“If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow.” - John Dewey
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust
Self-Portraits
The monthly revisiting of creating a new self-portrait is a valuable activity that contributes to the children's artistic and personal development throughout the school year.
Self-portraits offer the children a consistent experience to develop a sense of identity and self-awareness. Through this activity, the children begin to recognize and understand their unique characteristics and attributes by representing themselves visually through a variety of mediums that often tie into their unit of study.
ELOF Standards
Creating self-portraits is a recurring activity that aligns with several ELOF standards across different domains. While these standards may not explicitly mention self-portraits, they encompass the developmental skills and concepts that making self-portraits can support in early childhood education.
Approaches to Learning
Social & Emotional Development
Language & Literacy
Cognition
Physical Development
Creating self-portraits encourages children to explore their creativity and develop persistence as they work on completing their artwork.
Goal IT-ATL 4. Child develops the ability to show persistence in actions and behavior.
Goal IT-ATL 8. Child uses creativity to increase understanding and learning.
Self-portraits can be a tool for children to express themselves, explore their emotions, and develop a sense of identity and self-esteem.
Goal IT-SE 6. Child learns to express a range of emotions.
Goal IT-SE 10. Child shows awareness about self and how to connect with others
Through conversations about their self-portraits, children engage in language development and literacy skills.
Goal IT-LC 7. Child understands an increasing number of words used in communication with others.
Goal IT-LC 13. Child makes marks and uses them to represent objects or actions.
Self-portraits serve as a representation of the child's self-concept and experiences.
Goal IT-C 1. Child actively explores people and objects to understand self, others, and objects.
Goal IT-C 9. Child uses spatial awareness to understand objects and their movement in space.
Goal IT-C 12. Child uses objects or symbols to represent something else.
Making self-portraits involves both gross motor skills (such as holding a pencil or paintbrush) and fine motor skills (such as drawing or painting details).
Goal IT-PMP 6. Child coordinates hand and eye movements to perform actions.
Goal IT-PMP 3. Child demonstrates effective and efficient use of large muscles for movement and position.
Precut Shapes
Nature walk items
Precut Shapes
September - October
At the beginning of the year, the children are asked to focus on spatial awareness, shape identification, and matching as they create a portrait of themselves using precut shapes and nature items from which they gather with their families on nature walks.
Sponge pressure
Tearing paper
Sponge pressure
November- December
During the months of November and December, we shift our focus from positioning existing shapes and materials to developing the finger and fine motor strength of the children. In November, the children were given the opportunity to choose their paint and use sponges to create art. They learned how much pressure to apply when pressing the sponge onto their paper. In December, the children were encouraged to tear the paper to the just-right size for each facial feature and add details by drawing. This was the first time they were taught to add details to their artwork.
For the first time the children give it a go at drawing a whole body self-portrait by only using markers (multicultural and regular).
The children take photos of their shadows, are able to identify themselves just on their shadow silhouette and use oil pastels to draw details.
The children use black marker and watercolors to draw their whole body.
For the first time the children give it a go at drawing a whole body self-portrait by only using markers (multicultural and regular).
January- March
After the children gain more experience in drawing their self-portraits, we encourage them to think beyond the face and include their bodies. In February, we focus on headshots and students begin to pay attention to the shape and length of their hair, the color of their iris, and their lashes. As we move into March, details in the faces become smaller, and students start to add backgrounds.
Using seeds to make portraits.
Background with leaf impressions.
Concepts of print from left to right with name practice.
Using seeds to make portraits.
April -June
During the month of April, in our gardening unit, we revisit spatial planning. This time, the children are required to be delicate and precise as they work with tiny seeds. They carefully consider the color and size of the seeds as they decide whether to create just a face or the whole body. During the month of May, the children first create a garden background through leaf impressions inspired by Frida Kahlo. Next, they add themselves to the background using markers and oil pastels. As we prepare for pre-k in June, the children practice stamping their names in the correct order and direction. They draw, cut, and paste their bodies on top of their name background.
September
Beginning of the year
January
Middle of the year
June
End of the year
Portrait Progression
First - Middle -Final
September
Beginning of the year
January
Middle of the year
June
End of the year
Portrait Progression
First - Middle -Final