Art activities for the classroom
No-prep drawing activities for elementary classrooms. Print once and use all year: indoor recess, early finishers and a ready-to-go sub plan.
- 3 plans
- Free printables
- No screens
Pick a plan
- Classroom20 to 30 minutes
Indoor recess
Rainy-day recess in a classroom of 25. A drawing relay that keeps small groups busy and laughing, plus quick games for the last five minutes.
- Grades K to 5
- Classroom5 to 15 minutes
Early finishers
Thirty drawing prompt cards that live in a cup by the pencils. Kids who finish early pick a card and draw quietly. No prep after the first print.
- Grades K to 5
- ClassroomAbout 40 minutes
Art sub plan
A 40-minute art lesson any substitute can run: kids turn a simple shape into a monster, animal or robot, then name it and write one sentence about it.
- Grades K to 4
What to have ready
- Copy paper and pencils
- A shared bin of crayons
- A cup or envelope for prompt cards
- Ten minutes, or forty
Plan a whole week instead?
Theme weeks give you five days of activities around one subject your kid loves.
See theme weeksFree printables for classroom
ClassroomIndoor recess drawing relay
Six turns, one character: each kid adds a part and passes the sheet. Grades K to 5.
ClassroomEarly-finisher drawing cards
Thirty cut-out drawing prompt cards to keep in a cup by the pencils. Grades K to 5 · 3 pages.
ClassroomShape monsters sub plan
A one-page, no-prep art lesson for a substitute, plus the student sheet. Grades K to 4 · 2 pages.