20 Easy Animal Drawings for Kids (Cute, Simple & Free to Print)
Type “easy animal drawings” into any search bar and you’ll get the same thing every time: step-by-step pencil tutorials that take twelve numbered stages to draw one dog. Sweet, but not much help when you just need something a little one can actually make — or colour — right now. So this is different. These 20 easy animal drawings are cute, genuinely simple, and ready to print as free colouring pages available at the end of article. Each one is built from a couple of basic shapes, so your child can copy it, trace it, or just colour it in.
The easiest animals to draw all share one trick: a big round head, a small simple body, and just a few friendly details. Start with a large circle for the head, add ears or a shape on top, give it two big eyes, then add one detail that says which animal it is — a trunk, a shell, a scarf. Skip the realistic shading and you’ve got a cute animal any child can draw.
The one trick that makes any animal easy to draw
Every cute animal below uses the same three-step shortcut. It works for absolutely any creature, so once your child has it, they’ll never be stuck for something to draw.
1. Make the head big and round. Start with one large circle. Oversized heads are what make cartoon animals read as “cute” instead of “hard,” and a circle is the friendliest shape for little hands.
2. Keep the body small and simple. Add a smaller rounded body under the head — an oval or a soft blob. No muscles, no realistic legs, just a simple shape.
3. Add one detail and two big eyes. Two big eyes with a dot of shine, rosy cheeks, and a single feature that names the animal — a spiral shell, a leaf, a heart-shaped water spout. That’s it. That’s the whole method.
Every drawing here is grouped by what makes it special, from the ones that melt a parent’s heart to the ones a three-year-old can manage alone.
Mama-and-baby animal drawings
Start with the ones that get saved and shared the most — a big animal and its little one. They’re simple to draw (just two of the same shape, one big, one small) and quietly lovely to colour together.
1. Mama Elephant & Baby
How to draw it: Two rounded elephant bodies — one big, one small — with big half-circle ears and their trunks curling together in the middle.
Why kids love it: The linked trunks turn two animals into one hug. It’s the most heart-warming page in the set and an easy first “two-animal” drawing.
2. Mama Bunny & Baby
How to draw it: A big bunny curled into a soft heart shape around a tiny sleeping baby bunny, with long oval ears on both.
Why kids love it: The two bodies make a heart without even trying — sweet, snuggly, and made of nothing but rounded shapes.
3. Mama Bird & Baby in the Nest
How to draw it: Two teardrop-shaped birds and a simple woven-oval nest, with one wiggly little worm between them.
Why kids love it: It’s the gentlest scene in the pack, and the round nest gives kids a lovely big space to colour.
4. Mama Bear & Cub Piggyback
How to draw it: One big bear standing, with a smaller bear riding on its back, arms up in the air.
Why kids love it: “Carry me!” on a page. Every parent knows the piggyback, which is exactly why it lands.
Sleepy and cuddly baby animals
Pure “aww.” These are the round, soft, nap-time babies — the cute animal drawings mums pin without even thinking about it.
5. Sleepy Baby Fox
How to draw it: One big circle for the whole curled-up body, two pointed ears, and a fluffy tail wrapped over the nose. Eyes are just two happy curves.
Why kids love it: It’s basically a fox-shaped nap — about the simplest, softest thing in the set to draw and colour.
6. Baby Penguin in an Oversized Scarf
How to draw it: A round little penguin almost buried in a long, cosy knitted scarf, with rosy cheeks and a tiny beak.
Why kids love it: The chunky scarf is warm, huggable, and gives a big fun stripe to colour any colour they like.
7. Baby Hedgehog with a Leaf Umbrella
How to draw it: A round body with a soft spiky top edge, holding one big leaf overhead like an umbrella, with a few raindrops.
Why kids love it: Tiny and resourceful — the kind of “look after yourself” sweetness that parents love.
8. Baby Sloth Hugging a Heart Pillow
How to draw it: A round sloth wrapped around a big heart-shaped pillow, eyes closed in a slow, happy smile.
Why kids love it: The whole thing is a cuddle. The big heart in the middle is an easy, satisfying first shape to colour.
Animals doing what your kid does
These get the giggle of recognition — the “that is SO my kid” moment. Just as easy to draw, twice as fun to share.
9. Proud Puppy the Artist
How to draw it: A fluffy puppy holding a fat crayon, with a proud little scribbled “masterpiece” (a house, a flower, a heart) on the floor beside it.
Why kids love it: Every child who’s ever beamed over their first drawing sees themselves here. A lovely one to colour after they’ve done their own “masterpiece.”
10. Kitten in Rain Boots
How to draw it: A little cat mid-splash in oversized rain boots, with one big happy splash arc in a puddle.
Why kids love it: Puddle-jumping joy — instantly relatable, and the splash gives a fun shape to colour.
