Ages 3 to 4
Drawing for preschoolers
Big shapes, few steps and a grown-up drawing alongside: the lessons here are the shortest on the site and the right size for three- and four-year-olds.
At three and four, drawing is about making marks that mean something. A circle with two dots is a face, and that is a real achievement. The lessons below are the seven- to ten-step ones, a face from one big shape, a snail, the sun, and the point is not accuracy but the joy of finishing. Sit beside your child, draw on your own paper, and name the shapes as you go.
Toddlers under three will mostly scribble, and should: big paper, chunky crayons and a grown-up making the same marks is the whole activity. Come back to the lessons when a circle starts closing up.
First faces
One big shape, ears on top, eyes and a nose. Seven or eight steps.
How to Draw a Frog Face
7 steps
How to Draw a Panda Face
7 steps
How to Draw a Koala Face
7 steps
How to Draw a Mouse Face
7 steps
How to Draw a Cat Face
10 steps
How to Draw a Bear Face
8 steps
How to Draw a Fox Face
9 steps
How to Draw a Dog Face
9 steps
How to Draw a Bunny Face
9 steps
How to Draw an Owl Face
9 steps
Sky and garden
How to Draw the Sun
10 steps
How to Draw a Cloud
10 steps
How to Draw a Star
10 steps
How to Draw the Moon
10 steps
How to Draw a Flower
11 steps
How to Draw a Snail
10 steps
How to Draw a Worm
10 steps
How to Draw a Ladybug
12 steps
How to Draw a Mushroom
11 steps
Snacks
How to Draw an Apple
10 steps
How to Draw a Banana
10 steps
How to Draw an Egg
10 steps
How to Draw a Cookie
10 steps
How to Draw a Donut
10 steps
How to Draw Soft Serve
10 steps
How to Draw a Popsicle
10 steps
How to Draw a Lollipop
10 steps
How to Draw a Watermelon
10 steps
How to Draw an Orange
10 steps
Things we know
How to Draw a Ball
11 steps
How to Draw a Kite
10 steps
How to Draw Balloons
11 steps
How to Draw a Tent
10 steps
How to Draw a Sled
10 steps
How to Draw a Cup
10 steps
How to Draw a Crayon
10 steps
How to Draw an Umbrella
10 steps
How to Draw a Snowman Face
10 steps
How to Draw a Smiley Face
9 steps
Tips for drawing with a preschooler
- Use a chunky crayon or a soft pencil and paper at least the size of a sheet of printer paper. Small hands draw big.
- You draw too, on your own sheet, one step behind them. Copying a grown-up who is copying the picture is the easiest way in.
- Name shapes, not mistakes: “a big round tummy, two pointy ears”. Skip the eraser entirely at this age.
- Stop while it is still fun. Three steps today and the rest tomorrow is a perfectly good lesson.
Questions parents and teachers ask
What can a 3 year old draw?
Circles, lines and dots, and with help a face made of those: a circle, two dots and a curve. The face lessons above are built exactly that way.
What are easy drawings for toddlers?
Before three, free scribbling on big paper is the right activity. From about three, the sun, a ball, a snail and the frog and panda faces.
How long should a preschool drawing activity be?
Five to ten minutes. The lessons on this page are seven to ten steps for that reason.