• 90 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Kids Art Club Ideas

Press the button for one thing the whole club can do in a meeting, with what it needs.

Kids Art Club Ideas

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  1. Flip books on sticky-note pads, traded and flipped at the endSuits the whole club. Needs sticky-note pads and pens.

Next step Deal a theme for the projectThings to draw for art class

All 90 ideas

Elementary 18

  • A cardboard-tube city: each child makes one building, then the club lays out the streets Suits the whole club. Needs tubes, small boxes, paint, tape and floor space.
  • A spinning cardstock disc each: a bird on one side, a cage on the other, twirled on two strings Suits the whole club. Needs cardstock circles, string, markers and a hole punch.
  • Draw to music and switch crayons every time the song changes Suits the whole club. Needs big paper, crayons and three very different songs.
  • Fold-and-press paint blots, turned into creatures with a pen once they are dry Suits the whole club. Needs paper, runny paint and markers.
  • Leaf people: collect leaves outside, glue them down and draw on arms, legs and faces Suits the whole club. Needs leaves, glue, paper and pens.
  • One long road drawn down a paper roll in the hallway, and every child adds a vehicle Suits the whole club. Needs a paper roll, tape and markers.
  • Paper-bag puppets of each other, then a short show from every table Suits small groups, one to a table. Needs paper bags, yarn, markers and glue.
  • Paper-bag vests cut out and decorated as the uniform of an invented team Suits the whole club. Needs large paper bags, scissors and markers.
  • Paper-plate masks of a made-up animal, worn for a parade around the room Suits the whole club. Needs paper plates, markers, string and scissors.
  • Partners trace each other's shadows in chalk on the playground and fill them with patterns Suits pairs, outdoors on a sunny day. Needs sidewalk chalk.
  • Patterns of stones and sticks laid out on the grass and photographed before the bell Suits small groups, outdoors. Needs whatever is on the ground and one camera.
  • Pinwheels decorated on both sides, pinned to pencils and tested outside Suits the whole club, with an adult pushing in the pins. Needs paper squares, pins, pencils with erasers and markers.
  • Potato and sponge stamps printed as a repeating pattern along a paper roll Suits the whole club. Needs cut potatoes or sponges, paint in trays and a paper roll.
  • Salt dough medals pressed with buttons and forks, painted at the next meeting Suits the whole club over two meetings. Needs flour, salt, water and things to press in.
  • Self-portraits with yarn hair and button eyes for one wall of faces Suits the whole club. Needs cardstock, yarn, buttons, glue and a few mirrors.
  • Swirl food coloring on a tray of shaving cream, press cardstock on it and cut the print into bookmarks Suits small groups taking turns. Needs shaving cream, food coloring, cardstock and a ruler.
  • Texture hunt: rub crayons over bark, coins and shoe soles, then cut the rubbings into a monster Suits the whole club. Needs thin paper, wax crayons, scissors and glue.
  • Tissue-paper windows in black paper frames, taped to the classroom glass Suits the whole club. Needs black paper, tissue paper, glue sticks and tape.

Middle and high school 18

  • A club sticker sheet: every member designs four stickers on one theme Suits the whole club. Needs label paper or plain paper and fine pens.
  • A one-sheet zine: fold a sheet into a small booklet, fill its pages on a shared theme, copy and swap Suits the whole club. Needs copier paper, scissors, pens and a copier.
  • A sketch walk with three stops around the school and one drawing at each Suits the whole club. Needs sketchbooks or clipboards and pencils.
  • Blind contour portraits of the person opposite, pinned up unsigned for the club to guess Suits the whole club in pairs. Needs paper, pens and pins.
  • Bring one unfinished piece to a circle and take away two questions and one suggestion Suits small groups. Needs the work and sticky notes.
  • Cardboard relief portraits: layers cut, stacked and painted a single color Suits small groups. Needs cardboard, scissors, glue and one jar of paint.
  • Collagraph plates built from cardboard, string and leaves, then printed by rubbing with a spoon Suits small groups. Needs cardboard, glue, string, ink or paint and a spoon.
  • Design a mascot for an invented cereal, then draw the whole box Suits the whole club. Needs paper, markers and an empty box to study.
  • Every table builds a still life for another table to draw Suits small groups, one to a table. Needs odd objects, a cloth, paper and charcoal.
  • Flip books on sticky-note pads, traded and flipped at the end Suits the whole club. Needs sticky-note pads and pens.
  • Monotypes: paint on a plastic sheet, press paper onto it and pull a single print Suits small groups. Needs clear plastic sheets, water-based paint and paper.
  • One vanishing point on the board, and each member draws one building of the same street Suits the whole club. Needs rulers, paper strips and tape.
  • Redesign a book cover without using the most obvious image from its title Suits the whole club, working alone. Needs paper and markers, or a tablet.
  • Relief prints cut into foam sheets, inked and printed as a run of cards Suits small groups sharing rollers. Needs foam sheets, pencils, block ink and rollers.
  • Restage a famous old painting with club members and props, then photograph it Suits small groups. Needs a printout, whatever is in the room and a phone.
  • Stop-motion in teams: a clay figure crosses the table one photograph at a time Suits small teams. Needs clay, a phone on a stand and a lamp.
  • Style switch: the same apple as a cartoon, as a diagram and as a stained-glass window Suits the whole club. Needs paper folded in three and pens.
  • Two-color posters for a real school event, voted on at the end Suits pairs. Needs paper, two markers a pair and the event details.

