20 Legendary Leonardo da Vinci Projects for Kids
Today, we explore some Leonardo da Vinci Projects for kids to learn more about the Renaissance man – a man of many talents, including artist, scientist, and inventor.
“Art is never finished, only abandoned” – Leonardo da Vinci
This quote probably sounds a little strange to us, but when it’s from the master of art himself, we have to accept it!
But it isn’t that strange for Da Vinci, who was known to take ages over a single painting or work of art, leaving onlookers wondering if it was ever going to get finished. His most famous work of art is probably the Mona Lisa, which has become the stuff of legends. But there’s so much more to the man!
Interesting Facts about Leonardo da Vinci
- Leonardo da Vinci was known as the Renaissance man, since he was many things at once – painter, sculptor, engineer, architect, inventor, scientist, astronomer, anatomist, botanist, geologist, musician and writer
- Being so good at so many things often meant that he left several projects unfinished
- Leonardo was the illegitimate child of a wealthy notary in Florence, which was actually good for him, since he didn’t have to follow his father’s footsteps and could do whatever his heart desired
- He started learning art at the age of 14, becoming an apprentice to the famous Florentine sculptor and painter, Andrea del Verrocchio
- It is believed that da Vinci was a vegetarian, owing to his love for animals
Of course, there’s a lot more to learn about the amazing artist, and we’ll do it as we try out some cool and creative Leonardo da Vinci projects for kids!
20 Leonardo da Vinci Projects for Kids
1. Printable Leonardo da Vinci Wordsearch
For kids who are starting to learn about Leonardo da Vinci, this wordsearch printable is a good place to start! It features a few words that are associated with the artist, which helps give an idea about him.
2. Leonardo da Vinci Coloring Fact Sheets Printable
Before trying out our Leonardo da Vinci projects for kids, it’s a good idea to download this printable. It’s both a fact sheet and a coloring page in one, so kids can spend quite some time on it!
3. Fresco Painting Tutorial
Da Vinci’s famous painting, The Last Supper, was done on fresco, which translates into ‘fresh plaster’. Kitchen Counter Chronicles shows us how to make our own fresco painting by making our own plaster! This is an art form that kids will love; so much more interesting than painting on paper!
4. Ornithopter with Household Items
One of Da Vinci’s most popular designs was that of an ornithopter – a flying machine that flapped its wings like a bird. This model from Instructables features a working ornithopter that can be easily made with household items. A perfect craft for older kids on a long weekend!
5. Last Supper Egg Carton Diorama
A list of Leonardo da Vinci projects for kids is incomplete without featuring his masterpiece, The Last Supper! Catholic Icing has an easy diorama project based on Da Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper. All you need are the printouts from the site, along with colors and egg carton cups. This is a very detailed painting, so ask kids to study the original and try to get the details as matched as possible.
6. Da Vinci’s Self-Supporting Bridge
One of Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches shows a self-supporting arched bridge, which didn’t require anything else to hold it up. Science Sparks encourages us to make our own bridge with things like popsicle sticks, rulers, pencils – experiment! Once complete, test its strength with different objects – each one heavier than the last!
7. Paper Glider
Like we mentioned earlier, Leonardo Da Vinci was quite the inventor and made designs for several machines that were actually made centuries later. Try one of your own by making a Da Vinci-inspired glider model. Paper Mau has all the details – just print, cut and fold according to the instructions.
8. Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself
Encourage kids to learn all about the great inventor and try out some cool Da Vinci projects from this amazing book by . There is a lot of information about the man as well as a bit of history. The chapters are clearly marked and there are plenty of images to keep kids entertained.
9. Lady in Ermine Coloring Pages
Super Coloring has many coloring pages featuring works of famous artists, and this one shows The Lady in Ermine, one of Da Vinci’s best works besides the Mona Lisa. The woman in the painting is Cecilia Gallerani, a lady-in-waiting at the Duke of Milan’s residence. She is believed to be quite good at poetry, and she kept da Vinci’s painting at her home till her death.
10. Leonardo Da Vinci Art Lesson
You probably came to this list of Leonardo da Vinci projects for kids looking for her, and here she is! Art Projects for Kids shows us an interesting way to use Mona Lisa as a base to explore line drawing, by varying the thickness of the lines.
11. Mona Lisa Triptych Art
A triptych is a piece of art that is divided into three panels which are displayed together. Art History Lessons gives us a Mona Lisa-inspired art project that is created on a triptych-shaped background.
12. Mona Lisa Torn Paper Art
This torn paper activity from My Kids Art Box is a great pick for young kids among these Leonardo da Vinci projects for kids. The video shows us how easy it is, and anyone can make this!
13. DaVinci-Inspired Mechanical Creatures
We often talk of Leonardo da Vinci’s gorgeous paintings, but he also made many sketches, many of which were diagrams for his inventions, which even included robots! Small Hands Big Art takes inspiration from this idea and shows us how to create our own mechanical creatures that look like they’re from some fantasy land!
14. Leonardo da Vinci Mirror Writing Activity
Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci wrote from right to left? It seemed inverted when looked at straight on, but it made perfect sense in a mirror! He wrote many of his personal notes in this way, and now you can give it a go too, with the instructions from Science Sparks!
15. Mona Lisa Puzzle Art
Little Bins for Little Hands brings us a Mona Lisa printable that gives us the perfect base for multiple Leonardo da Vinci projects for kids! One is a mixed media art project, and the other is a DIY puzzle – both are equally fun!
16. Italian Fresco Painting for Kids
Fresco painting has been around since ancient Egypt, but it was during the Italian Renaissance that it gained so much recognition. Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper is a great example of this technique and if you’d like to try fresco painting yourself, try out this detailed project from Wee Folk Art.
17. Vitruvian People Drawing
Leonardo da Vinci was fascinated by the human body – so much so that he used to dissect corpses to study it intently! His Vitruvian Man sketch is the result of his studies, showing us how human bodies follow certain proportions so that it fits inside a circle. Let’s try making our own Vitruvian people sketches with this tutorial from Crayola.
18. Mona Lisa Mini Canvas Art
We have heard so much of the Mona Lisa painting that many of us have imagined it to be a large painting with a thick frame. However, the real painting is rather small – it’s just 77 cm by 53 cm! Now, you can try making it smaller, with this mini canvas art project from Creative Outlet Lady.
19. Build a Da Vinci Parachute Activity
It’s natural for these Leonardo da Vinci projects for kids to include a STEM project, like a parachute activity from Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool! It’s quite detailed, starting with a study of da Vinci’s sketches, and then using Math and physics concepts to build the parachute.
20. Leonardo Da Vinci Interactive Flip Book
Finally, in our list of Leonardo da Vinci projects for kids, we have an interactive flip book from Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. It features the major milestones of the artist’s life, complete with pictures and facts.
These Leonardo da Vinci projects for kids show us that da Vinci was a man of many talents, and kids can learn a great deal from him. The most interesting part is that he did all this despite having very little formal education! Most of his learning was by observing – the trees, birds, water, clouds and everything around him. As he said, “Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” That is a valuable lesson to take away for everyone!
Here are some more art projects based on famous artists:
- Top 10 Vincent Van Gogh Projects for Kids
- 10 Fantastic Frida Kahlo Art Projects for Kids
- 10 Kooky Keith Haring Art Projects for Kids
- 10 Resplendent Rembrandt Art Projects for Kids
- 10 Surrealist Salvador Dali Art Projects for Kids
Looking for a resource to explore Art Appreciation with kids? Click the image below, enter 0$ in the price & download our Printable ‘Famous Artists’ Mini Cards & Art Appreciation Worksheet for free.
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