The stress of tests and social dynamics can prove challenging for students, and for this reason, they need an opportunity to express themselves freely. Art provides a powerful outlet for creative expression while also proving therapeutic. Plus, a good art project can be particularly effective at getting kids to unplug from their devices. A simple art project can even fill some of downtime during the day for early finishers. Regardless of whether you teach preschool or high school, there is an art project for everyone. So gather some art supplies and try one of these easy art projects for kids!
Easy Art Projects for Pre-K Students
1. Paper Bag Jelly Fish
As far as easy art projects for kids go, this one is perfect for preschoolers since it works on their hand-eye coordination and their cutting skills in particular. In addition to paper bags and scissors or pinking shears, you will need some paints, paintbrushes, googly eyes, and glue. If you’re really feeling ambitious, you can grab some sparkles too!
Get tutorial: Paper Bag Jelly Fish
2. Flour painting
Easy art projects for kids that work just as well as an easy science experiment are the best! Have kids assist in making the flour paint using just a few basic ingredients. Then, let them experiment with painting with it!
3. Ice Painting
Use food coloring added to ice cubes as your paint in this fun and easy art project.
4. Paper Bag Kite
This is another cute paper bag craft which we love since materials are so affordable! The teacher in the video makes it a little bit of a history lesson too by teaching kids about Benjamin Franklin.
5. Tissue Paper Apple
Since everyone associates apples with fall and the start of school, this will be the perfect craft to start the school year off on the right foot. Simply draw an apple outline on a piece of paper and have small red and green tissue paper squares ready to be crumpled and glued by tiny hands.
Get tutorial: Tissue Paper Apple
6. Fork Print Tulips
This project is both cute and simple, requiring only a fork, some heavyweight paper, and some paints. This type of flower printing would be especially perfect for a Mother’s Day gift.
Get tutorial: Fork Tulip
7. Paper Bag Monster
First, paint the bag any color you want. Once dry, cut out shapes from card stock and assemble your monster!
Get tutorial: Paper Bag Monster Puppets
8. Paper Plate Lion
All you need to re-create this adorable lion is orange and black paint, paintbrushes, paper plates, and scissors. Grab some Popsicle sticks to glue to the back and you’ll have a ferocious puppet show on your hands in no time!
Get tutorial: Paper Plate Lion
9. Popsicle Stick Rainbow
Grab some blue card stock, cotton circles, and Popsicle sticks and have your students work on their gluing skills. This craft will prove effective at teaching little ones their colors. Choose either colored Popsicle sticks or have kids color them themselves.
Get tutorial: Popsicle Stick Rainbow
10. Paper Plate Octopus
Kids love octopuses, especially adorable ones like these! Ocean crafts for kids, like this one, would be perfect for little ones still learning to count since they have a whopping eight legs to make. Plus, you can use it as a chance to teach about life under the sea!
Get tutorial: Paper Plate Octopus
11. Macaroni Necklace
A staple of many of our childhoods, macaroni necklaces work on the dexterity of little fingers while also making perfect gifts. Add in some large beads as well for variety.
Get tutorial: DIY Macaroni Necklaces
12. Paper Scrap Tree
We love easy art projects for kids that are simple to create, but pack a big punch. Have your preschoolers practice cutting or ripping multi-colored paper into different size strips and then have them lay them out in a pattern of their choice. Finally, glue a piece of paper to the back to hold it all in place.
13. Salt Painting
Kids will be amazed at the way the salt, glue, and paint all interact to create a beautiful rainbow.
Easy Art Projects for Elementary School Students
14. Paper snakes
This is a fun and slightly more complicated take on accordion style animals. It works on hand-eye coordination as well as direction following. Plus, once done, your students have a new desk buddy to keep them company.
15. Sidewalk Chalk
This easy art project for kids is part art and part science. Younger kids will definitely need assistance with all the various steps.
16. Colorful Chicks
This sweet drawing of several adorable chicks works on small kids’ tracing skills too. They can individualize their chicks through color choices as well as leg designs.
17. Cardboard Sculptures
You’ll need cardboard to rip and cut up into shapes, skewers, clay, and some paint and beads to make this one a reality. We especially love the potential for self expression!
Get tutorial: Stacked Cardboard Sculptures for Kids
18. Paper Plate Snake
Have your students paint a paper plate with watercolors and then once dry, help them cut it in a swirl shape. Finally, add some googly eyes.
