Engagement

100 Silly Drawing Prompts to Engage Your Students

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The first five minutes of any art class can become chaotic quickly. It’s important to have a daily routine for students to follow. Using bell ringers is a great strategy to help settle students and save time. It sets the tone for a productive class.

sketchbook with pencils

Bell work can be presented in various ways. From answering questions to writing down vocabulary words, the possibilities are endless!

One engaging idea is to start each class by having students complete “The Daily Draw.”

Students come into class, take out their sketchbooks, and complete the drawing prompt as they wait for further instructions. This practice serves as a way to get students involved and ready to learn in a quick, easy way.


A drawing prompt is a great way to start class, but it’s just one option. If you’re looking for more ways to get your students seated and settled, be sure to check out the Insider Secrets for Successfully Managing the Classroom PRO Learning pack! There’s an entire section devoted to successfully starting each class period.


The key to effective bell work is to make it as engaging as possible.

Below you’ll find a list of 100 Silly Drawing Prompts. These prompts are a great way to get your students warmed up for class. You might even find your students rushing to your room to see what silly drawing idea you’ll come up with next!

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100 Silly Drawing Prompts

Animals

  1. Draw a llama surfing.
  2. Draw a fish swimming in something other than water.
  3. Combine two animals to create a new one.
  4. Draw a shark eating a cupcake.
  5. Draw a crab at a birthday party.
  6. Draw a seahorse in a blizzard.
  7. Draw a dinosaur crying.
  8. Draw an animal with arms for legs and legs for arms.
  9. Draw a pug on a treadmill.
  10. Draw a horse throwing a horseshoe.
  11. Draw a shark waterskiing.
  12. Draw a walrus in a beach chair.
  13. Draw a circus elephant standing on a ball.
  14. Draw a koala bear sitting on a trash can.
  15. Draw a lizard putting on lipstick.
  16. Draw a squirrel roasting a marshmallow.
  17. Draw an octopus with spoons for legs.
  18. Draw a mouse riding a motorcycle.
  19. Draw a flamingo doing ballet.
  20. Draw a butterfly eating a steak
  21. Draw a cat chasing a dog.
  22. Draw a lobster dancing.
  23. Draw a cat playing a sport.
  24. Draw a chicken skydiving.

Food

  1. Draw a piece of fruit in outer space.
  2. Draw a Pop Tart lifting weights.
  3. Draw a loaf of bread at a disco.
  4. Draw a rainstorm of sprinkles.
  5. Draw french fries on a rollercoaster.
  6. Draw a food eating another food.
  7. Draw a walking taco.
  8. Draw chicken wings flying.
  9. Draw a banana slipping on banana peels.
  10. Draw a cookie with googly eyes instead of chocolate chips.
  11. Draw a pineapple rollerblading.
  12. Draw a piece of asparagus snowboarding.
  13. Draw an annoying orange.
  14. Draw a donut riding a skateboard.
  15. Draw a turkey leg eating a turkey sandwich.
  16. Draw a cheeseburger wearing a dress.
  17. Draw a banana in pajamas.
  18. Draw a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on vacation.
  19. Draw an apple talking to your art teacher.
  20. Draw a hot dog flying.
  21. Draw a lemon making orange juice.
  22. Draw an ice cream cone eating a Popsicle.
  23. Draw a garden of lollipops.

People

  1. Draw your art teacher on an island.
  2. Draw a teacher eating a pizza while dancing.
  3. Draw a person with fruit for hair.
  4. Draw a basketball player dunking a chicken.
  5. Draw a pirate in a hammock.
  6. Draw your teacher as a zombie.
  7. Draw your art teacher with a beard.
  8. Draw yourself with a super power.
  9. Draw a clown sneezing out flowers.
  10. Draw a person with donuts for eyes.
  11. Draw a cowboy in Antarctica riding a polar bear.
  12. Draw yourself as a fairy.

Make Believe

  1. Draw something other than a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
  2. Draw a troll riding a unicorn.
  3. Draw what your imaginary friend would look like if we could see them.
  4. Draw a dragon breathing rainbows.
  5. Draw an alien driving a car.
  6. Draw an elf jumping on a trampoline.

Objects/Places

  1. Draw a super scary Valentine’s Day card.
  2. Draw the strangest pair of glasses you can imagine.
  3. Draw a design for a $3 bill.
  4. Draw a bicycle riding a bicycle.
  5. Draw a Ferris wheel on top of a mountain.
  6. Draw a pencil sharpener eating something other than a pencil.
  7. Draw a marker painting.
  8. Draw a sweater made out of candy.
  9. Draw a pair of shoes made out of flowers.
  10. Draw a bowl of cereal under the sea.
  11. Draw a crying crayon.
  12. Draw a cabin on top of a cloud.
  13. Draw your own version of Mount Rushmore.
  14. Draw a pair of scissors running.
  15. Draw a squirt gun squirting paint.
  16. Draw a mountain topped with glitter.
  17. Draw the Statue of Liberty eating pizza.
  18. Draw lightning striking the tallest building in the world.
  19. Draw a treasure chest in an underground cave.
  20. Draw the Eiffel Tower eating a baguette.

Other

  1. Draw an eye with tree branches for lashes.
  2. Draw a snowman sailing.
  3. Combine two holidays to make a new one.
  4. Draw a plant with a face.
  5. Draw the moon fighting the sun over a turkey sandwich.
  6. Draw a crime scene where a donut lost its donut hole.
  7. Draw a foot doing a handstand.
  8. Draw a stick figure falling.
  9. Draw something gross.
  10. Reinvent your favorite team’s logo.
  11. Draw an emoji in real life.
  12. Draw a cactus in a milkshake.
  13. Draw the moon howling at a wolf.
  14. Draw a can of soda pouring out rainbows.
  15. Draw your name as an animal.

These ideas are not only great for bell work but can be used for sketchbook prompts as well. If you’re looking for even more sketchbook ideas, check out an additional 100 right here.

What silly drawing prompt would you add to this list?

What kind of bell work do you do in your art room?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Abby Schukei

Abby Schukei, a middle school art educator and AOEU’s Social Media Manager, is a former AOEU Writer. She focuses on creating meaningful experiences for her students through technology integration, innovation, and creativity.

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