28+ Simple Watercolor Painting Ideas For Creative Kids

These easy watercolor projects for kids will spark your child’s imagination and creativity. We love using watercolor paints with kids and exploring all the cool techniques. Find your next kid painting project below!

collage of watercolor projects for kids.

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These painting ideas have inspired readers since the original publication in March 2024. This list was recently updated in January 2026 with more projects and tips!

Why Kids Love Watercolor Paint

KID-FRIENDLY – As for painting, watercolor paints are less messy and easier to clean up than their thicker counterparts.
VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES – From wet-on-wet to adding salt, there are many different watercolor art ideas.
DIFFERENT TYPES AVAILABLE – You can use the classic watercolor pans, but don’t be afraid to explore liquid watercolors, tubes, and more.
RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE – Kids can reuse the same watercolor paint set for years, compared to more expensive acrylic or tempera paints.

watercolor paint pallette and paper towel

Our Favorite Paints

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LIQUID WATERCOLORS – If you are looking for vibrant colors, liquid watercolor is the way to go. We also love this set.
WATERCOLOR PAINT PALETTE – Some scholar paint palettes have changed over the years, but we think this Prang set lasts year over year. Or try the more professional version for older kids.
PAPER – For most elementary projects, you can get away with using heavier drawing. However, if it is in the budget, then getting a scholarly watercolor paper can really make your projects stand out.

28+ Fun Watercolor Art Projects For Kids

These step-by-step tutorials linked below will help children explore different watercolor techniques. These are some of our proven painting art lessons.

Abstract art with circles like Kandinsky's concentric circles.

Fun Kandinsky Concentric Circles Art Lesson For Kids

Oil pastel resist is one of our favorite watercolor techniques for kids. This abstract painting idea is perfect for a preschool or kindergarten art class.

Kandinsky Inspired Art Project

orange, red and yellow painted leave drawing no white paper.

Black Glue Drawing With Watercolor Paint

The best part of this watercolor drawing idea is that it starts with a nature scavenger hunt. Kids can use real leaves to help design a composition. Combining black glue and paint creates a stunning final painting every time. This is also the perfect time to explore what happens when you put plastic wrap on top of wet paint.

Easy Watercolor Leaf Painting Lesson

3 abstract art line and color drawings and paintings.

Create Abstract Watercolor Paintings

Take a dot on a walk to create a line that can help create an abstract drawing. The best part of this easy art lesson is that there is no wrong way to do it. Use watercolor paints in the colors of your choice. Kids will love that they can just paint and not worry about what they are making!

Simple Watercolor Abstract Art Project

raised rainbow salt painting, abstract salt paintings on a table.

Make Raised Salt Paintings

This fun STEAM activity is great for kids of all ages. Children will love adding watercolor paints to fun designs and watching the magic happen!

How To Make Salt Paintings With Kids

two images one of shaving cream and paint on paper and the other the finished marbled paper.

Watercolor and Shaving Cream Fun

Get the coolest result by using liquid watercolor paints and shaving cream to create shaving cream art. These prints are cool on their own or as part of bigger collage projects.

purple, blue and yellow owl relief sculpture.

Cute Model Magic Owl Sculpture

Create a cute owl sculpture with Model Magic and then use watercolor paint to add a fun and whimiscal design.

Easy Model Magic Owl Sculpture

Magical Snowflake Painting Project

Using a combination of oil pastel, salt, and watercolor will have the kids in awe of their paintings. They will love how the snowflakes magically appear as they paint different colors in the background.

Watercolor Snowflake Resist

2 different flower glue resist watercolor paintings on canvas boards.

Easy Glue Resist Art on Canvas (with Watercolor Paint)

Kids can even use glue to create a fun drawing. Make sure to let their glue drawing fully dry, before having fun with liquid watercolor paint.

Easy Rainbow Bird Painting For Kids

This bird painting idea is so much fun for kids. They will love using our guide to draw birds. For this kid art project, we chose to paint the background with watercolor and use markers to create funny rainbow birds.

Easy Bird Art For Kids

colorful letters and alphabet painting on a table.

Colorful ABC Watercolor Painting

Be inspired by Jasper Johns to create a one-of-a-kind alphabet painting. This makes an awesome kindergarten art project idea.

Alphabet Kid Art Lesson

colorful patterned cat drawing kid art project.

Easy Cat Drawing Inspired By Laurel Burch

Using watercolor paint in the background of art is a great way to cover a large space quickly. Beginners can continue to paint the patterned cat or use a drawing material of their choice.

multiple hearts painted with watercolor paint on paper.

Easy Valentine’s Day Watercolor Painting Idea

Watercolor paints are a perfect way to make easy and homemade cards. This tutorial can help children create a simple heart patterned card to truly showcase their love.

2 different tree of life paintings on different marbled backgrounds.

