Painting Pandas Sketchbook Prompts
Unleash your creativity with our collection of 50 engaging sketchbook prompts designed especially for young artists! These fun and imaginative drawing activities are perfect for K-5 students looking to express themselves through art. From magical creatures to futuristic inventions, these prompts will spark imagination, develop artistic skills, and provide endless entertainment for creative minds.
Whether you're a teacher looking for classroom art activities, a parent/guardian seeking creative at-home projects, or a young artist wanting to fill your sketchbook with amazing creations, these prompts offer the perfect starting point for artistic exploration. Grab your pencils, markers, and imagination - it's time to bring these creative ideas to life!
Be sure to check out our 50 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) prompts below for activities that support emotional growth through artistic expression.
About the Painting Pandas Passport Program
The Painting Pandas Passport program is your ticket to an exciting journey across multiple Painting Pandas events!
Here's what to expect:
Get a personal Painting Pandas passport at your first Painting Pandas event (*after registration at the event)
Collect a Painting Pandas stamp at each location
Earn a free gift when you collect 2 or more stamps!
Join our artistic adventure as you travel from one creative event to another, collecting stamps and creating memorable artwork along the way.
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Let's get our creative minds warmed up! Draw a magical tree house.
In your sketchbook, draw someone on the moon.
In your sketchbook, trace your hand. Use your markers to color a pattern on the hand.
Draw a monster that is afraid of something silly.
Create a new superhero and their special power.
Draw your perfect treehouse with all the cool things you'd want inside.
Design a new ice cream flavor with toppings that no one has ever tried before.
Draw yourself as a grown-up in your future job.
Sketch what you think lives at the bottom of the ocean.
Draw your favorite animal wearing clothes.
Create a map of an imaginary island.
Design a robot that can help with your chores.
Draw what's inside your teacher's purse or backpack.
Sketch a dinosaur in your neighborhood.
Draw your house but add something fantastic to it.
Create a new vehicle that can travel on land, water, and air.
Draw yourself with a superpower - what would it be?
Sketch your favorite meal on a fancy plate.
Draw a dragon's home - what would it look like inside?
Create a new holiday and draw how people would celebrate it.
Draw what you think your pet dreams about.
Sketch a day in the life of your pencil.
Draw a garden with plants that don't exist yet.
Create a comic strip about something funny that happened to you.
Draw what you'd look like if you were made of candy.
Sketch what's hiding under your bed at night.
Draw your own amusement park with amazing rides.
Create an alien family and their spaceship home.
Draw a secret doorway - where does it lead?
Sketch your own magical school like Hogwarts.
Draw wild animals having a tea party.
Create a new sport and draw how it's played.
Draw your favorite toy coming to life at night.
Sketch a magical forest with unusual creatures.
Draw your own version of a rainbow with extra colors.
Create a treasure map to a hidden surprise.
Draw what's inside a cloud.
Sketch your own zoo with made-up animals.
Draw a machine that makes homework do itself.
Create a castle in the sky - how do people get to it?
Draw a day at the beach with something unexpected happening.
Sketch what you think your grandparents looked like as kids.
Draw a parade of your favorite things.
Create a new kind of pet that doesn't exist yet.
Draw what would happen if it rained something besides water.
Sketch yourself in a hot air balloon - what can you see below?
Draw a city built entirely in trees.
Create a portrait of yourself with a crazy hairstyle.
Draw what might be on the other side of a rainbow.
Draw your favorite character from a TV show, movie, or video game.
SEL Sketchbook Prompts
We are excited to share these thoughtful Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) sketchbook prompts with our Painting Pandas community! These creative activities are designed to nurture emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and social skills through artistic expression.
These "50 SEL Sketchbook Prompts" were created by The Art of Education University, LLC, based on CASEL's five-component framework for social and emotional learning. The original resource can be found on their website at: https://theartofeducation.edu/2022/09/sept-50-sel-sketchbook-prompts-to-help-start-your-day/
Each prompt encourages students to explore different aspects of their emotional world through drawing and reflection. From visualizing personal strengths to exploring relationships and decision-making, these activities offer meaningful ways to integrate SEL into your art classroom or home learning environment.
We encourage you to visit The Art of Education University's website for this and other excellent art education resources that support the development of the whole child through creative expression.
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Sketch a memory from a time you felt confident.
Show an emotion you are feeling through line and color choices. What colors show excitement? Which kind of line shows nervous energy?
Draw your favorite mode of expressing yourself. (i.e., martial arts, construction, dance, theater, painting, etc.)
Draw something that makes you smile whenever you think about it.
Think of your favorite character from a story. Draw a time when you felt the same way as the character.
Illustrate a time when you felt strong.
Draw two portraits side by side and label each at the top: Who I Am vs. What They See. Encourage students to reflect on how they feel inside versus how they think they appear to the outside world.
Reflect on the steps you take when dealing with something hard. Draw the things you do that help you manage your feelings.
Draw yourself in the middle of the page. Think about how you have acted as a leader. Add words around you to describe how a good leader shows up for others. Circle the qualities you wish to develop further.
