The best drawing books for kids — learning to draw step by step
The nicest drawing books for children to learn to draw step by step — from animals and Pokémon to kawaii. With tips on which drawing book suits which age.
By Sonja ·
My 7-year-old son loves drawing underwater worlds, wild animals or Pokémon characters most of all. But sometimes he stares at a blank sheet and doesn’t know what to make. That’s exactly when a good drawing book is worth its weight in gold: it gives ideas and shows step by step how to build something up. The lovely thing is that children learn a lot from it without noticing — about shape, proportion and patience — while they’re simply happily busy.
Below you’ll find the nicest drawing books for children, sorted by age, plus a separate category of painting books. Don’t have the right supplies at home yet? Then also see our blog with the nicest drawing supplies for kids.
Good to know: these are Dutch-language editions from Dutch shops. For the youngest that hardly matters, because the steps are shown in pictures.
Why a drawing book is so nice
- No blank-page stress: a drawing book gives ideas and a starting point straight away, so your child never gets stuck on ‘I don’t know what to draw’.
- Success in small steps: because you build a drawing up in small steps, it almost always works — and that builds confidence.
- Learning to look better: copying teaches children to pay attention to shape, proportion and detail.
- Busy on their own: lovely screen-free entertainment, great for journeys or a rainy afternoon too.
- A gift that lasts: a beautiful drawing book lasts a long time and grows with your child.
Which drawing book suits which age?
- About 4–6: very simple step-by-step books with basic shapes and tracing (for example ‘Ik leer tekenen’, ‘Hoera! Ik leer dieren tekenen’ and ‘Iedereen kan tekenen’). The steps are shown in pictures, so your child doesn’t need to read yet.
- About 7 and up: step-by-step animals and activity books such as ‘Ik kan 1000 dingen tekenen’ (‘I can draw 1000 things’), plus themes like Pokémon, kawaii and cartoon-style animals.
- About 10 and up: more of a challenge with manga and anime, people, buildings, horses and sketching — for children who are already a bit further along and want to develop their own style.
Tip: the books by Karin Luttenberg (Paperfuel)
The drawing and activity books by Karin Luttenberg, known from Paperfuel, are great fun and educational — and not just for children. From hand lettering and doodles to cute little animals: her books are put together so that you get something lovely on paper straight away, whether you’re eight or forty. Also nice as a gift for a teenager who says they don’t need anything.
The product links are affiliate links: if you order through one, you support Kindkado with a small commission — at no extra cost to you. The shops are Dutch online shops that deliver in the Netherlands and Belgium, and the product names are in Dutch.
Drawing books for ages 4–6
For the youngest: very simple step-by-step books with basic shapes and tracing. You build a drawing out of a few simple shapes — a circle, a triangle, a few lines — so that even preschoolers have instant success. The steps are often shown in pictures, so your child doesn’t need to be able to read yet.
💡 Tip: Let your child follow the steps first and then have fun varying things with colour and a background of their own. Choose big, clear examples; the quick success motivates them to keep drawing.
Ik leer tekenen
Hoera! Ik leer dieren tekenen
Iedereen kan tekenen - Waterwereld
Reuzeleuk tekenblok - dieren stap voor stap
Drawing books for age 7 and up
From about seven, a lot more is possible. Step-by-step books with a bit more detail, themed books around favourite subjects (Pokémon, kawaii, cartoon-style animals) and activity books full of ideas, such as “Ik kan 1000 dingen tekenen” (‘I can draw 1000 things’), go down well here.
💡 Tip: Choose a book that ties in with what your child is enthusiastic about right now — that works best of all. Kawaii and animals are wonderfully accessible and full of cute, achievable examples.
Ik kan 1000 dingen tekenen
* Amazon-prijs van 18 sep, kan afwijken
Paperfuel - schattige diertjes teken je zo!
* Amazon-prijs van 4 sep, kan afwijken
Boek - Paperfuel - Niet scrollen maar schetsen
Pokémon - stap voor stap leren tekenen
Dieren tekenen in cartoonstijl
* Amazon-prijs van 29 sep, kan afwijken
Kawaii - leuke dieren tekenen
Eenvoudig leren tekenen
* Amazon-prijs van 4 sep, kan afwijken
Drawing books for age 10 and up
For children (and teens) who want to get even better at drawing — two kinds of winners side by side. The Basisboeken by Julia Woning (basic guides: drawing, animals, portraits) teach technique thoroughly: step by step from basic shape to light and shadow, with every material, from pencil and charcoal to watercolour and acrylic. Suitable for beginners and more advanced artists alike. 💛 Our pick is the Basisboek dieren tekenen & schilderen (drawing and painting animals): I gave it to my son and he loves it. Does your child prefer something more playful? Then the books by Carla Kamphuis are just right: in Recepten tekenen (drawing recipes) and Huisportretjes tekenen (drawing house portraits) you draw and paint in watercolour your favourite dishes or your own house — accessible, with a lovely result straight away.
