57 Entertaining Art Projects For Kids & Teens in 2025
When you’re out of ideas on how to please the little ones, art projects for kids are the best way to keep them entertained and stimulated. Blending creativity with learning, kids can connect with their artistic side, spending a couple of hours playing with colors, textures and techniques
The best part? Most of these ideas use simple materials you probably have at home or can buy at any nearby store. Whether you’re a teacher looking for fresh classroom ideas or a partner planning holiday activities, these art projects are designed to spark imagination.
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Preschool Art Projects
1. Handprint Flowers & Animals
One of the easiest art projects for kids, especially preschoolers, is making handprint animals or flowers. By using a child’s tiny handprints with bright colors, you can transform them into lions, fish, butterflies, any creature their imagination sparks or beautifully colorful flowers.
2. Salt Painting
For colorful preschool art projects, salt painting is ideal as it turns ordinary glue lines into sparkling, textured artwork that fascinates young artists.
3. Shape Pizza Craft
The shape pizza craft is a playful way to combine art and early learning. Kids “build” their own (inedible) pizzas using circles, triangles and rectangles, all while practicing colors and shapes.
4. Leaf Rubbing Art
Explore patterns and textures with these fun art projects for kids. All they have to do is glide crayons over the paper on top of leaves, and they’ll see the textures magically appear, giving a sense of surprise.
5. Bubble Wrap Stomp Painting
Talk about beautiful chaos! Kids dip bubble wrap into paint, stomp or press it onto paper and watch colorful dot patterns explode.
6. Tissue Paper Rainbow
For fun art projects for kids at home, making a tissue paper rainbow is a great option. To make it, simply tear or cut small squares of colorful tissue paper and glue them in curved rows to form a bright rainbow.
7. Cotton Ball Snowman
If you’re looking for Christmas art projects for kids to make at home, this cotton ball snowman is adorable. Just glue cotton balls onto a snowman outline and then add eyes, a carrot nose and buttons.
8. Face Painting
Face painting is a great way to turn a regular afternoon into a magical one. Browse through face paint ideas, and paint your kids' faces with fun designs!
9. Sticker Story Scene
What kid doesn’t love stickers? They probably have too many of them too, so why not make something creative with the excess? Encourage them to place them on paper and build a whole scene that they can narrate.
10. Pinecone Painting
Pinecone painting lets kids turn a simple nature treasure into a colorful, textured piece of art. Whether they roll it across paper or paint each scale individually, the process is full of discovery.
11. Paper Plate Sun
The paper plate sun is a cheerful craft that can instantly brighten any room on a gloomy day. Kids can paint their sun in yellow and orange tones and then add playful rays that seem to dance off the edges. It's a nice winter craft for kids as it reminds them that the sun will come out tomorrow.
12. Pom-Pom Painting
For a fun preschool art project, pom-pom painting is an easy activity for the little ones. Kids love the gentle “dab dab” motion, plus it’s a fun way to practice their fine motor skills.
13. Fork Print Tulips
Art projects for kids don’t have to be complex or require too many materials. And fork-print tulips are proof of it. Encourage kids to dip a fork into paint and stamp out the perfect tulip shape!
14. Finger Paint Bags
The thing about art projects for kids is that they tend to be messy. But with finger paint bags, you can encourage them to squish, swirl and blend colors without it being a total mess. Simply, fill Ziploc bags with paint and seal tightly, then they can go to town with a little shake and lotta squish.
Art Projects For Kindergartners
15. Q-Tip Pointillism Painting
For this kids' art project, you only need Q-tips, paint and a piece of paper. Kindergarteners can create pictures or random designs as they soak Q-tips in paint and tap out patterns.
16. Paper Plate Lion
Turn an ordinary paper plate into the king of the jungle. Paint the paper plate yellow or brown, add a friendly lion face in the center and then, add a mane made from orange cut paper strips.
17. Bottle Cap Stamps
Bottle cap stamps show kids that everyday objects, even ones that you discard, can become a creative tool. By dipping bottle caps into paint, they can stamp circles, patterns, flower centers or abstract designs. It’s a great art idea for quick, low-prep creativity at home.
18. Pumpkin Sponge Painting
Pumpkin sponge painting is a ghoulishly delightful Halloween craft idea for kids because it's easy, festive and mess-friendly. Just cut a sponge into a pumpkin shape, dab it in orange paint and stamp cheerful pumpkins across the page.
19. Paper Bag Jellyfish
Now here's a treat that combines craft and imaginative play. To create their paper bag jellyfish, kids decorate a paper bag, then cut the bottom into long, wiggly strips that look like tentacles. Finish it off with a cute face.
20. Water Droplet Painting
This is one of the most entertaining art projects for kids because it uses new tools. The kiddos use droppers or pipettes to drip watered-down paint onto paper, watching the colors spread. Water droplet painting is a fun way for kids to experiment with color blending.
