Having a variety of art games at your fingertips is almost mandatory for any art teacher. Yes - of course - games can be used as class rewards, "art fun days", or (#dontjudgeme) "time fillers." BUT, art games can ALSO serve an educational and quite important purpose. Art games can act as aids to classroom learning, can be used as testing and assessment tools, review activities, hands-on ways for students to apply knowledge, fun ways to introduce new concepts, lesson wrap-ups, or (#letsbereal) simply as art-related amusement on the last day of school or other holidays. Here are a list of ten tried-and-true art games to play in any art classroom, elementary to high school (and every grade between): 1.) The Creativity Design Game - This art game, originally inspired from the book “Design Synectics” by Nicholas Rourkes, takes problem-solving to a new level. Students are asked to take two very different objects and create a drawing, combining these separate objects into one completely new invention. In my classroom, I call this the “Creativity Game” and I made this activity more game-like by typing out hundreds of random nouns on slips of paper, and placing them in a bag. Two students then blindly reach in the bag and pull out a ‘mystery word’. The students are given one to two minutes to come up with an idea, sketch it out and name it. As they work, I observe their drawings and ask the most creative thinkers to share their ideas with the class when time is up. Check out my FREE download of the "Creativity Game," print out the words, directions, and even customize your own game. 2.) The Artwork Memory / Matching Game - Artwork memory games - inspired by the child’s matching game “Concentration” - can be perfect free-time activities for elementary art students. The “Art Memo” game comes with 72 artwork images and can be purchased for around $20 here at Amazon. However, if you have a color printer you can easily make your own Art Memory game by photographing student artwork or finding art online, printing out 2 of each image, then laminating the cards (or glue onto note cards). 3.) Art Jeopardy! - A great way to review art terms, art history information, processes or artists before a test - or simply as lesson closure - a teacher can plan an Art Jeopardy game by coming up with five or more categories, and five questions to go in each category. Depending on the art teacher’s time, A Jeopardy board can be drawn onto the chalkboard, made in PowerPoint, or can be assembled with fabric and ’pockets’ for questions on note cards. 4.) Art Room “Win, Lose or Draw” - A great classroom reward, last-day activity or holiday treat, your classes can play the classic art game “Win, Lose or Draw” (or “Pictionary”). Simply put students in two teams, give the player a word to draw and have them try to draw it in a given amount of time with their teammates guessing correctly. 5.) “Clay Wars” Game - When introducing students to ceramics -- or as a way to practice recently learned skills -- have students play a clay-based art game. All students have an equal amount of clay, and compete to sculpt items, such as: the tallest structure without falling over, the most perfect sphere, the longest single rope coil, the best cube, the most realistic animal, the funniest face, etc. Students can be split into teams, or compete individually. 6.) Educational Art Novelties - When students have additional activity time in art class, they can play solo art games and puzzles by looking at hidden-picture art books (such as “Can You Find It Inside?” by the Metropolitan Museum of Art), using mosaic tiles to create pictures, working on art-based jigsaw puzzles, working on origami, and studying optical illusions. Students can easily create their own artwork novelties and games by designing tangrams (a Chinese puzzle, easily made with paper) or creating thaumatropes (a toy popular in the Victorian era). 7.) “Paint Wars” Game - Similar to “Clay Wars”, this paint-based art game is also a way to practice recently-learned processes and theory. Students can compete as teams or individuals, and will try to do the following: best match their skin tone using only primaries and neutrals, most closely match the color of a flower, paint the most realistic piece of food, the scariest monster, and other ideas. 8.) Art Book / Internet Scavenger Hunts - More effective with older students, this requires either a large assortment of art books or the internet in your library or classroom. You can either compile a list of items that students need to search for, perhaps with a worksheet to write them down on, or give one item at a time for students to search for as a timed competition. Your scavenger hunts can be customized to whatever your students have been learning about lately (find an Impressionist painting with a dog in it, find a sculpture made in France, etc.). 9.) Art Vocabulary Word Searches / Puzzles - Word searches, crosswords and other puzzles can be an effective and fun way to review art class vocabulary. Check out these downloadable word searches based on the Elements of Art, including Color, Line, Shape and more. 10.) Online Art Games - There are thousands of online art games and activities that are safe for students to play in school (some more so than others, so be sure to check them out beforehand). These can be a great educational activity for students who finish their work early. Check out the Incredible Art Department’s list of Online Art Activities for Kids for a huge list of online art games and resources. There is a place for games in the art classroom; despite their entertainment value, they can also serve an educational purpose. Try out some of these new games, or just add them to your mental file of ideas.

