Group Drawing Activities for Teens

Whether you're teaching a high school art class or looking for an ice breaker at a party, drawing activities are a creative way to get everyone involved. All you need are some pencils and paper to host an array of these projects and games. In the end, not only will the youths create some work of their own, but they can also improve their communication, team work and public speaking skills.

Encourage teens to work together and use their imaginations to create a single drawing. Begin by drawing a random squiggly line or shape in the center of an otherwise blank sheet of paper. Make a few copies of this drawing and pass it out to small groups of participants. Ask the students to add their own line or shape to the page one at a time. The goal is that together the teens will create a recognizable figure or picture.

Teach teens the importance of communication and working together with the Drawers, Talkers and Viewers activity. Break the teens into three groups, one for each category. Give the viewers a picture, such as a house or cat. The talkers must then ask the viewers questions about the design, and the viewers can respond with only nonverbal communication (yet without drawing the shape with their fingers in the air). The talkers must then direct the drawers -- who are standing with their backs to the group and also cannot speak -- how to re-create the design on a piece of paper.

Invite teens to better get to know each other and explore their creativity with a portrait activity. Ask teens to pair up into groups of two. Provide each student with a pencil, blank sheet of paper and easel to hold his work. Direct the youths to talk to their partners, getting to know what their interests, hobbies and passions are. While they are talking, the teens should draw a portrait of the other person, including both their facial features, as well as these other attributes that make them who they are.

Teens will improve their artistic abilities and confidence in front of the classroom with a drawing guessing game. Place a blank sheet of paper in front of the room. Invite one participant to come to the front. Quietly tell her a noun, action or adjective. She must then describe the word or phrase only by drawing pictures on the board. The rest of the teens should guess what she's creating. When the group says the correct answer, choose a new student to come to the front and assign him a word or phrase to describe by drawing.