Think of one word that describes how you accept challenges or adjust to change. Write the word using font styles and designs that reflect it.
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Draw a place where you feel safe.
Observe your hand making a fist, and imagine squishing a stress ball. Draw the squished ball, then add a funny face to it!
Draw a “worry” dragon that holds your concerns. You can even write your problems on your dragon. Next, problem-solve ways to tame or trap your dragon and add one to your picture. Consider how you might tame or trap your worries in real life.
Think of a time you practiced something and got better. Create a picture or symbol that reminds you of that.
Invent a mantra (a statement or slogan) to motivate you. Design a mini sign or poster with your mantra surrounded by happy doodles.
Illustrate a three-part comic strip showing a time you “stepped up” this week.
Draw two ways in which you contribute to your school community.
Create a staircase in any style you like. At the top, draw or write a goal you have for yourself. Think through the “steps” it will take to get to your goal. Draw your ideas for each, starting from the bottom step and working toward the top.
Lightly sketch a memory from a time you felt like giving up. Draw an image over the top of the sketch that represents the result from persisting instead. Press a bit harder on your pencil to make the second drawing darker.
Draw an “obstacle” in your way. Then, add a fun image of yourself pole-vaulting over the obstacle.
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Sketch a picture of you and a friend side by side. In between the both of you, list your similarities. On the outside of each person, list your differences.
Observe a friend’s ear or look at your own in a mirror. Draw an ear on your sketchbook page as realistically as you can. Write the words “Be an Active Listener” on the same page as a reminder.
Draw a situation when you saw something unfair happening.
Recall a memory from when you made a new friend. Sketch the moment you first connected with them. What was happening at the time?
Create an imaginary celebration to recognize someone’s extraordinary qualities.
Think of a friend who is having a tough time with a problem. Invent four different products or solutions that might help your friend. These can be silly or serious. Draw your inventions!
Draw a playground or your favorite hangout with friends. Then, think of some conflicts that happen there. What could you add to your drawing that might help resolve the disputes?
Trace your hand and wrist on your sketchbook page to look like a tree trunk (wrist) with branches (fingers). Draw leaves coming off of each finger. On each leaf, write supportive qualities you and your friends have that help each other get through challenges.
Identify things in society that are common but unfair (i.e., homelessness in front of mansions). Illustrate one image.
Draw a picture that responds to the prompt, “Changing My Mind.”
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Use half of your sketchbook page to draw a design. Then, swap sketchbooks with a tablemate. Add your design to their page. How can your design enhance theirs?
Draw a “teamwork” soup with your favorite “ingredients.” Your ingredients can be non-food items and be represented by symbols! For example, you might add “working together” and draw an image of a handshake. Add all of your ingredients to a bowl.
Create an image that shows how you feel when listened to.
Depict the qualities of a good friend.
What are some ways to show you care about someone? Sketch a few drawings that illustrate your ideas.
Turn and talk to a neighbor about a dilemma that is on your mind. Draw a picture of one choice the main character in your dilemma can make.
Relationships can have red and green “flags,” or signs of negativity and positivity. Draw two flags on your page. Add an example of a negative relationship quality onto the red flag and a positive relationship quality onto the green one. Color each flag in red and green.
Cut images from magazines that show people working together or practicing teamwork. Collage them in your sketchbook, and reflect on what it means to offer support to someone.
Use a sticky note to flag a page in your sketchbook where you felt stuck on a drawing. Exchange sketchbooks around your table. Write two things on the sticky note: Praise their progress and one idea that offers support in completing the drawing.
Saying “no” and standing up to pressure can be challenging, especially from your friends. Design a few comic-style speech bubbles and write different ways of saying “no” inside of them for practice. You may write, “No, thanks!” “Nope,” “That’s not for me,” or just “No.” Try out a fun font using block or bubble letters to add power to your words.
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Draw an image of a head with an “open mind.”
Design the word “curious” in an interesting letter style, written vertically. Write an acrostic poem that describes how you demonstrate curiosity.
On the bottom of your page, draw the top of a head, including the eyes. Add a thought bubble over the head and sketch out some things you think about when making a decision.
Recall a time you helped a friend or classmate. Draw an image that represents that interaction.
Create a drawing that shows something you are proud of yourself for doing from this past year.
Draw a road with a fork in it. Add two road signs where it splits and label them with opposite choices (i.e., “close to home” and “far away from home”). Create imagery that shows traits of each option and consider the pros and cons of traveling down either.
Imagine sitting down with a fortune teller and discussing a decision you must make. Draw the room’s setup with a crystal ball large enough to draw inside. Add images of potential outcomes of your decision.
Illustrate a memory from when you made a hard decision that ended up being the right choice.
Sketch a response showing how you would take responsibility in this scenario: Someone posts something about a friend that isn’t true on social media. What would you do? After sketching, discuss your response with a tablemate.
Consider a famous person you admire. Draw images representing their positive impact on their community or the world.