32 Easy Watercolor Painting Ideas for Kids

Watercolor is a relaxing way to spend time with the kids. Parent and child can try out techniques together, and there are seasonal projects for holidays too.

Here are 32 easy watercolor painting ideas for kids, each with an age range, a difficulty rating, a time estimate, materials, and short steps. For best results, use real watercolor paper or heavy cardstock and washable watercolors.

1. Watercolor Doodle Flowers

Ages 3+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: Watercolor paints, a brush, paper, and colored pencils or crayons.

1. Dot and blot small spots of different colors across the paper.
2. Let the paint dry completely.
3. Draw petals, stems, and leaves around each spot to turn them into flowers.

Visit Art is Basic to get started making Watercolor Doodle Flowers.

2. Watercolors and Crayons Resist

Ages 3+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: White crayons, blue or green watercolors, a brush, and paper. Wax resists water, so the crayon drawing shows through the paint.

1. Draw snowflakes, trees, or leaves with a white crayon, pressing firmly.
2. Paint over the whole page with watery blue (winter) or several greens (garden).
3. Watch the drawing appear.

Check out How Wee Learn for the Watercolors and Crayons Resist tutorial.

3. Raised Salt Painting

Ages 4+ | Easy | 30 min plus drying. Materials: White school glue in a squeeze bottle, table salt, watercolors, a brush, and heavy paper or cardstock.

1. Draw a design or squiggle with glue.
2. Cover the glue with salt and tip off the extra.
3. Touch a wet, loaded brush to the salt and watch the color travel along the line. Let dry flat.

For the full Raised Salt Painting tutorial, visit The Artful Parent.

4. Giant 3D Flowers

Ages 6+ | Medium | 45 min. Materials: Uncoated paper plates (coated ones resist paint), scissors, watercolors, glue, and a marker.

1. Paint the plates with watercolors and let them dry.
2. Cut each plate into petal shapes of different sizes (an adult can help with the cutting).
3. Stack and glue the petals into layers, then add doodles with a marker.

Check out Pink Stripey Socks for the Giant 3D Flowers tutorial.

5. Watercolor and Oil Pastel Resist Snowflake

Ages 4+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: Oil pastels or white crayon, watercolors, a brush, and paper. Oil pastel resists paint just like wax crayons do.

1. Draw a snowflake with oil pastel.
2. Wash over it with watercolor.
3. Let it dry.

Visit Arty Crafty Kids for the Watercolor and Oil Pastel Resist Snowflake tutorial. For more ideas involving watercolor resist techniques, visit Craftwhack.

6. Sun and Moon Watercolor Project

Ages 5+ | Easy | 30 min. Materials: Paper, a pencil, black marker, and watercolors.

1. Draw a circle and divide it down the middle.
2. Draw a sun face on one half and a moon face on the other, then outline in marker.
3. Paint the sun side in warm colors and the moon side in blue and purple.

Get the Sun and Moon Watercolor Project tutorial at Make and Takes.

7. The Starry Night Sky Effect

Ages 3+ | Easy | 20 min plus drying. Materials: Watercolors, a brush, table salt, and heavy paper.

1. Paint the whole page with dark blue, purple, and black while it is still very wet.
2. Sprinkle salt over the wet paint.
3. Let it dry completely, then brush off the salt to see the starry effect.

Learn how to create The Starry Night Sky Effect at The Artful Parent.

8. Glue Drip Watercolor

Ages 5+ | Easy | 30 min plus drying. Materials: White school glue, a sheet of cardstock, watercolors, and a brush. Prop the paper so the glue can run.

1. Squeeze a puddle of glue near the top and tilt the paper so it drips down.
2. Let the glue dry completely.
3. Paint over and between the lines with watercolor.

Learn more about this Glue Drip Watercolor project from The Pinterested Parent.

9. Compass Painting With Watercolors

Ages 6+ | Easy-medium | 30 min. Materials: A drawing compass (the point is sharp, so supervise), watercolors, a brush, and paper. Round lids to trace work as a safer alternative for younger kids.

1. Draw circles of different sizes, overlapping them.
2. Paint each section a different color.
3. Let dry.

Visit Housing a Forest for the Compass Painting With Watercolors tutorial.

10. Watercolor Painting With Markers

Ages 3+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: Washable markers, a little water, a brush, and paper.

1. Scribble or color a design with markers.
2. Brush clean water over the marks.
3. Watch the colors blend like watercolor.

Visit Color Made Happy to learn more about Watercolor Painting With Markers.

