20+ Fun 2nd Grade Art Projects Kids Love Doing

Second grade is one of my favorite ages to teach Elementary Art to. Here are a few of my proven art projects for second graders to help inspire your next kid art lesson.

I have been organizing my free art projects and ideas by grade to make them easier to find. While there may be some overlap with 1st grade art projects, these art projects, lessons, and techniques are some of the things to make in second-grade art class.

20+ Free 2nd Grade Art Project Ideas

colorful cat drawing, watercolor paint, markers and water cup on table.

Patterned Cat Drawing Inspired By Laurel Burch

For over 14 years, I used this art lesson as one of my first 2nd-grade art projects of the year. I give you the step-by-step drawing guide and ideas, but every child adds their own interests to the designs. The patterned cats end up showcasing all the different personalities in the class.

Laurel Burch Cat Art Lesson

clay slab art project for kids with paper cat template and clay cat on placemat.

Clay Slab Cats

After creating cool drawings inspired by Laurel Burch, use this free clay art lesson to learn how to build a clay slab cat in one class period.

Clay Cat Art Lesson

Chihuly Inspired Recyclable Art

This easy sculpture project is great for Earth Day or anytime you need a 2nd grade project that every child can be proud of. The best part about this 3-D art project is that it uses simple supplies. Just starting to collect those bottles now.

Chihuly Inspired Art Lesson For Kids

Creative Textured Landscapes

Second graders will love experimenting with painting texture on black paper. Add your own details to make a seasonal landscape for any time of year.

Textured Landscape Painting Lesson

pumpkin illustration with watercolor paint, oil pastel and black glue lines.

Fall Painting Idea For Kids

Create a pumpkin drawing using black glue and add patterns, textures and more to create a simple, yet colorful landscape that is challenging enough. Second graders will love adding unique touches and details with the oil pastels during the Fall.

Pumpkin Painting For Kids

gold leaf prints with leaf on a piece of black paper.

Easy Leaf Prints For Kids

Create stunning Fall artwork with students using gold paint and black paper. Not only do you get beautiful results, but you can also complete this printmaking process in 10 minutes or less!

Gold Leaf Printing Tutorial

Clay Pinch Pot Owl

Some years I would build the clay cats above, and other years I would build pinch pot owls. This clay project is perfect for 2nd-grade artists who have previously created other basic pinch pot projects.

How To Build An Easy Clay Owl

collage of images showing small clay owl being painted.

Model Magic Owl Project

I get it, some of you may not have access to a kiln. Model Magic is a great alternative to create cute owls. Second graders will love designing an adorable owl. Get our tips for working with Model Magic in the free step-by-step lesson below.

Model Magic Owl Art Project

black marker cartoon drawing with guide of variety of facial features on table.

Silly Cartooning Drawing Lesson

2nd-grade artists will love mixing and matching different facial features to create silly cartoon characters. This can be a standalone art idea (that also makes a great sub plan) or the start of a larger comic strip unit.

Easy Cartooning For Kids

Tin Foil People Sculptures

This no-mess sculpture project is another easy one to attempt with your second-grade art class. I show you exactly how to split the piece of aluminum foil to create each part of the body.

How To Make Tin Foil People

black abstract line face drawings on white paper.

Abstract Portraits

Use our easy step-by-step drawing tutorial to help your second graders draw unique (and a little odd) portraits or self-portraits. We love seeing the fun drawings they create.

Picasso Portraits For Kids

2 different tree of life paintings on different marbled backgrounds.

Tree of Life Art Lesson

Create amazing marbled shaving cream papers as the background for a swirly tree inspired by the artist Gustav Klimt.

Tree Of Life Art Lesson

bright colors on word collage art projects by kids spelling different words.

Word Art Collage

Create warm and cool word art with this 2nd and 3rd-grade art lesson idea. Use artists Jasper Johns and Robert Indiana as inspiration.

Mixed Media Word Collage Project Idea

3 different chalk pastel Christmas tree drawings.

Artistic Winter Tree Art

Using glue, black paper, and chalk pastels, 2nd-grade children will love how they can easily create a fun Winter or Christmas tree. This is a perfect 2-day project to try close to Winter Break.

Chalk Christmas Tree Art Project For Kids

Simple Snowflake Drawings

Our free drawing tutorial will help Grade 2 students learn how to draw a basic snowflake. Once the drawings are done, students can use oil pastels and watercolors to explore a fun art technique.

How To Draw Snowflakes

5 different paper snowflakes on blue background.

How To Cut Simple Paper Snowflakes

You would be surprised how many 2nd graders have never cut a paper snowflake. I used to think that this was up to the classroom teacher to do this craft and that it had no place in an Art room. However, over the years, I realized kids were never learning how to make paper snowflakes. Seriously, take the time and sit down to teach kids. They love it!

How To Cut An Easy Paper Snowflake

finished easy snowflake marker drawing art project for kids.

Winter Marker Drawing For Kids

Take those paper snowflakes and use them as a template for this colorful snowflake drawing. Second graders will work on improving fine motor skils while learning about negative space. As an added bonus, you can also use scented markers for extra fun!

Creative Tin Foil Art Idea For Kids

You can have every student create a flower or use a similar art process, and let each child pick their subject matter. The hardest part is waiting for the glue to dry.

Relief Foil Art For Kids

green glazed clay turtle pinch pot project for kids.

Pinch Turtle Project

2nd graders love to use clay! In addition to the other clay projects shared in this list, I also have tried these cute clay turtles that you can build in one day and glaze the next.

How To Build An Easy Clay Turtle

tissue paper collage with water lilies painted and drawn on.

Monet Mixed Media Collage

In this first and second grade art lesson, I show you how to collage with tissue paper to create a fun watery background. Children will then paint or draw creative water lilies to finish their artwork inspired by Claude Monet.

Monet Art For Kids

Kid Art Project Ideas

Whether teaching in the classroom or at the kitchen table, these 2nd-grade art projects will showcase a child’s love for artmaking. Add your own modifications, change the supplies, or subject matter to make these art lessons work for you and your students.