Spark Creativity with Beautiful Invitation to Draw Book

Invitation to Draw: 99 Drawing Prompts to Inspire Kids Creativity by Jean Van’t Hul of The Artful Parent blog lives up to its name with inviting and beautiful drawing prompts that will get children inspired to draw and use their imaginations.

Jean writes, “A drawing prompt can act as a magical solution for creative engagement.”

My teen daughter agrees by saying, “I would have loved this book so much as a kid!”

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Jean used drawing prompts with her own children and her art students — giving them an empty picture frame and a simple drawing prompt — usually with a written question.

She writes in the introduction that she noticed how the prompts helped inspire drawing almost immediately –which didn’t always happen when she left out a blank page without a prompt.

I love that she’s sharing her prompt ideas with us and our kids — so we can get our children creatively thinking and drawing, too.

Invitation to Draw Book

The Invitation to Draw book includes 99 drawing prompts. The drawing prompts are framed and printed on ONLY ONE side of the page only so if you’re using markers, paint, or pens, you won’t ruin the other side — I love that.

Even better, the pages are perforated so you can tear them out to use without the whole book.

In the intro, Jean explains her criteria for drawing prompts — that then need to spark imagination, start with a minimal foundational drawing, include lots of blank space, be open-ended, and engage both the visual and analytical parts of the brain, appealing to many different ways of thinking.

Doesn’t that sound thoughtful and totally wonderful?

For example, one triangle-filled page is titled Triangle Art and it says “Create your own abstract artwork by filling the triangles with different colors.

Another page has a sort of blog shape in the middle and is titled “Monster Roll.” It says, “Roll a die to determine how many of the following to draw on your monster: eyes, arms, legs, or tentacles, teeth.”

Use Invitation to Draw as a family or in the classroom.

To get started, set out a drawing prompt and art tools for a child to find and create.

Another idea is to keep a few invitations in your bag for waiting rooms, restaurants, or travel.

If your child has quiet time, this is a great activity. (And add an audiobook for extra fun!)

Of course, there are many MORE ways to use these prompts including as a gift, a group activity, or a collaborative drawing through the mail.

Sample Pages

Want to check out the drawing prompts for yourself?

Each invitation includes a picture frame with a few lines of a drawing and a question or prompt.

DOWNLOAD A FREE 5-Page PRINTABLE SAMPLE

Drawing Tool Suggestions

What drawing tools should you use with Invitation to Draw?

Anything works!

Here are some of our favorite tools.

Crayons
Crayons help young children draw smooth lines with ease.

Colored Pencils
Always a go-to favorite for my kids, colored pencils give artists options for shading that you don’t get with markers.

Crayola Pip-Squeaks Washable Markers
This carrying case makes it easy to carry your markers anywhere. Washable markers are a must-buy arts and crafts gift for creative, younger kids!

Crayola Fine Line Markers
You can’t go wrong with a set of fine-line markers. My kids generally prefer these to create more precise shapes and images.