
- 17. Flamingo: “Try drawing a bright pink flamingo standing gracefully on just one long, skinny leg.”
- 18. Duck: “Draw a mother duck swimming in a line with three tiny, fluffy ducklings behind her.”
- 19. Chicken: “Draw a hen sitting on a nest of straw, with some chicks running around.”
- 20. Hummingbird: “Draw a tiny hummingbird hovering right in front of a flower to drink the nectar.”
Fish and Sea Animals
- 21. Clownfish (Nemo): “Draw a bright orange striped clownfish peeking out from the wavy arms of a sea anemone.”
- 22. Shark: “Try drawing a scary shark patrolling the deep ocean with a tall fin sticking out of the water.”
- 23. Dolphin: “Draw a happy dolphin jumping high out of the waves and splashing back down.”
- 24. Whale: “Can you draw a giant whale blowing a big fountain of water out of its blowhole?”
- 25. Seahorse: “Draw a tiny seahorse with its tail wrapped around a piece of swaying green seaweed.”
- 26. Turtle: “Draw a sea turtle swimming through the coral reef with a beautifully patterned shell.”
Insects
- 27. Butterfly: “Draw a butterfly with perfectly symmetrical wings sitting on a giant, sunny sunflower.”
- 28. Ladybird (Ladybug): “Can you draw a little red ladybird with black spots crawling along the edge of a bright green leaf.”
- 29. Dragonfly: “Draw a colorful dragonfly with 4 wings resting on reeds in a pond”
- 30. Snail: “How about drawing a snail with a beautiful spiral shell of different colors”
Simple Tips for Little Artists
- The “Magic” of Ghost Lines: Draw very lightly at first, like a ghost! Once you like the line you’ve made, go over it again darker. You don’t even need to erase the light lines—they just help your drawing look more professional.
- Create a 3D World: Want to make your drawing look like a real scene? Draw things bigger and darker to make them look like they are standing right in front of you. Draw things smaller and lighter to make them look like they are far away in the distance.
- Layer Your Colors: Instead of just using one green crayon for the grass, try using a light green, a dark green, and maybe even a little yellow. It makes the drawing look much more alive!
- The “Oops-a-Daisy” Technique: If you make a mark you didn’t mean to, ask yourself: “What could that be now?” A stray line could become a blade of grass, a buzzing bee, or a fluffy cloud.
- Fill the Space: Try to “think big.” If you draw a tiny ladybug in the middle of a huge page, draw a giant leaf or a whole garden around it so the ladybug has a cozy home.
Are Your Kids a Bit Older? Try This Course on Proko
Inspiration from a Grown-up Artist
If you want to inspire your kids about what is possible with patience and practice, this is what you can do. It only took me about 40 years, but I got there!
Please point out that all artists started out by making simple pencil drawings first and making a million mistakes along the way.
Good artists learn by their mistakes, carry on, and try again. It’s the only way you get better.
Enjoy.
If you want to know how I get these results I’ve listed my kit here:
If this helped, you will also like these:
- How to Find Your Drawing Style: 8 Ways to Develop Your Skills
- Prevent Your Drawings From Smudging: The Ultimate Guide
- Drawing Ideas for Adults: 120 Cool and Easy Things to Draw
- How to Draw Water in Pencil: Drawing Water The Right Way
- 9 Ways to Stop Pencil Shine in a Drawing and Save Your Work!
- What Do Pencil Numbers Mean? Pencil Grades Explained + Charts
- Drawing Realistic Grass the Easy Way: For Beginners
- How to Get Better at Drawing: 15 Ways to Improve Your Art -FAST
- How to Draw a Forest Background the Easy Way
- Is Drawing Harder Than Painting? Your Questions Answered
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Hi, I’m Kevin Hayler
I’ve been selling my wildlife art and traveling the world for over 20 years, and if that sounds too good to be true, I’ve done it all without social media, art school, or galleries!
I can show you how to do it. You’ll find a wealth of info on my site, about selling art, drawing tips, lifestyle, reviews, travel, my portfolio, and more. Enjoy