Drawing With Non-Dominant Hand Art Project for Kids

School-aged kids will practice drawing with their non-dominant hand in this fun project. We’ve included a free printable to make this mess free project easy for home or classroom use.

dRAWING WITH noN-dominant Hand

I love to encourage kids to challenge themselves by drawing with their non-dominant hand. Though I am often met with laugh, jokes, and a few complaints; I remind them how often they unknowingly use both hands for many daily tasks. Many kids respond positively when I ask them if they type on the computer, play video games, or play sports that require use of their non-dominant hand. I also tend to ask if anyone has injured their dominant hand and were forced to write with the opposite. Through this active conversation, kids see how often they already effortlessly use their non-dominant side and are encouraged to tackle this fun challenge.

There are many times in our lives where we will need to use our non-dominant hand, this is simply an exercise to keep it in use and remind ourselves what we truly are capable of as artists.

Related: Learn how we use a timer to build confidence in our art lessons!

Supplies Needed for Drawing with Non-Dominant Hand

• Free Printable “Drawing With Non-Dominant Hand” Practice Page – Download Below
• Paper
• Pencil, Crayon, or Colored Pencil
• Objects or Pictures of Items to Draw

Download the Drawing With Non-Dominant Hand Printable Here

Our free printable makes a wonderful warm-up exercise. These prompts give kids the opportunity to get comfortable using their non-dominant hand for drawing before beginning their actual project.

Directions to Make a Drawing with your Non-Dominant

Step 1

First, begin completing prompts on the free worksheet by drawing with your non-dominant hand.

Step 2

Next, move to the second row of prompts and begin practicing to draw basic shapes with your non-dominant hand.

Step 3

Moving along to the third row of prompts, practice shading and value techniques using your non-dominant hand. Here you will practice fading between light and dark values. This is simply achieved by applying more, or less, pressure to the pencil or crayon.

Step 4

Finally, to complete the worksheet, write your name and draw different objects in the final row of prompts.

Step 5

To begin the project, use a separate piece of paper and your non-dominant hand to draw basic shapes to create an outline of your object.

Step 6

Finally, complete drawing by adding shadows through varying pressure as practiced on the worksheet.

Finished Drawing with NOn-DOminant Hand Art Project

I love how these practice pages helped us confidently create sketches that are display worthy! Since these projects are made on paper, they can easily be framed, clipped, or displayed in your preferred style. 

Our Experience Making this Drawing with Non-Dominant Hand Art Project

I think this is such a fun project to complete each year. The additional warm-up worksheet helps build the students’ confidence before they tackle their main drawing. Kids often enjoy this challenge and impress themselves with their opposite hand drawing skills.

I also had lots of fun using rainbow colored pencils for this project. I find that they are a fun way to easily add lots of color to a piece!

Drawing with Non-Dominant Hand Art Variations

• Explore various mediums by drawing or painting with your non-dominant hand.
• Use your non-dominant hand to draw a hand study of your dominant hand!
• Draw the object twice. Draw once with your dominant hand, and once with your non-dominant hand, and compare the results.

Other Fun Drawing Art Projects from Kids Activities Blog

Is your child left or right hand dominant? Did they enjoy drawing with their opposite hand for today’s project?