11. Flower Print Kids Crafts

Ages 3+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: Fresh flowers with the stems cut off, watercolor or washable paint, and paper.

1. Brush paint onto the flower petals.
2. Press the flower face down on paper and lift.
3. Repeat with other blooms and add stems with a brush.

Get started making Flower Print Kids Crafts by visiting Pop Sugar.

12. Watercolor Paper Plate Butterflies

Ages 4+ | Easy | 30 min. Materials: Paper plates, watercolors, a brush, craft sticks, and scissors. Uncoated plates absorb paint best.

1. Paint a plate in bright colors.
2. When dry, cut it in half to make wings (an adult can do the cutting).
3. Glue the wings to a craft stick body and add antennae.

Get the tutorial for these Watercolor Paper Plate Butterflies at Fun 365.

13. Friendly Monster Watercolor Blow Art

Ages 4+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: Watery watercolor, a brush or dropper, a drinking straw, a marker, and paper. A good Halloween craft. See also our monster craft ideas.

1. Drop a puddle of watery paint on paper.
2. Blow it through a straw to push the paint into legs and arms. Blow out, not in.
3. Let dry, then add eyes and a mouth with a marker.

Visit Adventure in a Box for the Friendly Monster Watercolor Blow Art tutorial.

14. Pour Painting With Watercolors

Ages 6+ | Medium | 30 min plus drying. Materials: Watercolor paper, a board and tape, watercolors, a few colors of liquid acrylic paint, and a tray to catch drips. Wear old clothes. Acrylics are not for eating, so wash hands afterward.

1. Tape the paper to a board and paint the whole sheet with watercolor.
2. Pour small amounts of acrylic paint over the top.
3. Tilt the board so the colors mix, then let it dry flat.

For the full tutorial on making Pour Painting With Watercolors, visit Housing A Forest.

15. Black Crayon Watercolor Silhouette

Ages 4+ | Easy | 30 min. Materials: A black crayon, watercolors, a brush, and paper.

1. Draw the outline of a dinosaur, plane, or other shape with a black crayon.
2. Paint the sky or background around it in watercolor.
3. Fill the shape with a darker color for a silhouette.

Check out Made to Be A Momma for the Black Crayon Watercolor Silhouette tutorial.

16. Watercolor Eggs

Ages 5+ | Easy | 20 min plus cooling. Materials: Hardboiled eggs, white vinegar, food coloring, small cups, and a brush. Keep the carton to hold the eggs. Don’t eat eggs that sat out for more than 2 hours.

1. Mix a little vinegar with food coloring in cups.
2. Paint the colored vinegar on the eggs with a brush.
3. Let dry and display.

Visit Modern Parents Messy Kids to learn how to create Watercolor Eggs.

17. Black Glue Stained Glass Watercolor Art

Ages 6+ | Medium | 45 min plus drying. Materials: A half-empty bottle of white glue, 1 tablespoon of black acrylic paint, watercolors, and heavy paper.

1. Add the black paint to the glue bottle and shake well.
2. Squeeze out lines in a pattern or drawing and let dry completely.
3. Fill each section with watercolor like stained glass.

Visit The Artful Parent to learn more about Black Glue Stained Glass Watercolor Art.

18. DIY Watercolor Greeting Cards

Ages 5+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: Watercolor paper cut in card size, watercolors, a brush, and a folded cardstock card. Try different watercolor techniques like swirling and dripping.

1. Paint small designs on the paper with swirling and dripping.
2. Let dry, then trim and glue it to the card front.
3. Write a message inside.

Learn how to create DIY Watercolor Greeting Cards at Artsy Craftsy Mom.

19. Watercolor Spider Web

Ages 4+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: A paper plate, black marker, watercolors, and a brush.

1. Draw a web on a paper plate with the marker.
2. Paint the web sections in rainbow colors.
3. Add a spider in the center.

You can learn how to make a Watercolor Spider Web at One Little Project.

20. White Space With Watercolors

Ages 6+ with an adult | Medium | 45 min plus drying. Materials: Masking tape or masking fluid, watercolors, a brush, and watercolor paper.

1. Tape off a shape or pattern on the paper.
2. Paint over the whole page.
3. When dry, peel off the tape to reveal clean white shapes. Pull slowly.

Visit Art Is Basic for the White Space With Watercolors tutorial.

21. Rainbow Watercolor Unicorns

Ages 5+ | Easy | 30 min. Materials: Cardstock, white glue, yarn, watercolors, and a brush.

1. Draw a unicorn outline in glue.
2. Press yarn onto the glue to make the outline and mane.
3. Let dry, then paint with watercolor.