First meeting and icebreakers 18

  • A club rules poster where every member illustrates the one rule they suggested Suits the whole club. Needs one big sheet and markers.
  • A human color wheel: line up by shirt color, then paint the wheel the club made Suits the whole club. Needs paint and a big circle of paper.
  • A sign-in wall: each new member draws a paper brick with their name, and the wall grows Suits the whole club. Needs paper bricks, markers and tape.
  • A skill swap board: one thing each member can teach and one they want to learn Suits the whole club. Needs two colors of cardstock, pens and pins.
  • A wish wall of sticky notes: what each member wants to make this year, sorted into piles Suits the whole club. Needs sticky notes, pens and a wall.
  • Ask a neighbor three questions, then draw their favorite thing Suits pairs. Needs paper and pencils.
  • Bring one picture you like and say one sentence about why Suits the whole club in a circle. Needs a picture each, and spare postcards for those without.
  • Everyone draws a cat, the drawings are shuffled, and the club guesses who drew which Suits the whole club. Needs identical paper and pens.
  • Everyone sketches a candidate for club mascot, and the club votes Suits the whole club. Needs paper, pens and sticky dots for votes.
  • Musical chairs with drawings: draw until the music stops, then move one seat along Suits the whole club. Needs paper at every seat, pens and music.
  • Name tags that are also self-portraits, worn until everyone knows everyone Suits the whole club. Needs cardstock, pens and pins or string.
  • Paper over every table as a doodle tablecloth, drawn on while people talk Suits the whole club. Needs paper rolls, tape and markers.
  • Portrait relay: each person adds one feature to a face and passes it along Suits small groups. Needs paper and pens.
  • Quick sketches of whoever sits opposite, switching seats each round Suits the whole club. Needs paper, pencils and a timer.
  • Sketchbook covers collaged with three things about the owner Suits the whole club. Needs sketchbooks or folded paper, scraps and glue.
  • Supply scavenger hunt: find and sketch six tools in the art room Suits pairs. Needs a list, pencils and paper.
  • Take a group photo, then everyone draws themselves into one shared picture of it Suits the whole club. Needs a phone, one large sheet and pencils.
  • Two truths and a lie, drawn instead of spoken Suits small groups. Needs paper folded in three and pens.

Whole-club projects 18

  • A backdrop for the school play, scaled up from a small sketch by a grid and painted in teams Suits the whole club. Needs large paper or fabric, chalk, paint and the play's script.
  • A calendar for next year with a different member or pair drawing each month Suits twelve members or pairs. Needs paper, a grid template and a copier.
  • A club zine with a page from each member, stapled, with a cover chosen by vote Suits the whole club. Needs paper, pens, a copier and a stapler.
  • A deck of illustrated cards: one suit to a table, then traded into full decks Suits the whole club. Needs blank cards and pens.
  • A giant papier-mache creature built over several meetings on a wire and newspaper frame Suits the whole club in shifts. Needs newspaper, paste, wire, tape and paint.
  • A hallway show: hang the semester's work and write a one-line card for each piece Suits the whole club. Needs string or tape, card labels and the work.
  • A hanging mobile of paper birds, one from each member, for the entrance hall Suits the whole club. Needs cardstock, thread, sticks or hoops and a hole punch.
  • A map of the school with every room drawn by whoever knows it best Suits the whole club. Needs a large floor plan, small cards and glue.
  • A paper mosaic: sorted paper squares glued onto a design one member has outlined Suits the whole club. Needs paper squares in trays, glue and a big outline.
  • A paper quilt: every member designs one square in the same four colors, joined on a board Suits the whole club. Needs cardstock squares, four agreed colors and glue.
  • A picture book for the youngest class, written and illustrated a page each Suits the whole club. Needs paper, pens and a binder or ribbon.
  • A shadow puppet theater: a sheet, a lamp and cardstock figures on sticks Suits small teams. Needs black cardstock, sticks, a sheet and a lamp.
  • A stop-motion film with a job for everyone: sets, figures, camera and sound Suits the whole club in teams. Needs clay, cardstock, a phone on a stand and lamps.
  • A window display for the front office that changes with each season Suits a small team each time. Needs paper, tissue, tape and the office's yes.
  • An alphabet line for the wall: each member takes one letter and one thing that begins with it Suits the whole club, sharing out the letters. Needs cardstock and paint.
  • Everyone paints one tile of a grid mural, then the tiles are shuffled into place Suits the whole club. Needs cardstock squares, paint, a numbered plan and tape.
  • Old stools repainted for the library, one for each pair Suits pairs. Needs old stools, sandpaper, acrylic paint and the librarian's yes.
  • The school year so far, drawn along one wall with a stretch for each month Suits the whole club. Needs a paper roll, markers and photos to work from.

