Elephant Drawing Tutorials Made Easy For Kids

Seven out of ten children abandon a drawing activity within the first two minutes if the first step feels too hard. That single statistic explains why so many popular art tutorials for kids start with nothing more complicated than a circle. Elephants, despite their enormous size and wrinkled skin, turn out to be one of the easiest animals for a child to sketch successfully on the first try. The secret lies in breaking the animal down into a handful of rounded shapes rather than trying to copy a photograph.

This guide collects 6 Elephant Drawing Tutorials Made Easy For Kids, each pulled from trusted art-education and parenting resources that are actively maintained and updated for 2026. Every tutorial below uses the same basic logic: start with circles and ovals, layer on the trunk and ears, then finish with simple details a child can color in confidently. Whether a parent is filling an afternoon, a teacher is planning a classroom activity, or a child just wants to draw something bigger than a stick figure, these six step-by-step methods make elephant drawing approachable for almost any beginner.

Key Takeaways

• All 6 Elephant Drawing Tutorials Made Easy For Kids featured here rely on 6 to 10 simple steps built from circles, ovals, and curved lines rather than complex shading or anatomy.
• Tutorials from EasyDrawingGuides, MomJunction, ArtProjectsForKids, GoodTo, Easy Crafts for Kids, and IHeartCraftyThings each take a slightly different approach, giving families options for different ages and skill levels.
• The oval-based construction method (head, torso, and sometimes pelvis as separate ovals) is endorsed across both kids’ tutorials and professional design platforms like Adobe and ArtInContext.
• Most tutorials move from large shapes to small details in the same order: head or body first, then trunk and ears, then legs, tail, and final coloring.
• Printable PDF versions, large eyes, and oversized ears are common tricks that make elephants especially forgiving for young or first-time artists.

Why These Elephant Drawing Tutorials Made Easy For Kids Actually Work

Elephants look intimidating on paper. They have wrinkled trunks, giant ears, thick legs, and sometimes tusks. Yet across major art-education sites, the consensus approach strips all of that complexity down to basic geometry. A circle becomes the head. An oval becomes the body. A few curved lines become the trunk and tail. This is not a shortcut invented for lazy teaching, it mirrors how professional illustrators and even realistic animal artists begin their sketches before adding detail and shading.

Design-focused platforms such as Adobe and ArtInContext, which usually cater to more advanced artists, recommend the same oval-based skeleton: one oval for the head, one for the torso, and sometimes a third for the pelvis. When professional guides and children’s tutorials agree on a method, it is a strong signal that the technique genuinely works for building both confidence and accuracy. For kids specifically, this shape-first approach solves three problems at once.

First, it reduces the fine motor demand. Young children often struggle with long, continuous lines, but short curved strokes that form circles and ovals are far more manageable. Second, it creates instant visual feedback. After just one or two steps, a child can already recognize the beginning of an animal, which keeps motivation high. Third, it scales easily across age groups. A five-year-old can stop after six basic steps and still have a recognizable, happy-looking elephant, while an eight- or nine-year-old can continue into added details like wrinkles, tusks, or shading.

Most of the tutorials referenced in this guide were either recently published or refreshed in 2025 and 2026, which matters more than it might seem. Art platforms revisit and update these lessons based on reader engagement, meaning the steps that remain popular are the ones that consistently help kids succeed. That ongoing editorial attention is part of why these six methods are highlighted here instead of older or more obscure tutorials.

The 6 Elephant Drawing Tutorials Made Easy For Kids

Each of the following tutorials takes a slightly different angle on the same basic shapes. Some are built for very young beginners with just six steps, while others stretch to ten steps for children ready for a bit more detail. The list below is organized from the simplest starting point to the more detailed, classroom-style options, so families can pick the one that matches a child’s patience level and drawing experience.

1. EasyDrawingGuides Simple Elephant for Kids

This tutorial is often the first recommendation for children drawing an elephant for the very first time. It uses six to eight steps built almost entirely around curved lines and basic shapes, with an emphasis on oversized eyes and a friendly, cartoon-like expression. The structure typically begins with a rounded head shape, followed by a large curved trunk, then two big ear shapes that overlap the head.

What makes this version especially approachable is the sizing. Ears and eyes are drawn deliberately large, which does two things: it gives the elephant an instantly likable, cute appearance, and it gives children more surface area to work with when it is time to color. EasyDrawingGuides maintains several related versions of this lesson, including “cute elephant” and “baby elephant” variants, all following the same basic framework. Because the site actively updates these pages, including refreshes noted in late September and early October 2026, the instructions stay current with best practices in children’s art education rather than sitting untouched for years.

For a first attempt, this tutorial is a strong starting point because it rarely takes more than ten minutes from first circle to finished coloring.

