The best drawing books for kids, and how to choose one

1. Choose the way they like to draw

Step by step books (How to Draw) build each character in six small steps, with a space to draw it again beside the lesson. They are the easiest place to start and teach kids to see the simple shapes inside a character. See the step-by-step books.

Grid books (Draw by Grid) put the character on a lettered grid. Your kid copies one square at a time onto a blank grid, and the drawing appears. They suit careful, patient kids and build observation and pencil control. See the grid books.

Shape Drawing Challenge gives one shape and many empty boxes. Every box becomes something new: a monster, an animal, a robot. It is for kids, and adults, who already like to draw and want to invent. See Shape Drawing Challenge.

Tracing comes first for ages 3 and 4. Trace Then Color books are on our sister site, BestColoringBooksForKids.

2. Choose a subject they already love

Interest is what gets a kid through a tricky step. Every subject below comes as a step-by-step book and, for most, a grid book with the same characters.

• Animals, dinosaurs and robots
• Aliens and funny monsters
• Unicorns and mermaids and faces and people
• Halloween and Christmas

3. Match their age

The step-by-step and grid books are for ages 5 and up. Younger kids do best drawing alongside a grown-up, with round, simple characters. Older kids enjoy the more detailed subjects and the grid books. See picks by age.

What makes a drawing book work for kids

• Short lessons: one character is one sitting.
• Characters that still look right when the lines wobble.
• Room to practise on the page, so the book does not end up unused.
• A clear finish, so your kid can say “I drew that.”