#  >> K-12 >> Preschool

How to Help Preschoolers Create a Self-Portrait

Much of preschool education is about helping children to understand themselves and others. A great way to allow them to explore these ideas is through art activities that promote self-exploration and self-expression. A self-portrait is a good example of this, though you will need to provide some guidance and instruction to help them in structuring the activity. Additionally, self-portraits do not need to be limited to exploring physical appearance; they can also look at thoughts and emotions.

Things You'll Need

  • Colored card
  • Magazines
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Crayons
  • Buttons
  • Yarns
  • Round lids
  • Hard mirrors
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut out a large selection of different pictures from magazines and newspapers. Make a collection of eyes, ears, noses, mouths and hair. Stick to larger images as many preschoolers don't yet have the fine motor skills to handle smaller shapes.

    • 2

      Collect other pictures covering various topics such as nature, vehicles, animals, food, sports, and landscapes. Cut out some cardboard templates of noses, lips, eyes and ears.

    • 3

      Have the children look at themselves in the mirror and select a set of eyes, ears, mouth and nose that match their own.Provide colored buttons and yarn as alternatives for hair and eyes.

    • 4

      Help them to stick the items onto sheets of card in something approaching the correct order. Give them crayons and get them to draw the head to fit around the pieces they have stuck on.

    • 5

      Give them another sheet of card and a round lid. Have them draw around the lid to make an outline for the face. Get them to draw and color their faces, using the collage to help them. Allow them to draw around the cardboard templates if they like.

    • 6

      Tell them to pick four things: one thing thing they are afraid of, one thing that excites them, one thing that makes them happy and one thing that makes them sad. Get them to pick pictures from the collection of cut outs or draw their own pictures of the things they have chosen. Have them put one in each corner.

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