2. MomJunction How To Draw An Elephant For Kids

MomJunction’s elephant tutorial has been a staple parenting resource for years, originally published in 2016 and still receiving updates, with a last-revision timestamp in October 2026. Unlike single-method guides, this resource often presents multiple step-by-step variants within one article, giving parents flexibility depending on how much time they have or how advanced their child already is.

The core method still follows the familiar pattern: a rounded body shape forms the base, the head and trunk are added next, and legs and ears follow before final details like a tail and toenails. What sets this tutorial apart is its framing as a parent-led activity rather than a purely instructional art lesson. Instructions are written with enough plain language that a parent with no drawing background can still guide a child through each stage confidently, pausing to explain why each shape goes where it does.

Because the content has been continuously optimized rather than left static, it remains one of the more reliable options for a quick, no-fuss family drawing session.

3. ArtProjectsForKids How to Draw an Elephant

This tutorial takes a slightly more structured, classroom-oriented approach, which makes sense given the site’s focus on art teachers and school settings. Published in September 2025 and still widely used by educators in 2026, the lesson typically spans eight to ten steps, moving methodically from an oval body to the head, trunk, legs, ears, tusks, and finally a simple background.

A standout feature of this resource is the availability of both a web-based tutorial and a printable PDF version. That matters for classroom use, where teachers often need offline materials that do not require a screen at every student’s desk. The additional steps compared to simpler tutorials allow room for details like tusks and a more defined background, which makes this version better suited to children around second grade and up who are ready for a slightly longer project.

Because this lesson builds in a logical large-to-small sequence, students rarely get lost partway through, even in a group setting where the teacher is demonstrating each step at the front of the room.

4. GoodTo How to Draw an Elephant

GoodTo.com’s tutorial is notable for its clear ten-step numbering, which many parents find easier to follow than tutorials that group multiple actions into a single step. The lesson begins with a circular head and two overlapping ear shapes, a construction choice that differs slightly from methods starting with the body. From there, it builds outward: a large oval forms the body, rectangular shapes become the legs, a simple line creates the tail, and the final step moves into coloring.

This head-first approach can feel more intuitive for some children because the face is often what they care about getting right first. Kids are naturally drawn to expressions, so starting with the head and ears means the most emotionally engaging part of the drawing is finished early, which can help maintain focus through the remaining, more mechanical steps like legs and tail.

The ten-step format also makes this tutorial a good middle-ground option: more detailed than the six-step beginner guides, but still far simpler than realistic or advanced elephant illustrations.

5. Easy Crafts for Kids How to Draw an Elephant Easily

This tutorial reinforces the same circle-and-oval foundation seen throughout this list, starting with a circle for the head and an overlapping oval for the body. What makes this version worth including is how closely it mirrors techniques used in more advanced design tutorials from platforms like Adobe and DesignBundles, which suggests the method has been cross-validated by both casual craft sites and professional creative resources.

The lesson is designed with simplicity as the top priority, often skipping extra details like background scenery or textured skin in favor of a clean, friendly cartoon look. This makes it an excellent option for very young children, including preschoolers, who may not yet have the patience or fine motor control for a ten-step process. Because the shapes overlap in a simple, predictable way, kids can often complete the drawing with minimal adult guidance after watching the first example.

For families looking for a low-pressure, five-minute activity rather than a full art lesson, this tutorial tends to deliver a satisfying result with the least amount of instruction.

6. IHeartCraftyThings Elephant Tutorial

The sixth entry targets a slightly older audience, bridging the gap between simple cartoon elephants and more polished illustration. Last updated in October 2024, this tutorial still uses a stepwise shape-building method, but it introduces techniques like tilted ovals for the feet and more incremental detailing of the trunk and ears compared to the beginner-focused options above.

This makes it a strong next step for kids who have already completed one of the simpler tutorials and are ready for more nuance. Rather than large, uniform ear shapes, this method encourages slightly more careful placement and proportion, which helps children start noticing how real elephants are structured without jumping straight into fully realistic drawing. It works well as a “graduation” tutorial, something to try after a child has built confidence with an easier version first.

For older elementary-aged children or even adults drawing alongside younger siblings, this tutorial adds just enough complexity to stay interesting without becoming frustrating.

Quick Comparison of the Six Tutorials

How to Choose the Right Tutorial for Your Child

Picking the best option among these 6 Elephant Drawing Tutorials Made Easy For Kids depends mostly on two things: the child’s age and how much time is available. A preschooler with a short attention span will likely do best with the six-step EasyDrawingGuides or Easy Crafts for Kids versions. A child in second or third grade who enjoys a longer project, especially in a classroom setting, may prefer the fuller ten-step ArtProjectsForKids or GoodTo lessons.