Get the tutorial for Rainbow Watercolor Unicorns at Rowdy Rascal Kids.

22. Watercolor Bookmarks for Kids

Ages 5+ | Easy | 30 min. Materials: Watercolor paper strips, watercolors, a brush, a hole punch, and ribbon or yarn. More options: watercolor bookmarks.

1. Paint a strip with a wash of two or three colors.
2. Let dry and trim to bookmark size.
3. Punch a hole and tie on yarn or ribbon.

Learn how to make Watercolor Bookmarks for Kids from Artsy Craftsy Mom.

23. Fun With Values Watercolor Art

Ages 6+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: One watercolor in two colors, a brush, and paper.

1. Draw a row of boxes.
2. Paint the first box with a lot of water for the lightest shade, then add more pigment to each next box until it is darkest.
3. Repeat with a second color.

Visit Doodlewash for the Fun With Values Watercolor Art tutorial.

24. The Relaxing Scribble Art Activity

Ages 3+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: Crayons or oil pastels, watercolors, a brush, and paper.

1. Draw big loopy scribbles across the paper.
2. Look at the spaces they make.
3. Paint each space a different color.

Visit The Artful Parent to draw with The Relaxing Scribble Art Activity.

25. Watercolor Galaxy Cityscape

Ages 8+ | Medium-hard | 45 min. Materials: Watercolors, a brush, black paper or black marker, and white paint or a white gel pen for stars.

1. Paint a galaxy background with blues, pinks, and purples. Let dry.
2. Cut or paint building silhouettes along the bottom in black.
3. Add stars with a white pen or flick of white paint.

Check out Inkstruck for the Watercolor Galaxy Cityscape tutorial.

26. Watercolor Monogram Art

Ages 5+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: Pencil, watercolors, a brush, and paper.

1. Write a big bubble letter in pencil.
2. Paint inside and around the letter with different colors.
3. Add dots, stripes, or flowers.

Visit Long Wait for Isabella to learn how to create Watercolor Monogram Art.

27. Watercolor Butterfly Symmetry Prints

Ages 4+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: Paper, pencil, watercolors, and a brush.

1. Fold the paper in half and open it.
2. Draw half a butterfly on each side of the fold.
3. Paint one side while wet, fold, press, and open to print the other side.

Visit The Artful Parent for the full Watercolor Butterfly Symmetry Prints tutorial.

28. Wet-On-Wet Watercolor Shapes

Ages 4+ | Easy | 20 min. Materials: Cookie cutters, a brush, watercolors, and thick paper.

1. Press a cookie cutter flat on the paper.
2. Brush plain water inside it.
3. Drop in color and watch it spread. Lift the cutter when dry.

Learn more about making Wet-On-Wet Watercolor Shapes at The Artful Parent.

29. Watercolor Resist Citrus Painting

Ages 4+ | Easy | 30 min. Materials: White crayon, watercolors in yellow, orange, and green, a brush, and paper.

1. Draw circles and wedge slices with white crayon.
2. Paint over with watercolor so the crayon lines resist.
3. Add lemon and orange colors to each section.

Visit Projects With Kids to get started making a Watercolor Resist Citrus Painting.

30. Fidget Spinner Watercolor Circles

Ages 5+ | Easy | 15 min. Materials: A fidget spinner, a washable marker or pen, watercolors, and paper.

1. Place the pen tip through one of the spinner’s holes.
2. Hold the spinner steady and spin the pen around the center to draw circles.
3. Fill the circles with watercolor.

Visit Twichetts to learn how to make Fidget Spinner Watercolor Circles.

31. Northern Lights Watercolor Painting for Kids

Ages 5+ | Easy | 30 min. Materials: Black paper or paper painted dark, watercolors in greens, blues, and purples, a brush, and salt.

1. Wet the paper and paint curved green, blue, and purple streaks.
2. Sprinkle a little salt for texture.
3. Add dark silhouettes of hills and trees along the bottom.

Check out Projects With Kids to learn how to create a Northern Lights Watercolor Painting for Kids.

32. Coral Reef Watercolor Art Project

Ages 5+ | Easy | 30 min. Materials: Watercolors, a brush, table salt, and paper.

1. Paint corals, fish, and plants in bright colors.
2. Sprinkle salt on while the paint is wet.
3. Let dry and brush off the salt.

Visit Rainy Day Mum for the tutorial on how to make a Coral Reef Watercolor Art Project.

Exploring watercolor with your kids is a fun way to bond. Grab your supplies and start painting!

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