Making self-portraits can be fun, memorable, and simple! Plus, toddlers and preschoolers learn about famous artists (like Monet and Picasso) in the process!

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*Thank you to The Artful Parent for the idea for the self-portrait collages!

How To: The Artwork

Supplies:

• Printer
• Smart phone/camera
• Canvas panels
• Glue
• Assorted craft supplies (we used Washi tape, craft pom poms, pipe cleaners, buttons, beads, feathers, markers, etc.)

Directions:

When the kids arrived, I took each of their photos with my phone, sent them to my email, opened them on my desktop computer, and printed each photo full-page in black and white on copy paper. (You could also use already printed photos if you wanted. Since we don’t know who is going to come to each class, I needed brand new pictures of each of the kids.) Then, the caregivers helped the kids cut the background out of their photos, leaving only the kids’ faces and bodies. The kids glued down their cut-out image onto the canvas panels and finally got to decorate! They spent 15-25 minutes decorating their “self-portraits.” Seriously. who knew Washi tape was so fun?! They also really liked the letters I cut out from magazines. And that’s it! They can decorate their canvas panels as much or as little as they’d like.

How To: The Program

My Young Artists class allows 2-5 year olds to explore art and engage the senses to help them understand the world around them. Exploring famous artists and their work allows kids to see that they are capable of making beautiful, creative artwork. Plus, exploring famous artists provides a unique way to teach children about basic art techniques.

Group Activity:

For our group activity, I gave the kids Play-Doh. I asked them if they could make a person using the Play-Doh because of our self-portrait theme. Many of them did but some did not. And that’s okay! It’s about the process and kids LOVE Play-Doh! It strengthens their fingers and encourages creativity. Wins for caregivers and children!

Group Story:

I thought about reading Art & Max by David Wiesner, but the group I had was primarily 2 and 3 year olds. They were too antsy for that long of a book. Instead, I showed them different artists’ self-portraits, including Rembrandt’s, Monet’s, and Picasso’s, Rockwell’s, Van Gogh’s, and Kahlo’s. We talked about different features on each artist’s self-portraits, like hats, beards, backgrounds, clothes, etc. They got into it! I then showed each of the kid’s pictures that I took that morning. Each child was SO proud when I showed his/her picture and said their names as if they were Picasso or Van Gogh. I told them that we are all artists, and it was their turn to make art!

Individual Art:

I explained the art they were going to make this week, and they were EXCITED! They seriously dived into decorating and spent way longer doing it than I expected. I adore process art because each child can participate at his/her level and gets to express creativity in making choices! LOVED THIS ART PROJECT!

Tell me about some self-portrait projects you have done with your little ones!