Learn how to start a children’s art group with tips on planning, structuring, and running it successfully, plus kids’ art activities.
Updated February 2025
If you are interested in starting a children’s art group or class similar to the ones that our founder, Jean, has run, this post is for you!
An art group for kids is a great way to incorporate more creativity into your kids’ lives, as well as meet and connect with other families.
Jean started her art groups because she wanted to make art a priority in her family and wanted to meet other families who were also interested in introducing art activities to their young children.
But where to start? We’ll help you figure out first steps, as well as what you need to consider when starting on this new endeavor.

How to Start a Children’s Art Group
Here are some questions you should ask yourself before you even begin planning:
What kind of group you want? Do you want a playgroup for your child (and a mommy/parent group for yourself)? Or would you rather have a more structured art class?
How large do you want the group to be? We think an ideal size is about four or five families, just because on any one week someone (or more) probably won’t be able to make it.
How do you find families for your art group? Ask current friends and acquaintances. Email or post to a local Facebook group, homeschooling group, or parenting group. Describe the kind of group you are hoping to start and ask interested families to contact you.
How will you pay for art materials? One option is to ask each family to bring a set amount each week to go toward art supplies, as well as other things like masking tape, paper towels, soap, snacks, etc. The money could go into a jar and used as needed.
Another option is to set it up as a class with the idea of being paid for your time in addition to materials (especially if you are confident in your level of experience in doing art with children). Just remember that there will be a whole different level of expectations to be met if you are calling it a “class.”
Where and how often will your children’s art group meet? Will you meet weekly? Or every other week? Will you meet in your house each time or will you alternate hosting with one or more other families? Or will you try to find an alternate space to use-such as a community center?

Materials Needed to Start a Children’s Art Group
A space to get messy: You will probably need a space that you don’t mind getting messy, especially since so many great art projects for young children involve paint or glue. It can be a space in your house such as a kitchen, laundry room, garage, or any other room with easy-to-clean floors. You can also use your backyard or deck if the weather is suitable.
If you don’t feel like you have a good space for messy art group activities, you could opt to meet at a playground and do the art at a picnic table, or even arrange to use a community meeting space.
An art table: You will probably need a low table for the kids to work at. We used coffee tables at first, then a large (low) table from a now-defunct preschool, then a pair of adjustable children’s tables from IKEA.
Art supplies: You’ll need a few basic supplies, but to start off you only need whatever you’re going to be working with the first week. You don’t need to have a completely stocked art supply cabinet before beginning! We’ve accumulated our supplies slowly over time.

Planning Your Group
Remember that young children, and especially toddlers, often have short attention spans. They may paint for five minutes and be finished. Or they may paint for twenty-five minutes. It will likely be different each time depending on the project, the child’s mood, and the group dynamic. However it is not likely to be a full hour!
So what do you do with the rest of your time?
For Jean’s group, the children would play for a while and the moms chat. Once everyone had arrived and had had a chance to reconnect, they would head back into the studio, which would be set up for the art project of the week.
The kids would paint (or whatever) for 15 or 20 minutes until they’d had enough, then they’d wash up and have a snack and play some more. Some kids paint for 5 minutes (or not at all) and some kids stay in the studio painting after everyone else has gone back in to play and eat.
After the art activity, Jean would set out some snacks and everyone would have a bite to eat.
Trust us when we say sometimes it feels like chaos. Other times everything seems to go smoothly.

Activities for Children’s Art Groups
We’ve found that open-ended, process-oriented art activities are the most successful with kids art group. Our favorite group art activities include:
- blot art
- painting with tempera paint on paper and on canvas,
- flower printing,
- printmaking with fruits and vegetables,
- making a variety of collages (nature collages, pasta collages, sticker collages, etc.),
- making playdough,
- and a variety of holiday-related arts and crafts.
There’s no need to get fancy though. You could probably just paint every week and it would still be fun for the kids.

The important part is to make art activities and materials available to your child and (if you’re starting a children’s art group) to get together with other families on a regular basis who are also interested in making art materials and activities available to their children.
You don’t have to be an artist yourself and you don’t have to have a Masters in Education. What you do need is some degree of enthusiasm for art, a willingness to deal with messes, a space (either yours or someone elses), and a few basic art supplies. You may also have to be willing to organize and plan.
What do you think? Are you ready to start a children’s art group?
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