One morning in Preschool 2, the Educators set out a provocation that invited the children to create self portraits. The art table was thoughtfully set up with lots of blank paper, black markers, "colours of the world" Crayola crayons, multicultural books, and a large mirror.
The children took turns sitting at the table, talking about their personal characteristics and interacting with the materials. Many children pointed out their facial features and body parts in the mirror. "I have one nose" explained Benny. The children began expressing their sense of self using the markers and crayons on the paper provided. Many children started their drawings by creating a head, and then added features such as eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Some children extended their drawings by discussing and incorporating body parts beyond the face, such as hair, arms, legs, hands, feet, and even belly buttons! The children were able to practice and enhance their fine motor skills, pencil grip, and early writing skills as they demonstrated their ability to construct many different lines and shapes of various sizes throughout their work.
The Educators observed lots of communication and teamwork amongst the children as they flipped through the books together, watched each other draw, and shared their ideas with one another. They compared similarities and differences between eye colours, hair colours, hair length, and skin tones. A small group of children began finding and pointing out people in the books that represented or reminded them of themselves, peers, family members, and Educators. "That's me!", said Andi. "And that one looks like Sarah!", said Shivansh.
The art table was busy all morning with children filtering through the area. Some children made one portrait while others made several. Some children even began drawing their peers and Educators. They showed pride and confidence in themselves and their work. We displayed the portraits in the hallway where the children often look at, discuss, reflect, and share the experience throughout the day as well as with their families at drop off and pick up times. We look forward to continuing to expand upon the children's increasing identify formation, self-concept, and self-esteem in our classroom!
