How Can Kids Make A Penguin Drawing Easy Step-By-Step?

Here's a quick, goofy way I teach my younger cousins when they're restless: turn that penguin into a character. Start with three friendly shapes and you're halfway there.

1) Draw a big egg shape for the body. It doesn't have to be symmetrical; the wobblier the egg, the cuter the penguin. 2) Put a small circle on top, overlapping a bit for the head. 3) Inside the body, sketch an upside-down heart or rounded U for the white tummy patch. 4) For the wings, draw two sideways commas or leaves attached to the sides. 5) A small triangle pointing out is the beak—round the corners so it looks soft. 6) Two dots or tiny ovals make simple eyes; add a tiny highlight by leaving a white dot so the eyes look alive. 7) Draw stubby feet like pancakes at the base.

After the lines feel right, go over them with a marker and color in the outer body black, leave the belly white, and use orange or yellow for beak and feet. I like to add play ideas: stick on googly eyes, glue cotton for snow, or fold a paper scarf. For extra practice, trace the body with tracing paper, then add different expressions or accessories. I get a kick out of seeing how each kid personalizes their penguin—some turn into explorers, others into sleepy poets.

Grab a sheet of paper and a pencil—I'll walk you through a playful, no-fuss penguin that kids can do step by step. I like to break drawings into simple shapes because it makes everything less scary and more like building with blocks.

Step 1: Draw a big vertical oval for the body. It can be a little squished; penguins are cuddly, not perfect. Step 2: Add a smaller circle or rounded oval on top that slightly overlaps the big oval — that's the head. Step 3: For the belly, draw a curved U-shape inside the body oval, leaving space for the black outer part. Step 4: Sketch two teardrop shapes on each side for flippers; point them slightly down as if the penguin is waving. Step 5: Add a tiny triangle or rounded cone for the beak in the middle of the head, and two small circles for the eyes above it. Step 6: At the bottom, draw two short, rounded rectangles or simple three-toed feet. Step 7: Trace over the important lines with a darker pen, erase the extra sketch lines, and color: black on the outside, white belly, and a splash of orange or yellow on the beak and feet.

For variety, I tell kids to try sideways poses, make the penguin slide on ice with motion lines, or give it a scarf or a little fish in its wing. If someone’s nervous about freehand, I suggest drawing the shapes lightly with pencil first or tracing a printed silhouette. I always end up doodling tiny penguins on every scrap of paper—there’s just something about that waddly shape that makes me grin.

Begin simply: light pencil, three shapes. I usually start with a tall oval for the body and a smaller circle overlapping at the top for the head. From there I sketch a rounded belly patch inside the oval, which is the easiest way to separate the penguin’s black back from the white front. Add small oval eyes close together, a tiny rounded triangle for the beak, and two stubby feet beneath—think of them as little pancakes.

To keep it kid-friendly, I encourage drawing lightly so mistakes are easy to erase, and to exaggerate features (bigger eyes, a wider belly) for charm. When the pencil sketch feels right, trace with a thicker pen or marker, erase pencil lines, and color. Use black for the outer body, white for the belly, and a cheerful orange or yellow for beak and feet. Little extras—like a scarf, a tilted hat, or a fish friend—turn a basic drawing into a story. I often find that the first sketch is the most honest, so I keep mine loose and playful.