How to Draw a House (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)

To draw a house, start with a big square. Add a triangle roof on top, then a door with a knob and two windows. Finish with a chimney, three puffs of smoke and a round window in the roof.

Finished cartoon house with yellow walls, a red roof, a brown door, light blue windows and a gray chimney with smoke
The finished house
Steps
6 easy steps
You need
  • Pencil
  • Ruler (optional)
  • Eraser
  • Black marker
  • Yellow, red, brown, light blue and gray crayons

Updated

Teaching this to a class?

Show one step at a time on the board and wait for the class before the next. The directed drawing for kids page explains how to run it.

How to draw a house step by step

  1. A big square for the walls of the house

    Step 1 of 6: Draw a big square for the walls.

  2. A triangle roof on top of the square that sticks out a little on both sides

    Step 2 of 6: Add a triangle roof on top that sticks out a little on both sides.

  3. A tall door in the bottom middle of the house with a small round knob

    Step 3 of 6: Draw a tall door in the bottom middle with a small round knob.

  4. Two square windows, one on each side of the door, each with a cross inside

    Step 4 of 6: Add two square windows, one on each side of the door, each with a cross.

  5. A chimney on the right side of the roof with three puffs of smoke, and a round window with a cross in the roof

    Step 5 of 6: Draw a chimney with three puffs of smoke and a round window in the roof.

  6. The house colored with yellow walls, a red roof, a brown door, light blue windows and a gray chimney

    Step 6 of 6: Color the walls yellow, the roof red, the door brown, the windows light blue and the chimney gray.

Tips for little artists

  • Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.

  • Tip: Use a ruler for the walls and the roof if you want straight lines. The door and windows can be drawn by hand.

  • Tip: Make the smoke puffs bigger as they go up. Small near the chimney, big at the top.

Make it yours

  • Snowy house

    Leave a white strip of snow along the roof edges and draw snowflakes in the sky.

  • House with a garden

    Draw a fence along the bottom with flowers in front and a path to the door.

  • Two-story house

    Draw a taller rectangle and add a second row of windows above the door.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

  • The roof is smaller than the house

    Make the bottom of the roof a little wider than the square, so it hangs over both walls.

  • The door floats

    Start the door on the bottom line of the house, so it touches the ground.

  • The chimney sits on the peak

    Put the chimney on one slope of the roof, partway down from the top.

Fun facts about the house

  • A roof with two slopes that form a triangle is called a gable roof, or pitched roof. (Source: Britannica)

  • Gable roofs were used as early as the temples of ancient Greece. They are still a very common kind of roof. (Source: Britannica)

  • Early roofs were usually set at a slope so rain could drain off them. (Source: Britannica)

Questions grown-ups ask

How do you draw a house easy?

Draw a square and put a triangle roof on top. Add a door, two windows and a chimney. The 6 steps above follow that order.

How do you draw a house for kids?

Use simple shapes: a square for the walls, a triangle for the roof, a rectangle for the door and squares for the windows. A chimney with smoke finishes it.

How do you draw a house step by step?

Start with the walls, then the roof, the door, the windows and the chimney. Color it last.

If your roof came out a little crooked, that's fine. Your house still looks cozy. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.

Step 1 of 6

A big square for the walls of the house
Draw a big square for the walls.