Drawing at Age 6: Ready for Step-by-Step
Six-year-olds are ready for step-by-step drawing. Learn what drawing looks like at 6, how to support growing skills and which subjects they love.
Six-year-olds are usually ready for step-by-step drawing. They can follow a series of steps, control their pencil better and want their drawings to look like real things. Favorite subjects like pets, dinosaurs and monsters keep them motivated.
At 6, kids are often in first grade and gaining skills quickly. Their drawings show more detail, planning and personality.
What 6-year-olds often draw
- Detailed people with clothes and hair
- Animals, especially pets
- Scenes with ground and sky
- Characters from shows and books
- Simple stories in pictures
Ready for step-by-step
Six-year-olds can follow multi-step instructions and enjoy the success of a finished drawing. How to Draw: Cartoon Cats & Dogs is a great fit for pet lovers who want to draw a dog or cat that looks like their own.
Activities
- Pet portraits
- Comics with two or three panels
- Draw and label
- Simple maps
Tips
- Encourage details.
- Let them choose subjects.
- Display finished work.
- Draw together and share.
Watch for frustration
Some 6-year-olds start comparing their drawings to others. Focus on their own progress. See when your kid says "I can't draw" and drawing for 7-year-olds.
Questions parents ask
What should a 6-year-old be able to draw?
Many 6-year-olds draw detailed people, animals and simple scenes, and can follow step-by-step lessons.
Is step-by-step drawing good for 6-year-olds?
Yes. Six-year-olds can follow multiple steps and enjoy the success of finished drawings.
What do 6-year-olds like to draw?
Pets, dinosaurs, monsters, family members and characters from favorite shows and books.
More in ages and stages, or browse all 217 posts on the blog.
Keep reading
- Drawing for 7-Year-Olds: Details and StoriesAt 7, kids add details and stories to drawings. Here's what to expect, how to support growing skills and why dinosaurs and comics are perfect now.
- Drawing at 8: The Realism ItchMany 8-year-olds want their drawings to look realistic. Grid drawing and techniques help them get there. Here's how to support the realism itch.
- Keeping Tweens Drawing Through Ages 9 to 12Tweens often stop drawing. Keep 9- to 12-year-olds drawing with challenging projects, cool subjects, grid drawing and creative independence.
- Everything Is Shapes: The Easiest Way to Teach DrawingEverything is made of shapes. Teaching kids to see circles, squares and triangles inside objects is the easiest way to teach drawing.
