Engaging and Educational Art Books for the Classroom | Why Teachers Love Us

by | Mar 18, 2025 | Educational, How to Draw Books for Kids

Educational Art Books for Kids

Teachers are always looking for new and exciting ways to make learning fun, and art is one of the best ways to encourage creativity, critical thinking, and fine motor skills in students. Whether it’s learning to draw, tracing adorable characters, or completing fun activity pages, my collection of books offers a variety of engaging resources that are perfect for classroom use.

Why Art Books Are a Great Addition to Any Classroom

Integrating art into the classroom has been shown to improve problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination, and self-expression. Drawing and coloring are not just fun activities—they help children develop focus, patience, and confidence in their abilities. My books provide step-by-step guidance, making them a fantastic tool for teachers looking to inspire creativity in their students.

Explore Step-by-Step Drawing Books for Kids

Books That Fit Any Art Lesson

Whether you’re introducing young students to the basics of drawing or giving them a fun creative outlet, my books offer something for every skill level and interest. Some of the most classroom-friendly books include:

  • How to Draw Books – Step-by-step guides to drawing everything from robots and dinosaurs to goofy faces and cute monsters. These books make learning to draw simple and accessible for kids of all ages.
  • Trace Then Color Books – These books provide guided tracing activities that help build fine motor skills, hand control, and artistic confidence. Featuring themes like unicorns, mermaids, baby animals, and sea creatures, they are perfect for early learners.
  • Draw by Grid Books – These books break drawings into easy-to-follow sections, helping kids develop an understanding of proportions, symmetry, and spatial awareness.
  • Activity Books – A mix of mazes, tic-tac-toe, word searches, step-by-step drawing, and coloring pages, making them great for classroom centers or early-finisher activities.

Explore Tracing and Coloring Books for Kids

How Teachers Can Use These Educational Art Books in the Classroom

1. Independent Drawing Practice

Each book includes easy-to-follow steps, allowing students to work at their own pace. Teachers can set up an independent drawing station where students choose a page to complete, encouraging self-directed learning.

2. Fun Early Finisher Activities

Students who finish assignments early can grab a book and practice tracing, coloring, or drawing. This provides a constructive way to keep students engaged while reinforcing their artistic skills.

3. Art Integration with Other Subjects

Art can enhance science, history, and literacy lessons! Pair the How to Draw: Robot Dinosaurs book with a unit on dinosaurs, or use Trace Then Color: Sea Creatures when discussing marine life. Encouraging students to illustrate their learning helps deepen their understanding of the subject.

4. Group Drawing Challenges

Use the books to create collaborative art projects in the classroom. Assign students different characters or themes to draw and then compile their artwork into a fun classroom display.

5. Substitute Teacher and Indoor Recess Activities

Need an engaging, no-prep activity for a substitute teacher or a rainy-day recess? These books provide a stress-free way to keep kids entertained and productive.

Perfect for All Ages and Skill Levels

The structured yet simple approach of these books makes them suitable for preschoolers, elementary students, and even middle schoolers looking for a fun way to refine their artistic skills. With a range of difficulty levels, teachers can easily adapt the books for different grade levels and learning styles.

Explore Grid Drawing Books for Kids

Give Your Students the Gift of Creativity

Incorporating art into the classroom doesn’t have to be complicated. My books offer a fun, engaging, and educational way to help students develop confidence in their artistic abilities. Whether used for daily art time, free drawing, or subject-specific projects, these books are a valuable resource for any teacher looking to foster creativity in their students.

Check out the Shape Drawing Challenge for Kids

👉 Explore the collection today and bring the joy of drawing and creativity into your classroom!

Meet The Author & Artist

Kevin Coulston is an accomplished cartoonist, animator, and writer. He is the author and illustrator of over 70 (and still counting) children’s drawing books available here on FirstArtBooks.com. Kevin has also authored numerous kid-friendly comic book series, including “Dylan McVillain: A Super Villain with the Best Intentions” and “The Adventures of a 4th Grade Space Captain,” along with the Children’s Picture Book series “Alexis and the T-Rexes.”

Over a decade and a half since his initial published work, Kevin is now dedicating himself to inspiring the next generation of illustrators with his “How To Draw,” “Trace Then Color,” and “Draw by Grid” series of art books.

Celebrate Mario Day 🍄 by Drawing Mallow from Super Mario RPG

This coming Monday (March 10th) is Mario Day! Celebrate the greatest video game franchise in history by learning to draw Mallow from Super Mario RPG! If you enjoyed this video drawing tutorial, make sure to check out my art books for kids at FirstArtBooks.com Unlock...

