“It’s beautiful to see children observing themselves using mirrors and photographs, followed by creating self-portraits. Throughout the process children can explore facial expressions and artistically depict concepts such as ‘a brain that is happy,’ ‘sad hands are closed,’ and ‘eyes are shaped like a puddle’” (Malaguzzi & Musatti 1996, 50–51).
The Oak class, along with several other early childhood classrooms, create self-portraits monthly throughout the school year. Different art mediums are often used and explored during the self-portrait projects. The monthly portraits are an extraordinary window into how each child has grown and developed throughout the school year.
We begin the school year by focusing on the shapes used to form a person. The children begin by drawing a circle to create their head, and then add their eyes, nose, and mouth. As children are drawing their self-portraits, they are working on their pencil grip and control in their fine motor development. As children create self-portraits, they move from the concept of a real face (the concrete) to a work of art that symbolizes the real thing (iconic representation). This process lays the groundwork for children to reach higher levels of symbolization—for example, when the word face (the abstract) represents a real face.
Each month, the children’s self-portraits become more detailed. The children transition from simple shapes to create a body to more complex drawings that include their clothing. The children begin to think about what colors they are using and choose exact colors for their eyes, hair, etc.
Often during self-portrait activities, the drawings evoke conversations about what makes us unique and/or different from our friends. Creating self-portraits is a wonderful way to explore their sense of self and build their self-identity. Self-portrait activities encourage children to learn more about themselves, their classmates and they foster a sense of belonging within the classroom. One of my favorite days of the school year is during the last month of school when the children look through their portfolios and view their different self-portraits. They are always amazed by how much their drawings have improved. The growth from the first portrait to the last is simply incredible.
Today, the children created their first self portrait of the year. The activity was introduced by creating Mat Man. Mat Man is a floor person designed by Handwriting Without Tears, the handwriting program that we follow in Pre-K and Kindergarten, to help teach children about their bodies- body placement and function. In addition, Mat Man helps the children learn skills like counting, sequencing, identifying shapes, object placement, taking turns and working together as a group. Then, the children created their self portraits using black sharpie. The self portraits are displayed in the classroom for the month until the next self portrait is created. Each child will have ten self portraits by the end of the year and it is truly amazing to see the growth from the first to the last.
