How to Draw Animals for Kids

These are easy animal drawings for kids, sorted by step count so the easiest come first. Most start with a circle or an oval. If your child is new to drawing, let them draw the big body shapes while you help with the eyes and legs. Every tutorial has a free step sheet to print.

Children's drawings of a lion, a dog, a butterfly and a turtle colored with crayons

All animal drawings

Tips for drawing animals with kids

Most animals are a body, a head and something that makes them that animal: long ears for a bunny, a mane for a lion, a shell for a turtle. Ask your child what the special part is before you start. That part is what makes the drawing look right, so it is worth taking time over.

Draw the body big. Small bodies leave no room for legs, and kids get frustrated when the legs run off the page. A circle or an oval about the size of their hand works on a normal sheet of paper.

Legs and tails

Four legs are hard for younger kids. Two short legs in front, with the back legs hidden behind the body, still read as a dog or a cat. Tails can go on last, curving up or down, and they are a good place for a child to make the animal their own.

Faces

Eyes set close together look cute; eyes far apart look surprised. Let your child try both on scrap paper. A tiny triangle nose and a curved smile finish most animal faces.

Get the free step sheets by email

Enter your email and we will send you the download link for every printable step sheet. You will also get a short email when new drawings and holiday sheets go up.

For parents and teachers. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy

Questions parents ask

What is the easiest animal for a child to draw?

One built from one or two big shapes. A fish is an oval with a triangle tail. A snail is a spiral sitting on a line. A cat is a circle head on top of an oval body. Start with those, then try animals with legs.

How do you draw animals step by step?

Find the biggest shape first, usually the body, and draw it lightly. Add the head, then the legs and the tail, and leave the eyes, spots and stripes for last. One new part per step keeps it easy to follow.

My child wants to draw a real-looking animal. Where do we start?

Start with the cartoon version anyway. It teaches where the head, body and legs go. Once that feels easy, look at a photo together and add one real detail at a time, like fur lines or the right number of toes.

Keep drawing