31 days of drawing

31 May Drawing Prompts for Kids

Here is every drawing prompt for May, one for each day of the month. Each prompt has a level-up line for kids who want to push their drawing a little further. Use them for sketchbook warm-ups, early finishers, a quiet start to the morning or a rainy afternoon at home.

Every May drawing prompt

No fancy supplies needed. A pencil, some paper and a few minutes is plenty.

May 1
Draw a May basket overflowing with flowers for someone on your street.
Level up: Use overlapping to make it look full.
May 2
Invent a bird whose song paints colours in the air.
Level up: Show the colours trailing behind it.
May 3
Sketch a bowl of fruit in pencil, paying attention to light and shadow.
Level up: Show highlights by leaving the paper white.
May 4
Draw dancing people with bold outlines and movement lines inspired by Keith Haring, born on this day in 1958.
Level up: Fill the background with bright flat colour.
May 5
Design a balcony garden that grows enough food for a family dinner.
Level up: Label each plant.
May 6
Imagine an ant colony with its own subway and draw the busiest station.
Level up: Add signs and maps on the walls.
May 7
Create a meadow using hundreds of tiny strokes for the grass.
Level up: Hide three animals in the grass.
May 8
Look in a mirror and draw yourself making a big surprised face.
Level up: Draw two more expressions beside it.
May 9
Draw a picnic for a family of mice using crumbs and bottle caps.
Level up: Show the giant human food nearby.
May 10
Invent a new fruit and show what it looks like inside and out.
Level up: Give it a name and describe its taste.
May 11
Design a pair of sneakers that tells everyone what you love.
Level up: Draw the pattern on the soles too.
May 12
Sketch a dandelion or weed in pencil, then again with markers.
Level up: Decide which version looks more real.
May 13
Picture a whale swimming through the sky instead of the sea.
Level up: Draw the clouds like waves.
May 14
Create a farm scene with a clear foreground, middle ground and background.
Level up: Make things smaller as they go back.
May 15
Tell a story about a little seed who is afraid to grow.
Level up: Show how it feels at the very end.
May 16
Draw a hot air balloon shaped like your favourite animal.
Level up: Show the view from the basket.
May 17
Imagine a pet store for imaginary pets and draw the window display.
Level up: Give each pet a silly name tag.
May 18
Imagine you are visiting a museum of very strange objects and draw three displays.
Level up: Write a little museum label for each one.
May 19
Design a stained glass window using thick black lines and bright shapes.
Level up: Make the whole design symmetrical.
May 20
It's World Bee Day, so draw a bee up close from a photo or real life.
Level up: Label the head, wings, legs and body.
May 21
Sketch a set of keys, focusing on their outlines and shapes.
Level up: Add the shadows they cast.
May 22
Create a city skyline at sunset using only silhouettes.
Level up: Blend the sky from one colour to another.
May 23
Draw a turtle carrying a tiny garden on its shell.
Level up: Add the bugs who live in the garden.
May 24
Invent a lunchbox with a secret compartment.
Level up: Show what is hidden inside.
May 25
Imagine a bridge between two very different islands, one icy and one tropical.
Level up: Show who or what is crossing the bridge.
May 26
Build an animal using only triangles.
Level up: Use colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel.
May 27
Sit outside and sketch whatever is right in front of you for ten minutes.
Level up: Add colour later from memory.
May 28
Design a race car for a team of beetles.
Level up: Add a number and racing stripes.
May 29
Picture a giant who is very, very shy and draw where they hide.
Level up: Show the clue that gives their hiding spot away.
May 30
Cut shapes from scrap paper and arrange them into a garden.
Level up: Glue them down in at least three layers.
May 31
Invent a sea creature that glows in the deep, dark ocean.
Level up: Use a black background and bright colours.