Kids love looking in the mirror, seeing how their faces change as they squint and scrunch. Take that curiosity to a new level with these self-portrait ideas. These portrait ideas are fun to do with friends too, if you've got a play date planned.
Cardboard Self-Portraits
How you make them:
1. Have your little ones look in the mirror and ask them what shape their heads are. Then, have them pick the shape that they think most looks like theirs.
2. Go through their features. Ask “What shape are your eyes, nose, mouth, ears?” Pick out a shape for each.
3. Now the gluing can begin. Glue all of the chosen facial shapes onto the cardboard face.
4. Once the features seem stuck, your children can begin drawing their eyes, mouth and skin color to create their very own 3-D cardboard self-portraits.
Self-Portraits With Wikki Stix
How you make them:
1. Let your children explore their faces in the mirror and then start playing around with the Wikki Stix.
2. See what shape the Wikki Stix can make, how they can be connected and how with a little bit of pushing, they stick to the construction paper.
3. Work with your child to start building a face! Use scissors to make the Wikki Stix shorter, as needed, and have fun sticking pieces on and taking them off until it’s just right.
4. Have your child add hair, clothes, whatever your family wants! When it’s done either take it apart and start all over again or hang it up next to your children's cardboard self-portrait.
Picasso Face Collages
Note: This one is a little bit messier but a whole lot of fun, especially for some outdoor easel time.
How you make them:
1. As always, have your children look at themselves in the mirror and talk about the different face shapes they see.
2. Introduce the black paint and ask them to paint the shape of their head as big as the piece of paper.
3. Once the head is painted, bring out the pre-prepared paint and glue mixtures and all of the collected recycled materials.
4. Your little ones should check themselves in the mirror throughout the process, looking at their different facial parts and adding on shapes as they go.
5. When they’re done, they’ll have a face collage that is abstract — just like a Picasso!
Just getting started?
See what other fun activities the author suggests.