How to Draw A Cute Cartoon T-Rex – A Video Drawing Tutorial

How To Draw A Tyrannosaurus Rex Dinosaur 🦖 Step-by-Step Drawing Tutorial

Create Your Own Cartoon Character with the Shape Drawing Challenge | Draw with Imagination and Shapes | All-Ages Fun

Why Shape Drawing Challenge Is the Perfect Way to Help You Create Your Own Cartoon Character If you're searching for a fun, imaginative art activity that encourages children to create their own cartoon character, Shape Drawing Challenge is a great place to start. This...

Trace Then Color A Werewolf — A Free Halloween Kid’s Activity Page

Trace and color this cartoon werewolf with this free coloring page from the spooky activity book for kids ‘Trace Then Color: Cartoon Halloween Characters’

New Book! Trace Then Color: Alien Cyborgs | Learn How to Draw Robot Aliens in this fun Activity Book for Kids

New Release: Trace Then Color: Alien Cyborgs - Learn How to Draw Robot Aliens If your child loves outer space, robots, or wild, one-of-a-kind characters, they'll be thrilled to get their hands on our brand new drawing activity book: Trace Then Color: Alien Cyborgs....

Porky and Daffy – Crusty Goobers Style! 2D Animation is Back!

Celebrating 2D Animation with Crusty Goobers! Last week, I had the chance to take my daughter to see Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up in theaters, and we had an absolute blast! This new animated film brings back the classic antics of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig in...

Let’s Draw a Silly Alien in Just 3 Minutes

This short video will walk you through the basic steps of how to draw an alien cartoon character. Easy to follow, great for kids.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day With A Cute Drawing Activity

Sure, flowers and chocolate are cool, but have you tried the gift of art? Draw something cute this Valentine’s Day with these adorable activity books! If you or your giftee is looking for something a little more advanced than coloring and tracing, check out this cute...

Trace Then Color The Turkey — A Free Kid’s Activity Page

Celebrate Thanksgiving with the kids with this free coloring and tracing page from FirstArtBooks by Kevin Coulston

Free Activity Page: How to Draw A Plesiosaur by Grid | Learn to Draw Dinosaurs with the Grid Drawing Method

How to Draw A Plesiosaur: Step-by-Step Grid Drawing Fun for Kids If you’ve been searching for a fun and effective way to teach your child how to draw a plesiosaur, you’re in the right place. This post introduces a free activity page from the book Draw by Grid: Cartoon...

What Our Customers Are Saying

“The author really does a great job demonstrating how easy (and rewarding!) it can be to draw seemingly ordinary things you (and your little ones!) may feel too intimidated to try drawing without the step-by-step guide! Putting already-known shapes together and making something new and original is a fantastic way to learn! And recognizing that you can add your own twists and personality to your drawings makes all the difference. I think it’s a fun, original approach to building confidence for a lifelong hobby. I have the ebook copy, and can only imagine how great a physical copy would be!”

– Daenarah [Amazon Review]

“There are several of these fun books by this author. My kids and I have had a lot of fun with these. It’s a great activity to do as a family and see how they all turn out. Almost like a sip and paint but more of a juice box and draw.”

Allison B. [Amazon Review]

My kids can’t wait to start drawing these monsters in their illustrations! The many different moods of the monsters appeal to their different personalities. We love the many options, styles, and opportunities to expand upon the characters. Recommended for all ages!

– Kasey [Amazon Review]

“Kevin has put out many books on drawing and animation, and has such a great feel for HOW to explain the process. His art is so expressive and kid-friendly, but his real strength is in his ability to really explain and show how it’s done, making it accessible to kids and adults. I’m a firm believer that not everyone who “can do” can teach, but Kevin does both beautifully! Pick this up and watch kids have a blast making robots of all sorts, while learning great fundamental art skills at the same time!”

Tom R. [Amazon Review]

“My 5yo LOVES this book! The drawings are cute and the instructions are easy to follow along with. She gets a kick out of drawing muffin monsters and ketchup monsters and it actually keeps her pretty focused for long periods of time.”

– Monica [Amazon Review]

“This is a fantastic book for kids who love art, cartoons, comic books, or just having fun! There are a lot of characters to choose from, and really easy step-by-step instructions to follow. You child will have a blast drawing these fun, silly characters! And just in time for Easter baskets!”

– Bestmomever [Amazon Review]

“This is a very good book for kids that want to learn to draw, my sons love it and Kevin does a great job of making drawing fun and not intimidating. Highly recommended for the long summer hours!”

David D. [Amazon Review]

News and Free Drawing Tutorials