Fundraisers and service 18

  • A hand-drawn card for every resident of a nearby nursing home Suits the whole club. Needs cardstock, envelopes, pens and a list of first names.
  • A poster day for the bake sale: every table designs, letters and hangs one Suits small groups, one to a table. Needs poster paper, markers and the date and place.
  • A show of postcard-size pieces, every one sold for the same small price Suits the whole club. Needs postcards, any medium, a table and a cash box.
  • A sketch booth at the school fair: a cartoon of each visitor's pet, drawn from their description Suits confident sketchers in pairs. Needs paper, pens, a table and a sign.
  • A welcome banner for new students, one letter from each member Suits the whole club. Needs a paper roll or fabric and paint.
  • Coloring pages drawn by the club and copied for the kindergarten Suits the whole club. Needs paper, black pens and a copier.
  • Decorated paper bags for a food drive Suits the whole club. Needs paper bags, markers and the drive's dates.
  • Gift wrap printed by hand and sold in rolls before the holidays Suits small groups. Needs brown paper, sponge stamps and paint.
  • Hand-drawn bookmarks, laminated and sold at the book fair Suits the whole club. Needs cardstock strips, pens, laminating pouches and ribbon.
  • Illustrated recipe cards for a family cookbook sale Suits the whole club. Needs recipes from home, cardstock, pens and a copier.
  • Painted plant markers for the school garden: a picture and a name on every stick Suits the whole club. Needs wooden sticks, paint pens and a plant list.
  • Pet portraits for an animal shelter's bulletin board, one for each animal waiting Suits the whole club. Needs photos from the shelter, paper and pencils.
  • Placemats for a community lunch, drawn on paper and covered Suits the whole club. Needs large paper, crayons and clear covering.
  • Portraits of school staff as thank-you gifts at the end of the year Suits the whole club, one member to each staff member. Needs paper, pencils and a photo each.
  • Repaint a faded hopscotch or four-square court on the playground Suits a small team. Needs outdoor paint, brushes, tape and the principal's yes.
  • Signs for the recycling bins that show what goes in each one Suits pairs. Needs cardstock, markers, tape and the school's recycling list.
  • Story drawings: a younger student tells a story and a club member draws it for them to keep Suits pairs of one teller and one artist. Needs paper, pens and a younger class.
  • Thank-you cards for the crossing guard, the cafeteria staff and the custodians Suits the whole club. Needs cardstock, pens and a list of names.

How it works

Kids art club ideas, one meeting at a time: each of these 90 is a session or a longer project, with who it suits and the materials on the line below. They are sorted by the leader's first question.

Read the full guide

Art club ideas for elementary and older

Elementary holds sessions for the youngest clubs, such as leaf people and paper-plate masks. Middle and high school holds prints, zines and stop-motion. First meeting and icebreakers is for a room of people who have not met.

Projects that take the whole club

Whole-club projects run over more than one meeting: a grid mural, a hallway show, a calendar. Fundraisers and service holds cards for a nursing home and posters for a bake sale. Anything on school property needs the school's yes.

  • Read the materials line before the meeting, not at it. Most sessions need one thing the art room may not have.

Questions and answers

What do you do in an art club?

One shared session a meeting: everyone makes the same kind of thing and sees the results together. Each idea here is that session in one line, from a texture hunt with crayons to a one-sheet zine.

What is a good first art club meeting?

Something that needs no skill and gets names learned: name tags that are also self-portraits, or a portrait relay where each person adds one feature to a face and passes it along.

Are these lesson plans?

No. They are session ideas for a club that a teacher, a parent or older students run. There are no grades, standards or timings, and the leader decides how long a session lasts.

Can the art club raise money or help out?

Fundraisers and service holds ideas such as hand-drawn bookmarks for the book fair and thank-you cards for the cafeteria staff and custodians. The page gives the idea only; the school sets the rules for any sale.

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