Get tutorial: Colorful Paper Plate Snakes
19. Paper Roll Koala
This super-cute koala would make an adorable desk buddy since it stands up on its own. Kids will enjoy personalizing their koala’s face!
Get tutorial: Paper Roll Koala
20. Leaf Pattern Drawing
We just love art projects that fill the entire page, and this one certainly fits the bill. The combination of crayon and watercolor paint create this multi-dimensional leaf print.
Get tutorial: Leaf Pattern
21. Blow painting
This project is simple to do and could be enjoyed all the way from preschool to high school. Simply add some paint droplets to a paper then give students straws to gently blow their designs.
22. Woven Rainbow Fish
This project is perfect for working on students’ hand-eye coordination while being a cursory introduction to sewing. It’s challenging enough for even upper elementary school students while still being relatively simple.
Get tutorial: Rainbow Fish
23. Bubble Wrap Painting
Bubble wrap makes for a great paint stencil. There are a lot of different variations, but this one works well to create an abstract canvas.
24. Thumbprint Bugs
These thumbprint doodles are just so sweet and would perfectly complement a science lesson all about bugs. After having students try their hand at some of the thumbprint examples, let them use their imagination to see what other ideas they can cook up. You can even have them create bug jars out of card stock to put their new friends in!
Get tutorial: Thumbprint Bugs
25. Popsicle Stick Pencil
Nothing says back to school more than a cute pencil-themed craft. Have students add their names to them and then use them to decorate a September bulletin board in your classroom.
Get tutorial: Popsicle Stick Pencil
26. Popsicle Stick Pencil
Nothing says back to school more than a cute pencil-themed craft. Have students add their names to them and then use them to decorate a September bulletin board in your classroom.
Get tutorial: Popsicle Stick Pencil
27. Craft Stick Airplane
Kids will unquestionably go crazy over these clothespin-and-Popsicle-stick airplanes. Regardless of whether they choose paint or permanent markers, students will enjoy personalizing their tiny flying machines.
Get tutorial: Craft Stick Airplane
28. Pom-Pom Caterpillars
Since kids love pom-poms and caterpillars, this will be the perfect craft to grab their attention. Make sure to supply them with a fun variety of pom-poms and googly eyes.
Get tutorial: Pom-Pom Caterpillar
Easy Art Projects for Middle School Students
29. Name art
We love, love, love the self expression required of this relatively easy art project for kids. Before getting started, have kids write down a list of several traits and hobbies. Then, have them sketch out their names, building onto each letter as they go.
30. Chalk Christmas Lights
This is the perfect easy art project to do around the holiday season. You’ll need to create a stencil from card stock so you can create your light shapes. Once that is done, you can begin creating “light” with some chalk pastels. A silver Sharpie can be used to create your light string since it will show up nicely against the black paper.
Get tutorial: Christmas Light Chalk Stencil Art at Buggy and Buddy
31. Gratitude Journal
This project doubles as an art and writing activity since students can use their finished journals for writing prompts. These personalized journals beat store-bought ones any day!
Get tutorial: Handmade Gratitude Journal
32. Textured Hot-Air Balloon
This project is the perfect excuse to use up all your crafty odds and ends like feathers, glitter, and sequins. We love how unique each creation will be once they’re done.
Get tutorial: Textured Hot-Air Balloon
33. Layer Cakes
Regardless of students’ experience with oil pastels, this project will be a good introduction to the medium. Have students follow a step-by-step tutorial for drawing the outline of the layer cake, then let them use the pastels to bring their drawings to life.
Get tutorial: Cakes
34. Chalk Planets
This is an inexpensive way to enhance a science unit on space while still getting creative. It’s inexpensive too since all you will need is some black paper and chalk.
Get tutorial: 18 Awesome Art Projects for Your Classroom
35. Back-to-School Rocks
Kids love painting rocks so why not make it school-themed? Show students some of these examples to copy or let them come up with some of their own, then spread them around the school’s grounds.
Get tutorial: Painted Rock Ideas
36. Dictionary Page Drawing
Easy art projects for kids that also double as vocabulary lessons? Yes, please! This project will prove especially educational as students are tasked with illustrating a word on an old dictionary page.
37. Paper Collage Painting
Students will enjoy creating their collages from a variety of materials. Even better—this project is a great way to encourage recycling since old cereal boxes and other food labels can be ripped into strips and repurposed.
Get tutorial: Painting With Paper
38. Crayon/Watercolor Resist Art
This simple project can be done without a lot of instruction and will work for students of any age. This project runs on the same idea as some Easter egg–decorating kits in that the paint or dye sticks to the areas not covered in wax, or in this case, crayon.