21. Fingerprint Fall Trees
Let the little ones help with DIY Fall decor by creating a foliage-theme work of art. Fingerprint fall trees let kindergartners create colorful autumn leaves using just their fingertips. They start with a simple tree trunk outline, then tap on red, orange and yellow fingerprints to fill the branches.
22. Circles Collage
A circle collage is a wonderful way to introduce Kandinsky art projects for kids, since his work celebrates color, shapes and movement. Kids layer colorful circles of different sizes to create bold, abstract designs.
23. Magazine Color Hunt Collage
This collage turns magazine pages into one of the easiest and most creative craft ideas for kids. First, children hunt for colors — red objects, blue patterns, green shapes — then tear or cut them out. They can save their patterns in a file or a bowl to display for later.
24. Cardboard Tube Binoculars
Going on a pretend safari or dinosaur expedition? They may need a pair of binoculars to help them see better. Cardboard tube binoculars turn everyday recyclables into pretend-play magic. Kids paint or decorate two tubes, tape or glue them together and add yarn for a strap. Maybe they'll see a lion or a T-Rex.
25. Macaroni Necklace
This is the quintessential kids' art project that everyone has most likely done at some point in their youth. And for good reason: it's simple and the end product is beautiful to show off to mom and dad. Children thread-painted or plain-pasta onto yarn, creating colorful patterns and wearable art.
26. Bubble Painting
Bubbles and painting, two of the things kids love the most. This is a low-mess art project for kids to do at home that transforms bubbles into fun prints. Kids blow paint-tinted bubbles onto paper and watch as soft, airy circles land and burst with color onto the white page.
27. Ice Painting
For this activity, make ice pops with food dye, or regular frozen blocks and let kids use them as brushes. Remember the gloves so that the kids don't get freezer burn.
28. Scrap Paper Mosaics
Give leftover craft scraps a second life as you turn them into mosaics that Gaudí would be proud of. These art projects for kids also teach them about patterns and composition.
Art Projects For Teens
29. Mandala Coloring
This is a well-known mindfulness activity as you create or color symmetrical, circular designs to focus your attention, which MegaWeCare states helps to calm your mind, reduce stress and foster self-reflection. This is done by engaging in a repetitive, creative process that promotes present-moment awareness and emotional release, often using colors as intentions for healing or peace. Mandala coloring is one of the best art projects for teens who want something relaxing but still visually stunning. The true practice is where the mandala is made with sand which is blown away after it's created, teaching a lesson in impermanence.
30. Minimalist Line Art
Let teens explore their creativity with minimalist line art. They’ll experiment with continuous lines, simple contours and gentle curves to capture faces or objects in a refined, modern style.
31. Decorative Phone Case Art
Phones are the most sacred things for teens, so why not help them make the most amazing phone case? With paint pens, stickers, collage elements or even resin, they can design a case that feels totally unique.
32. Personalized Tote Bag Painting
Tote bags are not only fashionable but extremely fun to paint. Let kids or teens create something they love whether it’s a quote, a cute design or a statement about a cause they really believe in.
33. Aesthetic Mood Board
Whether your teen is looking for something to liven up their room or a simple activity to keep them occupied on a lazy Saturday, an aesthetic mood board is a fun way to blend colors, textures and images that reflect a theme of their choice. Use printed photos, magazine cutouts, fabric pieces or anything that builds a visual story.
34. Watercolor Art
Give the teens the freedom to experiment with blending, gradients and soft edges through watercolor art. Whether they paint landscapes, abstract washes or simple florals, the results are often unexpectedly beautiful. Here's our guide on watercolor painting for beginners to see where to begin. We also have a few watercolor painting ideas if you don't quite know what to paint.
35. Watercolor Drip Silhouettes
Watercolor drip silhouettes combine bold outlines with flowing, unpredictable color drips. Kids or teens paint a silhouette shape — like a person or an animal — then let watery paint drip down to create a dynamic, artistic effect.
36. Graffiti Name Art
Teens can sketch their names in bold letters, add shadows, patterns and use bright colors to give this street-style edge. They'll also have to think up an alias before they get to sketching. If they get good enough, they can graduate to spraypaint and bomb some walls. Of course, the walls will have to be set aside and legal to spray.
37. DIY Friendship Bracelets
Create an Eras Tour moment by making Taylor Swift friendship bracelets. You can encourage teens to weave colorful embroidery threads to make patterns that match their style.
38. Matisse Shape Garden
Inspired by Matisse’s colorful cut-outs, the Matisse shape garden lets teens create abstract “plants” using organic paper shapes. Teens can also join in by layering more complex shapes or experimenting with bold color combinations.
39. Polaroid-Style Mini Drawings
A different type of art project for kids and teens is making polaroid-style mini drawings. They can create charming sketches inside a little photo frame border that looks like the popular Fujifilm photo.