💡 Tip: At this age it’s all about practising and going deeper; a book with a clear structure (first the basic shape, then detail and shadow) helps your child really make progress. By the way, 10+ covers different levels: if your child wants to build up gently or is just starting, the series “Tekenen in 10 stappen” (‘Drawing in 10 steps’) is a bit more accessible — lots of separate volumes (animals, people, flowers, nature…) in which you work towards a drawing in ten steps. You’ll find that series and many more drawing and painting books at Pipoos.
Basisboek dieren tekenen&schilderen
* Amazon-prijs van 12 sep, kan afwijken
Basisboek tekenen - Julia Woning
* Amazon-prijs van 12 sep, kan afwijken
Basisboek portrettekenen en schilderen
Recepten tekenen
Boek - Huisportretjes tekenen
Ik leer paarden tekenen!
Tekenen in 10 stappen - Dieren
1001 dingen tekenen
Boek - Paperfuel - Handlettering doe je zo! The cute edition
Boek - Paperfuel - Het allerleukste teken & doeboek
Painting books
A lovely addition to drawing, for somewhat older children (and adults) who are already a bit further along and love colour and experimenting. Rather get going with paint? These books teach painting step by step — from watercolour to acrylic paint.
💡 Tip: Start with watercolour if your child likes calm, transparent work; acrylic is opaque and forgiving, nice for experimenting. Pay attention to good paper: watercolour needs sturdy watercolour paper (see also our drawing supplies blog).
Handboek - schilderen met aquarel
Schilderen met acrylverf
Aquarelleren voor rust in je hoofd (Sharone Stevens)
Colouring books
Not drawing books but colouring books — and every bit as fun and educational. The lines are already there, so your child can focus entirely on colour, and that’s exactly what makes them ideal for practising colour transitions and depth. The “cozy” colouring books (Cozy Europe, Cozy Japan) have nice big, calm areas — with light and dark shades layered over each other you can make a picture look almost 3D. The mandala colouring books, on the other hand, work with small, fine areas and repeating patterns: here it’s all about precision and patience, and you can create beautiful gradients that run from the centre outwards.
💡 Tip: Work from light to dark and let colours overlap a little for a smooth transition; with a colourless blender or by gently colouring over them, you blend them even more beautifully. Build up depth with a darker shade on the shadow side. With mandalas it looks lovely to choose a different shade for each ring, or to let the colour run from the centre to the edge. Wonderfully relaxing in between — with colouring pencils or (alcohol) markers.
Cozy Europe
Cozy Japan
Kleurboek XL — Mandala
CreaChick kleurboek II
Drawing books on a wishlist
Does your child love drawing too? Put the nicest drawing books on a free wishlist on Kindkado. That way family know exactly which book your child doesn’t have yet — and you avoid duplicate presents.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best drawing book for a child?+
That depends on age and interests. For the youngest (4–6), books with simple shapes and tracing are nicest, such as “Ik leer tekenen”, “Hoera! Ik leer dieren tekenen” and “Iedereen kan tekenen”. From about 7, activity and themed books do well (“Ik kan 1000 dingen tekenen”, Pokémon, kawaii). Older children (10+) often enjoy drawing manga, people or buildings most. Above all, choose a book that matches what your child likes to draw right now — that motivates most.
From what age can a child learn to draw with a drawing book?+
Some step-by-step books (with very simple shapes) are suitable from about 4 — sometimes even for children who can’t read yet, because the steps are shown in pictures. Most learn-to-draw books work best from about 6–7, when children have a bit more patience and better fine motor skills.
What can I draw if I don’t know what to draw?+
That’s exactly what drawing books are for! A book like “Ik kan 1000 dingen tekenen” (‘I can draw 1000 things’) is full of ideas with step-by-step instructions, from a mermaid to a hamburger. Dot-to-dot books and themed books (animals, Pokémon, kawaii) also give your child something fun to draw straight away, without that ‘blank page’ feeling.
How do you teach a child to draw step by step?+
Start small and build up: let your child copy a figure in separate steps (first the basic shape, then the details). A step-by-step drawing book has already done this groundwork, but it also works with videos or by copying something together. What matters is that every step is achievable — that gives a sense of success, and that motivates them to keep going. Celebrate small progress and hang up the nicest drawings.
More gift inspiration?
Also see the nicest drawing supplies for kids, or our gift ideas packed with creative presents for ages 7–8 and ages 9–10, or read about giving sustainably. Or make a hobby horse together.