Unique Klimt Tree Of Life Art Lesson

Did you know you can use shaving cream and liquid watercolor to get a fun patterned background? Printing shaving cream is one cool way to get a unique painting idea. If you don't have liquid watercolor paint, then you can also use acrylic paint.

hand reaching for a pinch of salt on top of watercolor painting.

Easy Watercolor Painting For Preschoolers

This watercolor activity is perfect for those 3-year-olds and up. Kids of all ages can use painter's tape to create a cute shape with a bit of adult assistance. Young children love adding paint to wet paper to see the different color combinations they can get!

Easy Watercolor Activity How-To

Jackson Pollock Inspired Paintings for Preschool-Aged Children blowing paint around on paper

Jackson Pollock Inspired Straw Painting For Kids

This classic process art activity is a must for kids of all ages. Kids will love this cool watercolor painting idea and will love using a straw to create their next abstract masterpiece.

Straw Painting For Kids

4 different birch tree landscape painting on shiplap.

Easy Watercolor Winter Scene Landscape Painting Tutorial

We always love the results of this painting tutorial. By following the step-by-step instructions, beginners can create winter landscapes they are proud of.

Winter Landscape Art Lesson

hand painting mini food sculpture made from model magic.

Easy Model Magic Food Sculpture Art Project

Watercolor paint doesn't only belong on paper. Kids can add character to their miniature food sculptures by using a small brush and their favorite colors.

Food Sculpture Art Lesson & Tutorial

1st grade flower painting art project for kids.

Easy Flower Painting Idea For Kids

Georgia O'Keeffe is an inspiration for these large flower projects. Kids will love exploring colors in their zoomed-in compositions.

O’Keeffe Inspired Art Lesson For Kids

clay fish and watercolor paint pallette after being painted.

Paint Clay With Watercolor Paint

No time to glaze those ceramic pieces? No problem. Use watercolor paints and a clear coat as a fun non-glaze alternative.

Tips For Using Watercolor Paint On Clay

fall watercolor painted tree on marble countertop with watercolor paints.

Easy Watercolor Tree Painting In Fall Colors For Beginners

Beginners can use this easy tutorial to mix warm-colored watercolor paints for a simple painting.

thediynuts.com

Easy Handmade Watercolor Christmas Card Ideas

Whether kids want to paint a simple word or a whole scene, painting on premade cards is a great way to spread holiday cheer.

Easy Glue Resist Watercolor Painting Idea For Kids

Like the canvas project listed above, children can draw a simple shape or design with glue. Once dry, they can have fun experimenting with different techniques like wet-on-wet.

watercolor and black glue flower painting.

Easy Floral Watercolor Painting Idea

Flowers are a great subject matter for beginners because there are many different ways to draw and paint them. Have fun experimenting with different techniques while creating a fun Spring or Summer painting.

Easy Flower Watercolor Painting Tutorial

paper plate flower with colorful coffee filter and painted cardboard stem.

Watercolor On Coffee Filters

Whether you make watercolor paints with washable markers or paint directly on the coffee filters, kids will love seeing the colors blend.

mandala art project with blue, orange and green paint on a cardboard circle.

Easy Mandala Art For Kids and Beginners

Kids can create intricate mandala drawings to paint. Use either tempera cakes or watercolor paints. Our tutorial will help each child get a unique drawing to paint.

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

Easy Fall Landscape Painting For Kids

Use different materials to create a beautiful Fall watercolor painting. Kids can confidently complete this simple watercolor painting and learn about a few artists along the way.

Easy Fall Painting Idea For Kids

child's hand splattering paint on heart artwork.

Fun Heart Paint With Watercolor Paint Background

This free K-2 art lesson will teach you exactly how to create these easy paintings with oil pastel, crayon, and watercolor paint. Children love looking at Jim Dine's artwork as inspiration.

Jim Dine Art For Kids

white paper and black paper raised salt snowflake designs.

Raised Salt Snowflake Paintings

Experiment with watercolor, glue, and salt in a fun way for this cool Winter art idea. Have fun exploring different colors and designs as you create.

Raised Snowflake Painting For Kids

Create Cool Bubble Art

Kids will love experimenting with different colors and seeing how each bubble print turns out. No two bubble prints will be exactly the same which means endless hours of fun blowing bubbles and printing.

How To Make Bubble Prints

Watercolor Woes? And Tips To Fix Them

MUDDY COLORS – Rinse brushes between colors and use light layers instead of heavy paint.
PAPER BUCKLING – Use heavier paper or tape paper to cardboard or a flat surface for easier painting.
OVERWORKING – Encourage children to paint in the white spaces or let an area dry before going back to add details.
STREAKY STROKES – Use soft, gentle strokes with a wet brush to avoid pressing hard.

Explore More Art Ideas For Kids

9+ Clay Pinch Pot Projects Perfect For Beginners
8+ Creative Bleeding Tissue Paper Art Ideas
Tips For Using Paint Sticks With Kids (another super fun medium we love using)

Don’t overthink it next time you need an easy watercolor painting project. Get out your favorite art supplies and get creative with your family or students.