40. DIY Bookmark Decorating
One of the best art projects for teens who love reading is to decorate bookmarks. They can use markers, collage scraps or simply paint as they can create something that’s both practical and personal.
41. Pop Art Mona Lisa
While the Mona Lisa exceeds the most expensive paintings ever sold, as it's seen as priceless, teens can create fun replicas. If you’re looking for Mona Lisa art projects for kids, this pop art Mona Lisa is an iconic way to transform a classic painting into something more modern. It’s all about using neon hues, patterns or contrasting tones in a style similar to Andy Warhol.
42. Doodle Art Page
Let teens be free with easy doodles where they create a page of small drawings where there are no rules and no pressure. They are free to draw whatever comes to mind without judgement or the prying eye of an art teacher.
43. Sharpie Mug Art
Hand a couple of colorful sharpies and encourage teens to paint their favorite mugs drawing patterns, doodles, names or even seasonal designs. You can go a step further by pouring nail polish into about 3-4 inches of water and dipping the mug into the mix to create a mosaic-like effect.
Easy Art Projects For Kids & Teens
44. Pottery
Pottery is one of those timeless art projects for kids and teens that feels both calming and exciting. Whether using air-dry clay at home or exploring a real wheel at some pottery classes, kids can learn to shape bowls, cups or tiny sculptures as good luck pendants for exams.
45. Digital Footprint Collage
Bring the online world offline with a digital footprint collage. This art project for teens let's them go on a mini digital detox as they're encouraged to reflect on the parts of their online world while using their hands in the real one. They can collect their favorite photos, colors, hobbies, emojis, posts and moments and build one giant image to reflect their personality. You can go one step further and give some photography classes, so that they can understand some tips and tricks into this artform and bring it to their online profiles.
46. Art Basics
Sometimes the best place to start is with the basics — simple lessons in color mixing, brush control, drawing shapes or understanding light and shadow. Teens can learn the intricate details of the pros by attending art classes or they can explore the basics at home with just paper and pencils.
47. Candle Making
Candle making invites kids and teens to experiment with scents, colors and molds to create candles that feel cozy, personalized with their unique scents. Whether melting wax in the kitchen or trying guided candle making classes, the process is surprisingly accessible. Here's our quick guide on how to make candles at home to get them started.
48. Paper Towel Watercolor Prints
Teens paint on textured paper towels using watercolors, creating vibrant patterns that soak and spread beautifully. Once dry, the prints can be glued onto paper or cut into shapes for a second project. Combine this with tie-dye T-shirts and their day is packed with colorful fun.
49. Washi Tape Artwork
Washi tape artwork is an easy, low-mess way to make colorful geometric designs, borders or mini scenes. The teens choose patterns and colors, then layer strips to create something unique without needing paint or brushes.
50. Stencil Silhouette Painting
Place a simple shape — like a star, leaf or animal — on paper, paint around it and peel it off to reveal a crisp silhouette. Stencil silhouette painting is one of the best easy art projects for beginners because the stencil does most of the work.
51. Pastel Smudge Art
This is a super fun one to do because the outcomes are so surprising and the act of smudging is freeing. Pastel smudge art lets teens blend chalk pastels with their fingers to create soft skies, abstract swirls or dreamy color transitions.
52. Shibori Dying
Introduce teens to a traditional Japanese folding and dyeing technique that creates beautiful patterns. Shibori dyeing is where they fold, twist or tie fabric before dipping it into dye, then unfold it to reveal the surprise designs.
53. Bullet Journal Art
A bullet journal is a great way to give teens a safe space to express their feelings, so painting and creating art around them is a great way to help them process emotions in a creative, low-pressure format. A junk journal could be another creative outlet.
54. Sponge Gradient Painting
Guide teens into dipping a sponge into different colors and dab lightly to fade one shape into the next. Sponge gradient painting is a simple way to create soft, blended backgrounds for art projects.
55. Spin Painting
Spin painting transforms ordinary paint into swirling, colorful bursts using a spinner or even a repurposed salad spinner. As one of the most exciting easy art projects for kids and teens, it captivates instantly as the spinning motion creates unpredictable patterns at every turn.
56. Embroidery
With simple stitches (and under supervision with the younger ones), teens can create flowers, initials, patterns or tiny illustrations on fabric. It’s a slow, meditative project that turns thread into art.
57. Crayon Resist Art
Use materials that you probably already have on your school supplies list, such as crayons, watercolor paint and paper. In this art project, teens draw with crayons first, then brush watercolors over the page to reveal the hidden wax designs.
Art projects for kids and teens are a a great way to get them off their screens and explore more with colors, textures and techniques IRL. With simple materials and a little imagination, any day can turn into an opportunity for learning and creativity.
For even more fun ideas to keep the little (and not so little) ones busy, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
