Spring Drawing Outside: Bugs, Buds and Birds
Spring is the perfect time to draw outside. Try these outdoor drawing ideas: baby animals, bugs, flowers and birds, plus a simple nature journal.
Spring is the best season for outdoor drawing. New flowers, busy bugs, nesting birds and baby animals give kids endless subjects, and drawing outside builds observation, patience and a love of nature.
After a long winter, kids are ready to get outside. Taking drawing supplies along turns a walk or park visit into a creative adventure.
Outdoor drawing kit
- Clipboard
- Pencils and colored pencils
- Small sketchbook
- Magnifying glass
- A blanket to sit on
What to draw in spring
- Flowers budding and blooming
- Bugs like ladybugs, bees and caterpillars
- Birds at feeders or building nests
- Clouds and spring rain
- Baby animals at farms and parks
Baby animal season
Spring is baby animal season. How to Draw: Baby Animals helps kids draw cute baby animals step by step, a perfect companion for a farm visit, a walk past a duck pond or a trip to the zoo. Draw the cartoon version at home, then compare it with the real animals you see.
Nature journal
Start a spring nature journal:
- One drawing per outing
- Date and location
- A note about what you noticed
Observation games
- Sit spot. Sit still for five minutes, then draw what you saw.
- Bug hunt. Find and draw three different bugs.
- Flower then and now. Draw the same plant every week.
For more on observing, see drawing like a scientist.
Questions parents ask
What can kids draw outside in spring?
Flowers, bugs, birds, clouds and baby animals are perfect spring drawing subjects.
What should be in an outdoor drawing kit?
A clipboard, pencils, colored pencils, a sketchbook, a magnifying glass and a blanket.
What is a nature journal?
A notebook where kids draw and write about what they observe outside, dated and labeled.
More in holidays and seasons, or browse all 217 posts on the blog.
Keep reading
- Easter Basket Ideas for Kids Who Love to DrawLooking for non-candy Easter basket ideas? A drawing book and art supplies make a creative gift. Plus Easter drawing activities kids will love.
- Mother's Day Drawings Kids Can Make ThemselvesMother's Day drawings are gifts moms keep forever. Easy ideas kids can make on their own: portraits, cards, coupon books and magical characters.
- Father's Day Drawings: A Gift Dad Will KeepFather's Day drawings make gifts dads actually keep. Easy ideas for kids: superhero dad portraits, robot cards, comic strips and coupon books.
- Drawing Programs for Libraries: An Easy Kids' EventLibrarians: a drawing program is an easy, low-cost kids' event. Here's a ready-to-run plan with a step-by-step lesson, games and book tie-ins.
