The Magic of Drawing Prompts
By Jean Van’t Hul
I have used simple drawing prompts with children since my eldest daughter, Maia, now a high schooler, was in preschool. I drew some empty picture frames on a piece of paper for her and a friend to fill in. They were so attracted to those frames and drew inside them more enthusiastically and creatively than they drew on plain paper earlier that day.
After that, I started creating simple drawing prompts for my kids and their friends to complete regularly—sometimes on paper, sometimes on our giant chalkboard wall, sometimes scribbled in a notebook when we were out and about. The results became predictable: If the chalkboard was blank, they often walked by it without seeming to notice it. But if I added a simple drawing prompt, usually accompanied by a written question, they were attracted to it and started thinking and drawing right away, whether by themselves, together, or with a friend. The simple prompt got their brains working faster and in a different way than normal. It piqued their curiosity and often got them drawing more creatively than when faced with a blank page. This was wonderful to see from the perspective of a parent and self-proclaimed children’s art enabler.
Seeing the tremendous potential of drawing prompts, I started offering them here and there on a regular basis. Not all the time. But when it occurred to me or I had a new idea, I would try it out.
Some of the drawing prompts I offered included:
• Drawing the outline of a two-story house and asking who lived there.
• Drawing two blank heads with speech bubbles and asking who they were and what they were saying to each other.
• Drawing a series of simple ovals and inviting the kids to complete the faces with different expressions.
• Drawing a pair of eyes and asking who or what it was.
Each time, I was happy to see how interested and engaged the kids were with the drawing prompts. And I loved seeing the creative drawings that resulted!
This is not to say that the kids don’t draw creatively when working on blank paper, whether at the easel or in a sketchbook, but with drawing prompts, the results are different. Additionally, sometimes a child’s interest might lag in drawing or just in general. A drawing prompt can act as a magical solution for creative engagement. The prompt “Fruit Tree” will get you started. Find more prompts in my book Invitation to Draw.
Reprinted from Invitation to Draw: 99 Drawing Prompts to Inspire Kids’ Creativity (2021) with permission from Roost Books, roostbooks.com.
Jean Van’t Hul helps parents, caregivers, and teachers share art with the kids in their lives through her blog, The Artful Parent, as well as her books, classes, and Kids Art Spot membership site. For more ideas and inspiration for kids’ art, seasonal crafts, and creative family life, visit artfulparent.com.
I have used simple drawing prompts with children since my eldest daughter, Maia, now a high schooler, was in preschool. I drew some empty picture frames on a piece of paper for her and a friend to fill in. They were so attracted to those frames and drew inside them more enthusiastically and creatively than they drew on plain paper earlier that day.
After that, I started creating simple drawing prompts for my kids and their friends to complete regularly—sometimes on paper, sometimes on our giant chalkboard wall, sometimes scribbled in a notebook when we were out and about. The results became predictable: If the chalkboard was blank, they often walked by it without seeming to notice it. But if I added a simple drawing prompt, usually accompanied by a written question, they were attracted to it and started thinking and drawing right away, whether by themselves, together, or with a friend. The simple prompt got their brains working faster and in a different way than normal. It piqued their curiosity and often got them drawing more creatively than when faced with a blank page. This was wonderful to see from the perspective of a parent and self-proclaimed children’s art enabler.
Seeing the tremendous potential of drawing prompts, I started offering them here and there on a regular basis. Not all the time. But when it occurred to me or I had a new idea, I would try it out.
Some of the drawing prompts I offered included:
• Drawing the outline of a two-story house and asking who lived there.
• Drawing two blank heads with speech bubbles and asking who they were and what they were saying to each other.
• Drawing a series of simple ovals and inviting the kids to complete the faces with different expressions.
• Drawing a pair of eyes and asking who or what it was.
Each time, I was happy to see how interested and engaged the kids were with the drawing prompts. And I loved seeing the creative drawings that resulted!
This is not to say that the kids don’t draw creatively when working on blank paper, whether at the easel or in a sketchbook, but with drawing prompts, the results are different. Additionally, sometimes a child’s interest might lag in drawing or just in general. A drawing prompt can act as a magical solution for creative engagement. The prompt “Fruit Tree” will get you started. Find more prompts in my book Invitation to Draw.
Reprinted from Invitation to Draw: 99 Drawing Prompts to Inspire Kids’ Creativity (2021) with permission from Roost Books, roostbooks.com.
Jean Van’t Hul helps parents, caregivers, and teachers share art with the kids in their lives through her blog, The Artful Parent, as well as her books, classes, and Kids Art Spot membership site. For more ideas and inspiration for kids’ art, seasonal crafts, and creative family life, visit artfulparent.com.
