TIP #99: 99 Creative Sketchbook Prompts for Kids
Developing a sketchbook practice is one of the simplest, and most powerful, ways to boost creativity and reduce screen time for kids. And these 99 creative sketchbook prompts will help you get started.
A sketchbook is more than just a collection of blank pages. It’s a safe place to think, experiment, and create without pressure to be “perfect.” And that freedom is exactly what helps creativity grow.
When kids use a sketchbook regularly, they build confidence, strengthen problem-solving skills, and learn to express their ideas in their own unique way. Over time, creativity becomes something they do every day, not just something they save for art class.
The key is developing consistency… and making it fun.
That’s where creative sketchbook prompts come in.
First, choose the right sketchbook
Before you dive in, it helps to choose a sketchbook that fits where and how it will be used.
Here are 3 simple guidelines:
1. Think about where it will be used
- On-the-go (in the car, in waiting rooms, while traveling)… choose a smaller sketchbook (5×7 or 6×8, something lightweight)
- For home or school… you may want to choose a larger sketchbook, like 9×12
2. Think about how it will be used (consider the medium)
- Pencil + colored pencils… standard sketch paper is fine
- Markers… use thicker paper (to prevent bleed-through)
- Watercolor… use watercolor or mixed-media paper (to prevent buckling)
3. Keep it low-pressure
Avoid anything that feels too fancy or “precious.” A sketchbook should feel like a place to experiment and play, not perform. Remind kids, ”You can turn the page. Nothing has to be perfect. Messy pages are part of the process.”
The creative sketchbook prompts below go beyond the usual to spark imagination, storytelling, and playful thinking.
99 Creative Sketchbook Prompts for Kids
(feel free to adapt these for age and ability)
Imagination Starters
1. Imagine a city in the clouds and draw it
2. Invent a new season
3. Draw a place where gravity only works occasionally
4. Design an animal that has never existed
5. Draw what boredom looks like
6. Create a treasure map of an imaginary place
7. Draw a doorway to another world
8. Draw what music might look like
9. Draw a plant made of rainbows
10. Draw a mysterious object
“What If?” Prompts
11. What if animals could drive… what would their cars look like?
12. What if gravity stopped for 10 minutes? Draw the result.
13. What if you could shrink to the size of an ant?
14. What if your pet could talk… what would it say?
15. What if you had a secret superpower… what would it be?
16. What if shoes had personalities?
17. What if food could talk back?
18. What if your backpack came to life?
19. What if the moon was made of something unexpected?
20. What if shadows had lives of their own?
Character Creation
21. Draw a character made of only shapes
22. Invent a superhero with a useless power
23. Draw a “Dot Monster” (Make 30 random dots, connect them, and add details)
24. Create a self-portrait using only letters and numbers
25. Design a creature using 3 random objects
26. Combine two animals into one
27. Draw a character made of weather
28. Draw a monster made of food
29. Make a colorful name design but vertical, and add arms, legs, and a hat.
30. Use fingerprint people and speech bubbles to tell a story
Observation with a Twist
31. Draw something ordinary, but in an extraordinary way
32. Draw your hand like it’s made of something else (wood, water, glass)
33. Turn a picture upside down and draw it that way
34. Sketch your breakfast as a landscape
35. Draw a shoe like it’s a famous celebrity
36. Draw a piece of popcorn in detail and then turn it into something else
37. Draw a shadow instead of the object that’s casting it
38. Draw your pet as royalty
39. Draw something boring… in the most exciting way possible
40. Look at an object and draw it with human characteristics
Creative Challenges
41. Draw without lifting your pencil in one continuous line
42. Draw an abstract design using only circles and triangles
43. Draw a Name Tangle and fill in the spaces with different patterns
44. Draw with your non-dominant hand
45. Create a logo for yourself
46. Draw something tiny in a huge space
47. Draw something huge in a tiny space
48. Overlap some shapes to create new shapes and color them
49. Turn a scribble into a masterpiece
50. Design a book cover
Inspired by Nature
51. Draw the same tree through 4 seasons
52. Sketch clouds as animals
53. Collect some different leaves and draw them as people
54. Imagine a new kind of flower no one has ever seen before
55. Draw a bug as a superhero
56. Draw a page of snowflakes, making each one different
57. Draw a tree by coloring in the negative spaces
58. Draw a flower with echo lines and color it with warm or cool colors
59. Create a “before and after” drawing of a windy day
60. Fill a page with stars and write things you love in the center
Random Playful Ideas
61. Draw using your favorite song as inspiration
62. Draw something that smells good
63. Draw something that sounds loud
64. Combine two random words and draw the result
65. Design your own emojis
66. Draw something you want to try
67. Make some scribbles and turn them into something recognizable
68. Create a page of tiny doodles
69. Draw something you’re learning
70. Make some Alphabet Soup Art and color in the spaces
Imagine This…
71. Draw a Rube Goldberg-style machine that solves a silly problem
72. Invent a new type of transportation
73. Create a new kind of playground
74. Design your dream bedroom
75. Draw a tool for artists that doesn’t exist yet
76. Create a new holiday and illustrate it
77. Design packaging for something unusual
78. Draw a robot that helps with chores
79. Invent a new game and illustrate how it works
80. Draw a shoe that could help you fly
Mindfulness & Reflection
81. Draw how you feel today
82. Draw your day in symbols
83. Draw a happy memory
84. Draw something you’re grateful for
85. Create a page of things you love
86. Zoom in super close on something and draw just that small section of it
87. Sketch something slowly and carefully
88. Draw abstract designs while listening to music
89. Fill a page with repeating patterns
90. Draw a dream or goal that feels impossible
Stretch Your Creativity
91. Invent a gadget that solves a real problem you have
92. Create art inspired by a dream
93. Draw anything… but add one unexpected twist
94. Draw a still life by only drawing the negative space around things
95. Combine realism and abstract art together in one drawing
96. Draw something that changes across the page
97. Create a “mistake” and turn it into something new
98. Draw something you wish for
99. What would surprise you right now? Draw it!
Keep This In Mind
The goal isn’t to complete all 99 prompts or to fill a perfect sketchbook. The goal is to build a habit of creative thinking and making.
Some pages will be messy. Some will be amazing. Most will be somewhere in between… and that’s exactly the point.
A sketchbook gives kids a place to explore ideas, take risks, and discover their own creativity in the process.
A sketchbook practice isn’t just an art activity… it’s a powerful habit that builds confidence, curiosity, and independent thinking over time.
And sometimes, all it takes is one creative sketchbook prompt to get started.
an inspiring quote:
“Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits.” ~ Twyla Tharp
A sketchbook is one of the simplest ways to help kids build a creative habit. It gives them a place to show up regularly, experiment freely, and create without overthinking the outcome.
That’s exactly what a list of creative sketchbook prompts supports. It removes the pressure of “what should I draw?” and replaces it with an easy starting point.
With consistent use, those small, playful moments in a sketchbook begin to grow into confidence, creativity, and a lifelong love of making.