Consider these quick guidelines when selecting a tutorial:

1. Choose shorter, six-step tutorials for children under six years old or for first-time drawing attempts.
2. Choose eight to ten step tutorials for children ages seven and up who already enjoy drawing or coloring activities.
3. Choose classroom-style tutorials with printable PDFs when managing a group of students rather than a single child at home.
4. Choose the IHeartCraftyThings bridge tutorial once a child has already mastered one simpler version and wants a new challenge.

There is no wrong choice here. Every tutorial on this list has been designed, tested, and refined specifically with beginners in mind, so switching between them to find the best fit involves very little risk of frustration.

Tips for Helping Kids Succeed With Elephant Drawing

A tutorial is only half of the equation. How an adult supports the activity often determines whether a child finishes confidently or gives up halfway through. The following tips apply across all six tutorials and can make a noticeable difference in how enjoyable the activity feels.

1. Model the first shape before asking the child to draw it, especially for very young beginners who benefit from watching before attempting.
2. Use pencil first and save marker or crayon outlining for after the shapes look correct, which allows for easy erasing and adjustment.
3. Praise the shapes, not just the final result, since circles and ovals drawn with confidence are the real skill being practiced.
4. Avoid comparing a child’s drawing to the tutorial’s example image too strictly; slight differences in proportion are completely normal and even expected.
5. Offer a short break between the shape-building steps and the coloring steps if the child seems to be losing focus partway through.

“The goal of a kids’ drawing tutorial is not a perfect elephant. It is a confident child who wants to pick up the pencil again tomorrow.”

This mindset shift, treating these tutorials as confidence-building exercises rather than technical drawing lessons, is part of why the shape-based method has remained the dominant approach across every major platform referenced in this guide.

Common Mistakes to Avoid With These Tutorials

Even with simple, well-structured steps, a few common pitfalls can turn an easy activity into a frustrating one. Being aware of these in advance helps adults guide the session more smoothly.

1. Skipping the guideline shapes and jumping straight to the trunk or ears often leads to proportion problems later in the drawing.
2. Pressing too hard with a pencil during the early shape stage makes it difficult to erase and adjust mistakes.
3. Rushing through six steps in under two minutes without pausing to check the drawing against the tutorial can cause kids to miss key shapes.
4. Using a tutorial several steps too advanced for the child’s age, which usually results in abandoning the activity partway through.
5. Forcing a child to stick exactly to the example image’s colors or style instead of allowing creative freedom once the basic shapes are complete.

Avoiding these issues keeps the focus where it belongs: on practicing shapes, building confidence, and enjoying the process of turning a circle into a recognizable animal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is best for starting elephant drawing tutorials?
Most of the six tutorials in this guide are designed for children roughly ages four through ten. Preschoolers tend to do best with the shortest, six-step versions, while older elementary students can handle the fuller eight to ten step lessons.

Do kids need special art supplies for these tutorials?
No special supplies are required. A pencil, eraser, and plain paper are enough to complete any of the six tutorials. Crayons, markers, or colored pencils can be added for the final coloring step.

Which tutorial is best for a classroom of 20 to 30 students?
ArtProjectsForKids is generally the strongest choice for classroom settings because it offers both an online tutorial and a printable PDF, which simplifies group instruction without requiring every student to view a screen.

How long does a typical elephant drawing tutorial take?
Simpler six-step tutorials, such as those from EasyDrawingGuides and Easy Crafts for Kids, usually take five to ten minutes. Longer eight to ten step tutorials, including GoodTo and ArtProjectsForKids, can take fifteen to twenty-five minutes depending on the child’s pace.

Can these tutorials help kids who struggle with drawing in general?
Yes. The shape-based method used across all six tutorials is specifically designed to reduce the difficulty of free-hand drawing by breaking the subject into basic geometric forms, which tends to help children who otherwise find drawing intimidating.

Conclusion

Drawing an elephant does not require artistic talent, expensive supplies, or hours of free time. As this guide has shown, 6 Elephant Drawing Tutorials Made Easy For Kids all rely on the same simple foundation: circles for the head, ovals for the body, and a handful of curved lines for the trunk, ears, and tail. From the beginner-friendly six-step EasyDrawingGuides lesson to the more detailed classroom-ready ArtProjectsForKids guide, there is a version suited to nearly every age and attention span.

The best next step is simple. Pick the tutorial that matches a child’s current comfort level, gather a pencil and some paper, and work through the steps together without rushing toward a perfect final image. Once that first elephant is finished, trying a second or third tutorial from this list is an easy way to build on the skills already learned, moving gradually from basic cartoon shapes toward more detailed and expressive drawings over time.