Get tutorial: Fun Watercolor Resist Art
39. Number Art
If you have some math whizzes in your class, they will likely enjoy this number-themed art project. Grab some large number stencils and paints and you’ll be ready for this low-setup project.
Get tutorial: 5th Grade Number Project
40. Spin Art Fireworks
We love this inventive use for a salad spinner! Create fireworks by playing around with different colored paint and black cardstock inside a salad spinner.
41. DIY Dreamcatcher
Every good middle school art project should be able to be proudly displayed as room decor at home too! This DIY dreamcatcher made from basic materials will be sure to fit the bill.
Easy Art Projects for High School Students
42. Woven Baby Turtle
Select three mini Popsicle sticks, paint them, and then glue them together to form your turtle’s body. Finally, select your yarn and weave it around your turtle. Be sure to have a lot of fun colors to choose from!
Get tutorial: Weaving Cute Baby Turtles
43. Yarn-Wrapped Letter
All you will need to create this craft is some leftover cardboard, a bunch of different yarns, and some scissors. Teens especially will enjoy this project as the end result can be used as decoration in their bedrooms and eventually their dorm rooms!
Get tutorial: 14 Crafts for Teens and Tweens
44. Elevated Macaroni Necklace
Some easy art projects for kids and teens can even double as fashion! Despite their association with preschool, these are definitely not your little brother’s or sister’s macaroni necklaces. Swapping out twine with an actual chain makes these necklaces look surprisingly high-end.
Get tutorial: 12 Pasta Necklaces We Need Right
45. Neuro Doodle Design
This is a simple and mindful art project that can be enjoyed by students regardless of their art experience. This art process was invented by Russian psychologist and architect Pavel Piskarev in 2014.
Get tutorial: Simple Mindful Art Project
46. Crepe Paper Flowers
This is the perfect project for early finishers to do since each flower only takes 5 minutes to create. In addition to being a fun project, these flowers would also make for beautiful classroom decor.
Get tutorial: Easy Crepe Paper Flowers
47. CD Fish
Easy art projects for kids that utilize outdated technology? Why not? Although this project could work for any age group, older kids will be able to personalize their fish using a variety of add-on materials. Be prepared to explain to your students what CDs are since they were born long after their demise!
Get tutorial: Make Your Own Fish Aquarium
48. Pencil Sculpture
While this project can get complicated, simpler structures can be completed using fewer pencils. The preparation is minimal, requiring just a bunch of pencils and elastics, but the reward will be big when you see what your students create!
Get tutorial: Geometric Sculpture From 72 Pencils
49. Ribbon Garland
This project is another good time-filler since it can be worked on and then picked up again later and continued. It’s also a good lesson in recycling since you can ask students to bring in any fabric or ribbons that may be sitting around their houses unused.
Get tutorial: Easy DIY Fabric Garland
50. Origami
Origami paper is inexpensive and can be bought in bulk, making this an affordable and low-preparation art project. Additionally, it is perfect for high school students who are better equipped to follow along with an instructional video.
Get tutorial: 12 Origami Projects for Kids
51. Layered Landscape
Keep those cereal boxes and old magazines since they’re perfect for ripping up to create layered art! We especially love how much room there is in this project for individual creativity.
Get tutorial: Layered Landscape
52. Candy Wrapper
This project will be a hit if for no other reason that kids will get to eat their favorite candy while drawing. We love the use of the wrapper as well as the lesson on shading.
53. Black and White Collage
This is a relatively easy project for high school students and the end result is definitely cool! This lesson on notans requires little more than materials you already have on hand.
54. Box of Chocolates
Easy art projects for kids that utilize different mediums are some of our favorites! Introduce your students to oil pastels with this box of chocolates project. You’ll want to start with a black paper base and then section it off into squares. Next, add the white tissue wrappers and finally decorate each candy.
55. DIY Stickers
Kids love vinyl stickers to decorate everything from notebooks to water bottles, but they can get expensive. This video shows a few different ways for high school kids to design their own stickers!
56. Colorful Butterflies
This is such a unique way of creating a butterfly print. Have students bring in some unique shape leaves in different sizes. Then, paint them and use them as stamps to create the butterfly wings. Finally, add the body and some details.
What are your favorite easy art projects to do in the classroom? Come and share your ideas in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.
Plus, get ideas for great auction art projects!
