How to Make a Comic Book for Kids: Free Printable Guide
Do you have a budding comic book creator at home? Or perhaps your kids dream of creating their own manga or graphic novel?
Introducing Dream Big: Your Quick Guide to Creating an Awesome Comic Book or Graphic Novel.
With this draw your own comic book starter kit, kids will discover everything they need to get started with their very own comic book creations!
Just enter your email below to access this PDF guide plus our growing list of printable PDF resources for kids – including educational activity packs, colouring pages and more.
What’s so great about homemade comics?
Creating your own comic books at home has never been so popular thanks to rising interests in manga, graphic novels and superhero comic strips amongst kids and young people.
It’s not just about creating cute little doodles either – many kids want to be able to write their own comics to a high standard and take it very seriously.
Drawing your own comic book at home has so many educational benefits for children, and it could even lead to a lucrative career in writing, illustration or design too!
Here are our top reasons to encourage kids to create their own homemade comics:
- Kids can start drawing their own comics pretty much as soon as they can hold a pencil. Young children can start with short and simple comic strips with little or no text. They might use their imagination, or simply draw what they did today.
- Older and more confident children can be challenged to create much more advanced work, such as writing a graphic novel script from scratch or creating a complex story using well-developed comic book character sheets.
- Kids who aren’t crazy about writing can practise their literacy skills by mixing writing and drawing in their comic book creations.
- Making your own comic book encourages independent play, planning, problem-solving, creative thinking, positive self-criticism and more.
- Homemade comics are a great tool for boosting confidence, as they give an opportunity for kids to share their skills and creative ideas with others.
- Children who struggle with low self-esteem or anxiety can find comic book writing a powerful way to ease stress, calm their emotions and express themselves.
- It costs very little to make your own comic book at home – all you need is some basic stationery and some paper.
Investing just a few pounds or dollars in a low-budget but high-quality blank comic book can be a great addition too – and can even work out cheaper than buying expensive sketchbooks or reams of blank paper.
Purchase here for US or here for UK
So why use a create your own comic book kit?
There’s no shortage of kids out there who would love to get started with making their own comic strip, manga or graphic novel.
However, it can be hard to know where to start. Often, children need a little more guidance in helping them structure their ideas and get everything down on paper.
Parents and teachers may not feel confident to help with this if it’s not something they know much about.
That’s why we created this absolutely free 22-page printable guide – so absolutely everyone (even adults!) can create comic book stories they are proud of!
Inside, kids will find a fun and easy-to-follow step-by-step guide to making your own comic book.
This download also includes a 10-page printable planner that kids can use to plan out their stories, including creating storyboards, planning out their characters and more.
Whilst this free download makes a great resource for teachers to use in the classroom, it’s also ideal for children to work through independently at home.
How is this comic book template guide designed for children?
To be honest, we think creative adults will love this guide just as much as we do – but we’ve designed the layout and appearance with kids in mind.
We’ve made it as simple as possible to follow and understand the instructions.
All the language used is suitable for older children to read on their own. Younger children can skip sections as required or have an adult talk them through it a little if necessary.
Our super talented designer has also included an exciting front cover and fun illustrations throughout the pack to help engage kids with each step of the guide.
So what’s inside this comic book starter kit PDF?
Now we’ve run through a little bit about why we think kids can really benefit from learning how to write and illustrate their own comics, let’s get into what you can expect from this resource!
Read on to find out exactly what’s included on each page of this 22-page PDF activity pack.
Choosing the kind of comic book story that’s right for you
After a fun and engaging welcome page which outlines everything kids can expect to find inside, we’ve included 4 pages about the basics of comic book creative writing.
You’ll find:
- Everything you need to know about the classic super hero story, including what makes superheroes so great for storytelling
- A checklist for making superhero comic strips, such as what the characters and setting could be like
- Rules of creating a manga story and the different genres to choose from
- Tips for finding your own manga illustration style and what manga artwork often looks like
- Examples of other comic book stories that aren’t based on superheroes, plus inspiration for creating these if superhero comics aren’t your thing
- The 3 different kinds of non-fiction comic books or comic strips you can create, that teach, explain and/or share something you are interested in. There are lots of possibilities for kids who aren’t into superheroes.
The differences between a comic strip and a graphic novel
This section in the first half of our free kit includes an easy-to-understand rundown of the key features of the standard comic book compared to graphic novels.
Kids will find out the four main differences between them which will help them to decide what they want to create as their own book.
Creating your own comic book for beginners
The next section of our free pdf book is 4 pages in length. It will take you or your kids through how to make comic books or comic strips at home in 8 easy steps.
This part of the free resource is ideal for kids who lack confidence or need a bit of help getting started.
It will also be helpful for structuring a classroom lesson plan, series of projects or group activity in school or another educational setting, if you are wanting to focus on the topic of writing your own comic strip or book.
Which materials to use with this make your own comic book kit
Next, we’ll walk you through the essential tools you need to draw cartoons or comics, including both drawing and coloring your creations.
This section also explains the importance of choosing a colour palette when you draw and colour your story.
Kids will be encouraged to consider the mood and general feel of their comic strips, and decide on a colour palette that reflects that.
A printable 10-page comic book planner for kids
The second part of this pack of free resources is a complete comic or graphic novel planner that takes each kid through the process of planning out their first story.
In this section, kids can actually write down their thoughts and plan all the details of their storyline step by step.
Over 10 pages of interactive worksheets and comic book templates kids will:
- Identify the form, theme and genre of their book
- Describe the location of the story, whether superhero, non-fiction or something else
- Write down all the details of their main character(s) using our comic book character templates pages, including their backstory, friends and family, costume and appearance, personality and more
- Describe how they want these characters to make people feel
- Create images of their characters to use as inspiration and decide on their artistic style
- Write an outline of the plot with all the main developments and a break down of the content of the beginning, middle and end
- Use a helpful plot timeline to support with the development of pace for longer stories
- Complete a detailed plot outline each child can use to prepare their story and decide on the panels
- Choose the materials and tools they will need
Kids will also be encouraged to share what they will do once they have finished their first comic book. Who will they share it with? How will they get feedback and improve their work?
How to use this free PDF alongside a blank comic book
You can use any part of this free resources pack with just paper and a pencil to get kids started with making their own comic book.
However, many families find kids benefit from using a blank comic book. It allows them to keep all their comic creations in one place and the end result is a printed and bound book that feels professional!
This blank comic book is packed with 94 comic book templates printed on high-quality bright white paper and bound in a softback glossy cover.
It also includes 5 pages of dozens of call-out templates that kids can either cut out and stick into their book or simply trace. There’s a wide range of speech bubbles, thought bubbles and more.
If you think your kids would enjoy making their own comic book, consider using this blank comic book alongside our free PDF pack.
How to download and use this comic book kit
To get this free PDF download, just enter your email below.
You’ll instantly receive an exclusive link direct to your inbox!
That link will take you to our secret vault, where you can download this comic book starter guide + a growing selection of other free resources for kids.
Once you have downloaded the file, you can print and use it as many times as you like for personal use.
We hope you enjoy Dream Big: Your Awesome Guide to Creating Your Own Comic Book or Graphic Novel.
We’d love to see what your kids come up with, so be sure to get in touch and share their comic creations with us!
Need low-cost, fun activity ideas?
Access the SUPA STEM Resource Vault featuring a growing library of fun activities, printables, and resources… completely free!
