Drawing Animals for Kids: The Simple Shapes Method

Posted by

Haanz Team

2026-10-23

On 2026-10-23

Haanz Art GuideFree, practical advice from the team at Haanz Art & Craft Materials

Drawing animals for kids becomes easy when you stop thinking about “a cat” and start seeing circles, ovals and triangles. This Haanz Art Guide shows the simple shapes method step by step, with five animals to try, tips for parents and teachers, and the pencils, crayons and paper we stock for young artists.

Why the simple shapes method works

Young children often get upset when a drawing “does not look right”. The shapes method fixes this. Every animal is built from a few basic shapes that children already know. Once they can draw a circle, an oval, a triangle and a rectangle, they can draw almost any animal.

Circle: heads, eyes, cheeks, paws.
Oval: bodies, ears, feet, fish.
Triangle: ears, beaks, noses, tails, fins.
Rectangle: legs, necks, trunks.

Ask your child to draw a page of each shape first. Big, small, fat and thin. This warm-up loosens the hand and builds confidence before the real drawing starts.

What you need

A soft pencil such as the Graphite Drawing Pencil in HB or 2B. Light lines are easy to rub out.
A Lantu Non Sharpening Pencil for small children, so there is no waiting for a sharpener.
A gentle eraser like the Mont Marte Artist Eraser, Small.
A sketch pad, for example the Bomega Sketch Pad A5.
Colours: the Camel Colour Pencil Set, 12 colours or Camel Oil Pastels, 25 shades for bold, bright animals.

You can find more colouring options in Colour Pencils and Junior Artists. Prices change, so see each product page for today’s price.

Drawing animals for kids: step by step

Use the same four steps for every animal. Draw lightly at first, so mistakes are easy to fix.

Draw the big shape. Start with the body or the head. This is usually a circle or an oval.
Add the smaller shapes. Join on ears, legs, tail and nose using triangles, ovals and rectangles.
Go over the outline. Press a little harder along the edges you want to keep. Rub out the extra lines.
Add face and colour. Draw eyes, a smile and patterns like spots or stripes, then colour it in.

Five easy animals to try

1. Cat

Draw a circle for the head and a bigger oval below it for the body. Add two triangles on top for ears and a long curved line for the tail. Finish with whiskers, two round eyes and a small triangle nose.

2. Fish

Draw one oval lying on its side. Add a triangle at one end for the tail and small triangles on top and bottom for fins. Draw a dot for the eye and curved lines for scales.

3. Elephant

Children in Sri Lanka love drawing elephants. Draw a large oval body and a circle head joined at one side. Add a long, curved rectangle for the trunk, four short rectangles for legs and a big oval ear. A thin tail finishes it.

4. Bird

Draw a small circle head on top of a larger oval body. Add a small triangle beak, a half-oval wing on the body and two thin lines for legs. Colour it like a parrot or a kingfisher.

5. Turtle

Draw a half-circle for the shell. Add a small oval head at the front, four little ovals for flippers and a tiny triangle tail. Draw a pattern of shapes on the shell and colour it green and brown.

Tips for parents and teachers

Draw along with your child, one shape at a time. Children copy what they see.
Praise effort, not perfection. A wobbly elephant is still an elephant.
Keep sessions short, 15 to 20 minutes, for younger children.
Use colouring pages for extra practice. The Fujin Colouring Book, Animals 1, A5 has animal designs to colour.
Let children add their own ideas: a hat on the cat, a rainbow fish, a family of turtles.
Make a small display at home or in class. Seeing their work on the wall builds pride.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

Pressing too hard at the start. Dark lines are hard to erase. Show children how to draw “ghost lines” first.
Drawing too small. Encourage them to fill most of the page. Big drawings are easier to colour.
Starting with the eyes. Begin with the big body shape, then add details last.
Smudged colour. Rest the hand on a scrap of paper while colouring with pastels.

For more ideas, read Fun Art Activities for Young Kids, Colour Pencils for Beginners and Kids Craft Materials Guide.

Frequently asked questions

What age can children start the shapes method?

Most children can start from around four or five years old, as soon as they can draw a circle. Older children can add more detail and shading.

Should kids use colour pencils or oil pastels?

Both work well. Colour pencils are neat and good for small details. Oil pastels give bold, bright colour quickly and are easy for small hands to hold.

Do you deliver islandwide?

Yes. We deliver across Sri Lanka in 2–5 working days, with cash on delivery, card or bank transfer. You can also visit our shops in Boralesgamuwa and Horana, open every day from 9 AM to 6 PM.

Not sure what to choose? Call / WhatsApp the Haanz team on 0711 515 515 and we’ll help you pick drawing and colouring supplies for your child.

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