Do you want your child to spend more time drawing on paper, but find that screens are often the easier choice?
We understand that feeling. Phones, tablets, games, and videos are part of everyday life now, and avoiding screens completely isn’t always realistic.
But screen time and hands-on creativity don’t have to be opposites.
Sometimes a screen can be the starting point for something that happens away from it, with a piece of paper, a pencil, and a child’s own hands.
Why Drawing on Paper Still Matters
There’s something simple and satisfying about making a drawing on paper.
A child starts with a blank page, makes the first line, changes something that doesn’t look right, and slowly turns those marks into a finished picture.
The result doesn’t have to be perfect. It belongs to them because they made it with their own hands.
Paper also leaves plenty of room for children to change an idea as they go. They can add a funny hat, make an animal a different color, draw a whole background, or turn one small picture into a story.
That freedom is part of what makes drawing fun.
Simple Ways to Encourage Kids to Draw More
You don’t need a big art setup or a long lesson to get started. Small changes can make drawing feel easier to begin.
1. Keep Paper and Pencils Easy to Reach
If drawing supplies are already nearby, there’s less effort involved in getting started.
A small stack of paper, a pencil, an eraser, and a few colors are enough.
2. Start with Something They Already Like
A child who loves animals may be much more interested in drawing a cat than practicing random shapes.
Let their interests lead the activity.
If animals are a favorite, try Easy Animals to Draw for Kids, or let them choose from 50 Easy Things to Draw for Kids.
3. Give Them Something to Look At
Sometimes the hardest part isn’t drawing. It’s knowing where to begin.
A simple example can make a blank piece of paper feel much less intimidating. Kids can look at the basic shapes, copy one part at a time, and then change the drawing however they like.
4. Begin with an Easy Version
A simple face or basic shape can be enough for a first drawing.
If that feels too easy, move on to a full body, a different pose, or a picture with more details.
Starting small gives children somewhere to begin without turning the activity into a test.
5. Let Their Version Look Different
A copied drawing doesn’t need to be an exact copy.
Different ears, colors, expressions, clothes, or backgrounds are all part of making the picture their own.
Can Screen Time Inspire Offline Creativity?
When parents think about creative screen time for kids, the activity often still happens entirely on the screen.
We wanted to try something different.
The screen guides. Their hands create.
With PENKI Draw, the device shows a drawing one step at a time, but the child doesn’t draw on the screen.
They look at the next step, then return to their own paper and draw it with a pencil.
The screen has a job, but it isn’t the finished activity. It helps answer the question, “What do I draw next?”
The actual drawing still happens on paper.
That small difference is at the heart of PENKI Draw. We’re not trying to pretend digital devices aren’t part of children’s lives. We want to use them in a way that can lead back to making something in the real world.
PENKI DrawThe screen guides. Their hands create.PENKI Draw shows each picture one step at a time while kids draw on real paper with a pencil. It is designed for children, with no ads interrupting the activity.
Why We Created PENKI Draw
PENKI is made by the two of us, a husband and wife team raising two children.
Like many parents, we have always tried to keep our children’s screen time reasonably short.
But parenting now is different from when we were children. Phones, tablets, computers, and digital tools are everywhere. Completely removing them from everyday life didn’t feel realistic to us.
So we started thinking about a different question.
Could a digital tool encourage children to do something with their hands instead of keeping the whole activity on the screen?
There was another reason this idea felt personal to us.
I have always loved drawing, and today I work professionally as a CG animator.
When our son was younger, he often asked me to draw things for him. I would make a picture, put it beside him, and watch as he carefully tried to draw his own version on another sheet of paper.
Seeing him do that made me realize something simple.
Sometimes children want to draw, but they just don’t know how to start.
When they have an example to follow, they may be able to do much more than they expected.
My husband, on the other hand, doesn’t consider himself good at drawing.
That became another important part of the idea. A parent shouldn’t need to know how to draw a cat, dinosaur, car, or unicorn before their child can try.
We wanted to create something that could provide the example for them.
That idea eventually became PENKI Draw.
The app gives children a starting point and a series of simple steps. What they make from those steps is still their own.
Start with One Piece of Paper
Encouraging kids to draw doesn’t need to start with an art class or a box full of supplies.
Start with one piece of paper.
Ask your child what they feel like drawing today. Maybe it’s an animal, a favorite food, or just something cute.
If they need an idea, try 30 Cute Drawing Ideas for Kids, Cute and Easy Food Drawings for Kids, or our larger collection of 50 Easy Things to Draw for Kids.
Then give them time to make their own version.
It doesn’t have to match the example. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The important part is that the pencil is in their hand and the drawing is happening on their paper.
PENKI DrawReady to try drawing on paper?PENKI Draw gives kids simple step-by-step drawing guides while keeping the creative part on paper. Choose a picture, follow each step on screen, and draw your own version with a real pencil.