11. Hamster with Snack Cheeks
How to draw it: One big round body with two enormous stuffed cheeks and a single tiny seed held in its paws.
Why kids love it: Snack time, exaggerated. Almost entirely round shapes, so it’s genuinely one of the easiest to draw.
12. Muddy Little Piglet
How to draw it: A round piglet sitting happily in a puddle, arms up, with a few simple mud splotches.
Why kids love it: Bath-time in a nutshell. The mud splotches are a great excuse to make a mess with brown — on paper, for once.
Feelings animals (colour a feeling)
A little bonus for parents: each of these names a feeling, so colouring becomes a gentle way to talk about big emotions. Simple to draw, and quietly useful.
13. Brave Little Turtle
How to draw it: A rounded shell with a smiling head stepping out for the first time, a little sparkle of courage, and a “brave” banner.
Why kids love it: It names courage for little ones — perfect for a first day of school or anything new and scary.
14. Joyful Jumping Frog
How to draw it: A round frog caught mid-hop with arms up and a big open smile, with a “happy” banner underneath.
Why kids love it: Pure joy on a page — the frog’s round body and simple legs make it an easy, cheerful colour.
15. Calm Koala
How to draw it: A soft koala hugging a branch with its eyes closed and a gentle breath curl, with a “calm” banner.
Why kids love it: A sweet little breathing cue — handy for winding down before bed.
16. Shy Little Deer
How to draw it: A baby deer peeking out from behind one simple bush, only half its face showing, with a “shy” banner.
Why kids love it: The quiet-kid favourite — bashful, gentle, and reassuring that shy is okay too.
The easiest animal drawings for little ones
If you’ve got a toddler or a nervous first-time drawer, start here. These are built from just one or two shapes — the “see, you CAN do it” animals that give a small child a quick, proud win.
17. Two-Circle Owl
How to draw it: Literally two big circles — one for the face, one for the body — with huge round eyes, a little triangle beak, and a branch.
Why kids love it: The name says it all: if your child can draw two circles, they can draw this owl. The perfect confidence-builder.
18. Chubby Bumblebee
How to draw it: One fat oval body with two or three bold stripes, two round wings, a big smile, and a little heart-shaped flight path.
Why kids love it: Three shapes and a smile. The bold stripes are quick and satisfying to colour.
19. Smiley Snail
How to draw it: A wavy little body with one clean spiral shell and two dot antennae.
Why kids love it: That spiral looks impressive but is dead simple to draw — a big, fun swirl to colour in.
20. Heart-Spout Whale
How to draw it: A big round whale with a spout of water shaped like a heart, and a couple of gentle waves below.
Why kids love it: The heart-shaped spout is the little twist that makes this one so pin-worthy — and it’s all soft, round lines.
Why these easy animal drawings are perfect for kids
Beyond keeping little hands busy, colouring and copying simple pictures quietly builds real skills — it strengthens the fine motor control kids need for handwriting, helps them focus, and gives them a calm, screen-free win. You can read more about the
benefits of colouring for children if you’d like the background. The bold outlines and big open shapes here are chosen on purpose so even a three- or four-year-old can stay inside the lines and feel proud of the result.
Easy animal drawings FAQ
What are the easiest animals to draw?
The easiest animals are the round ones with big heads and few details: an owl (two circles), a snail (a spiral), a bumblebee (an oval with stripes), or a whale (one round body). Start with a big round shape, add two eyes and one feature, and you’re done.
What animals can a 3-year-old draw?
Stick to one- or two-shape animals: the two-circle owl, the smiley snail, the chubby bumblebee, or the heart-spout whale. Big bold outlines and simple shapes let a three-year-old copy or colour them without getting frustrated.
Are these animal drawings free to print?
Yes. All 20 come as one free printable PDF of colouring pages — download it, print the pages your child likes, and let them colour, trace, or copy. There’s no sign-up required.
How do you draw a cute animal step by step?
Draw a big round head first, add a small simple body, then give it two large eyes and one detail that names the animal (ears, a shell, a scarf). Keep the lines bold and skip the shading — that’s what makes it read as cute and easy.
What are good easy animals to draw with kids?
Mama-and-baby pairs are lovely to do together (elephant, bunny, bear), and the “feelings” animals — a brave turtle, a calm koala — give you something gentle to chat about while you colour. All of them use the same simple shapes.
| ⭐ Get all 20 as a free printable packOne tidy PDF with every animal on its own page — print, hand it over, and you’ve got twenty minutes of quiet. Great for road trips, restaurants and rainy afternoons. No sign-up needed.Download the free Easy Animal Drawings pack → |
Happy colouring
Print the pack, spread out some crayons, and let them go. Start with whichever animal your little one points to first — and once they’ve got the big-head trick, encourage them to invent their own.
More drawing ideas from BoredomWizard:
For more, try our easy things to draw, cute things to draw, things to draw when bored, doodle ideas, and random things to draw guides.