You have to see this fun drawing game for kids we played at our art summer camp in our children's art studio in Charlotte, NC.

Drawing games for kids help them practice drawing skills, get warmed up before tackling a larger project, and are extremely fun (and funny).

Need a happy mood booster? This no prep blindfold drawing activity is an opportunity to laugh with our kids in the midst of our crazy-busy days.

Looking for fun, educational games for art class? Check out these three simple games you can put together in a few minutes.

Ever played Pencil Wars? It's a fun and easy drawing game you can play with the kids. All you need is some paper and a pencil for each player.

Here is a silly drawing games that is a lot of fun for kids to play. In this drawing game, you use dice to decide what parts of the drawing you will draw. We have included a face drawing game and a landscape drawing game. This is a lot of fun and it helps children who might not be able to draw freely and creatively...this will help them draw more freely and creatively. This will also increase silliness.

Fun counting activities to make learning enjoyable while building a strong numeracy foundation in your preschoolers.

Here are some super simple and silly pencil and paper games to play. You can play with one person or a large group. Everyone grab a pencil and paper. Start by drawing one object with your dominant hand. Now it is time to switch it up and try drawing a different way. Try drawing: 1. using your non-dominant hand 2. with the pencil in your mouth 3. with the pencil in your toes 4. with your head upside down 5. with your eyes closed 6. with your dominant hand after you spin around in a circle 10x 7. using a super tiny pencil (use a golf pencil or smaller) 8. using a huge pencil (duct tape the pencil to a wiffle ball bat) 9. with your paper taped to the underside of a desk (Michelangelo style) 10. a round of Silly Sketches 11. with both hands at the same time 12. using a white paper plate on your head and try to draw a picture on it 13. the silliest face you can think of 14. a round of draw a doggy hangman 15. some themed Squiggle Drawing: Draw a squiggle on a piece of paper. Write a theme on the top of the paper (i.e. – farm animal). Pass the paper to someone else and they have to create a farm animal from the squiggle on the paper. Download some free sample pages from Doodle Diaries to get started. What crazy and silly drawing games can you create? Silly Sketches includes 10 drawings to create by following 6 simple directions. There are 10 drawing starters for each silly sketch to make the activity easier if necessary. This is suitable for one child to complete or for a group of children. This electronic book is in black and white. This download encourages: drawing skills, ability to follow step by step directions, creativity, visual motor skills and visual perceptual skills. Find out more information at http://ift.tt/1tgy0eE The post 15 Silly Drawing Games for Kids appeared first on YourTherapySource.com Blog.

This game is meant for both kids and adults, parents, art teachers, artists of all kinds, tired people after a long day at work who want to relax, and everyone who wants to have fun and loves drawing and painting. I would love to see your results:-) Your task is to make a picture using […]

The best and most fun pen and paper games to cure the boredom blues. Solo, two player and three or more player pencil and paper games for kids and adults!

12+ I Spy Game Printables. Fun I Spy activity free printables for a rainy day, road trip, classroom party activity for kids.

Here is a list and description of Drawing Games for Kids that I have discovered around the web. I have also included some drawing games for kids online. If you know of any more drawing games, please comment below and share with the rest of us. ...

This roll a monster game is a fun drawing game for kids, as well as adults. Be prepared to laugh at the silly monsters your kids create.

Art Class Awards – Creative Ideas & Unique DIY Awards based on famous artists and art styles

So many ways to explore some extra creativity! These fun art challenges are perfect for kids and adults to stretch their imaginations!

Have you ever played telephone? It is a fun game where the first player in the circle whispers a word into the ear of the person sitting to their right. Players whisper the word to their neighbors until it reaches the last player in line. Then the first and last player compare their words to see if it was relayed correctly. Well in Drawing Telephone, words are replaced with drawings - as you probably have guessed. Below you will find the instructions for playing this drawing game, great for kids, families, and parties:

Ring it on! This easy paper plate craft at home makes a DIY ring toss game for kids using Crayola supplies and items you already have on hand.

Curb the 'I'm boreds' with these ten quick and easy activities for 6-10 year-olds.