12+ Ideas for Reluctant Artists (Or, What to Try When Your Kid "Hates Art")

Does your child tell you they "hate art"? You are not alone! After my last post about tandem drawing with my son, I heard from several of you who also have kids who aren't naturally drawn to art projects, or who even say they hate art.

Even though I did everything "right", such as emphasizing process over product, asking questions instead of saying "good job!" and strewing the table with materials I was "sure" would spark creativity, my son just never took to art activities.

Knowing many of you were in the same boat, I gathered some a collection of art ideas to encourage you to keep trying! The result is this collection of art projects and activities is geared towards inspiring reluctant artists. It goes without saying that eager artists will also enjoy these projects.

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I hope you try some of them and tell me how it goes!

Active Art

If your child loves to move and has trouble sitting still the first thing to try is an active art project. Examples are marble painting in which kids focus their concentration on manipulating objects in a box with paint, and shaken container painting in which they can toss around their art-in-progress like a football, or dance with it!

MORE: 10 Active Art Projects

Art Delivered!

Get a project delivered to your kids in the mail. My kids adore when they get a personal delivery from the postal delivery person! Our absolute favorite source for cool DIY art and crafts projects is the Doodle Crate from KiwiCo. Many of the projects have a science slant, too.

Body Art

My son really loves tracing his handprint and then coloring it in. He also loves when I trace his body on a large piece of paper. I think he likes the sensory component of feeling my hand drag along his outline. Kids are drawn to this kind of body art because it has such a personal component.

Comic Strip

Do your kids love comic books as much as mine do? Harness that interest. My kids LOVED making giant comic strips – so big you need to roll out the paper on the floor!

If you don't have a big roll of paper (a big roll of paper is our favorite art supply, by the way) comic strips on standard paper offers a great opportunity for handwriting practice.

Design-oriented Art

When kids feel they have to reproduce and represent an object on paper it can feel very intimidating. Instead, move towards scribbles, lines, circles, dots, and other types of design-y doodles. Zentangle drawing is an open ended art activity that my son has loved.

Mix Art with Science

Mix engineering and make a draw bot! We made a draw bot from our beloved Tinker Crate. The kids could not get enough of this idea and loved experimenting with different colors and placement of the bot. Tinker Crate also comes in the mail so you get a double bonus!

Drawing with melted crayons is another way to mix science with art. My son thought it was great fun to try and melt the entire crayon on a hot tray.

MORE: 12 Science Art Projects for Kids

Draw Favorite Characters

Try a drawing game focused on one of your child's interests. My son and I played a Star Wars drawing game. We took turns drawing Star Wars characters – one person started the drawing while the other would try to guess who it was before the drawing was finished.

MORE: Funny Drawing Game for Kids

Draw on Clothing

Make an article of clothing! Every year we make a "summer of fun" t-shirt. This year, my little Star Wars fan loved drawing all his favorite characters so he could wear them.

Draw as a Family

Try tandem drawing with your child! This is one of my all time favorite art activities to do with my son. I even have a video of how it works.

A low-key way to bond with your child is to sit down and start a conversation while you work on a coloring page. You may be surprised at what topics your child choses to talk about. I certainly was when my son and I worked on this campfire coloring page.

Mix Math and Art

My eldest child's love for math was the key to finding engaging drawing activities. We made spirolaterals with multiplication, tessellations and groovy parabolic curves!

MORE: Find our math art projects here.

Abandon the Brush/Pen/Crayon/Marker

Perhaps your child doesn't like to wield a drawing implement because of fine motor issues. Or maybe they just need to approach color and paper in a new way. Everyone's heard of finger paint, but you could let them use their feet to paint.

Keep a Journal

Kids will feel ownership over their own special book that is dedicated to art. Think outside the box when it comes to journaling. For example, my son loved just sticking pieces of colored tape onto the pages one day. Other times, he's mixed scribbling with simple office supply stickers. Here are our tips for starting a creative art journal with kids.