How to Draw Simple Cartoon Characters for Kids

A few weeks ago I saw a Cartooning Pop-Up Center on an art teacher friend's Instagram and it intrigued me (thank you @artwithron!)!  I set up a similar center in my own art room but I quickly noticed that the way I had set it up was intimidating to the kids who weren't already proficient at drawing.  

So I decided to scaffold the learning and created cartooning basics for kids.

Step 1: I showed them how to use basic shapes as building blocks for characters.

Step 2: I gave them idea banks to help them create basic faces, arms, legs and other accessories.

Step 3: We explored different points of view and practiced drawing them

I found it was much less intimidating if I cut cartooning paper into 3 cells and gave them just a strip of paper.  They were much more likely to give it a go that way.  I am looking forward to seeing more of their cartoon creations soon.