Draw Your Self-Portrait

What You Need:

• Large paper such as butcher paper
• Scissors
• Markers
• Crayons
• Tempera paints
• Large paintbrush
• Yarn
• Glue

What You Do:

1. Have your child lay down on the large piece of paper. Ask them to think about the position that their body is in. Encourage them to be creative in positioning. For example, if your child loves to play tennis, ask them to form a tennis action pose. Once they have chosen a suitable position, trace the outline of your child with a crayon or washable marker.
2. Now your child is ready to create their self-portrait. Start with the face. Ask them to draw all their facial features with crayons or markers. Name and count each of the eyes, ears, and other parts of the face.
3. Add hair. This can be accomplished with either paint or yarn and glue.
4. Have your child “dress” their self-portrait. Using paints and the large brush, invite them to create clothing that is similar to what they would wear regularly. Another option is to create a painted costume based on what they would like to be. Encourage them to be as imaginative as they want. Examples may include fire fighter, dancer, cook, artist, or librarian.
5. Set the self portrait aside to dry. If the paint is very wet and/or runny, make sure that the self-portrait is laying on a flat surface.
6. Once dry, use scissors to cut along the body tracing outline.

Extension:

Make it a family portrait, and get parents, grandparents, siblings, or friends involved in creating their own individual self-portraits that can be displayed together as a group.