Self Portraits

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Jennie

My favorite year-end art project,
children drawing a picture of themselves
and comparing it to the drawing they made
at the start of the school year.


Look at how they’ve grown!

Jennie

Unknown's avatar

About Jennie

I have been teaching preschool for over forty years. This is my passion. I believe that children have a voice, and that is the catalyst to enhance or even change the learning experience. Emergent curriculum opens young minds. It's the little things that happen in the classroom that are most important and exciting. That's what I write about. I was a live guest on the Kelly Clarkson Show. I am highlighted in the seventh edition of Jim Trelease's million-copy bestselling book, "The Read-Aloud Handbook" because of my reading to children. My class has designed quilts that hang as permanent displays at the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, the Fisher House at the Boston VA Hospital, and the Massachusetts State House in Boston.
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67 Responses to Self Portraits

  1. Dan Antion's avatar Dan Antion says:
    June 15, 2022 at 8:18 am

    They are all more complete, Jennie. That’s what you do!

    Reply
  2. beetleypete's avatar beetleypete says:
    June 15, 2022 at 9:45 am

    Another fabulous idea, Jennie.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Reply
  6. D. Wallace Peach's avatar D. Wallace Peach says:
    June 15, 2022 at 10:22 am

    Wow, Jennie. A story of growth in pictures. I loved this. Well done, kids and Jennie. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Sue Dreamwalker's avatar Sue Dreamwalker says:
    June 15, 2022 at 10:34 am

    How delightful Jennie.. ❤ They have certainly Grown in talent from your excellent teaching ❤

    Reply
  8. Jacqui Murray's avatar Jacqui Murray says:
    June 15, 2022 at 10:40 am

    And, such a keeper for parents!

    Reply
  9. Darlene's avatar Darlene says:
    June 15, 2022 at 10:46 am

    They have come a long way! And have grown limbs. A great project.

    Reply
  10. TowardsZEROAccident's avatar TowardsZEROAccident says:
    June 15, 2022 at 11:08 am

    Nice idea. Beautiful art work by kids🌹💐💫

    Reply
  13. Kendall's avatar Kendall says:
    June 15, 2022 at 12:05 pm

    That is precious! Amazing growth!

    Reply
  14. quiall's avatar quiall says:
    June 15, 2022 at 12:22 pm

    It is wonderful to see how the vision the children have of themselves changes. It is all for the good.

    Reply
  15. circadianreflections's avatar circadianreflections says:
    June 15, 2022 at 1:00 pm

    How exciting to see how much they’re growing with their fine motor skills, and self awareness.

    Reply
  16. Elizabeth's avatar Elizabeth says:
    June 15, 2022 at 3:08 pm

    You have taken me back to a Head Start screening tool involving counting the parts of a child’s drawing of a person. I like seeing the predicted development suggested by the test showing up in your actual comparison drawings of kids over the school year.

    Reply
    • Jennie's avatar Jennie says:
      June 16, 2022 at 7:42 am

      Yes, that test is a good assessment of predictable development. It’s a nice keepsake for parents to see their child’s growth over the year.

      Reply
  17. John W. Howell's avatar John W. Howell says:
    June 15, 2022 at 3:40 pm

    They’re all amazing.

    Reply
  18. Liz Gauffreau's avatar Liz Gauffreau says:
    June 15, 2022 at 5:21 pm

    Fascinating! They’ve all grown bodies over the course of the year. What do the children say when comparing their “then and now” self-portraits?

    Reply
  19. sandyroybessandbugzy's avatar sandyroybessandbugzy says:
    June 15, 2022 at 5:31 pm

    Beautiful helpful activity . You can see and they can see how they are achieving more.

    Reply
  20. insearchofitall's avatar insearchofitall says:
    June 15, 2022 at 7:54 pm

    I have the same question as Liz has. Do the children notice the difference? Great project.

    Reply
  21. Thotaramani's avatar Thotaramani says:
    June 16, 2022 at 3:51 am

    Encouraging the best talent in children Jennie! Well done 👍🏻 Even we can’t express like that.

    Reply
  22. Norah's avatar Norah says:
    June 16, 2022 at 7:04 am

    A perfect way to show development!

    Reply
  23. beth's avatar beth says:
    June 16, 2022 at 7:56 am

    I am huge fan of self-portraits. we keep them and create a book of them for parents at the end of the year or two years that we have their children in our class. they are always stunning and show how far the children have come. wonderful post

    Reply
  24. lokeshsastya22's avatar Lokesh Sastya says:
    June 16, 2022 at 11:45 am

    Hi Jennie, These ‘self-portraits’ reminds me of my school days. I can relate to them.
    These 8 self portraits tell us how each of these 8 children recognise themselves.
    Some children look happy. You can see a smile on their whenever you meet them. A few are anxious and tired. They know it well that people dislike them.
    I’m just assuming. Wishing everyone a happy and joyful life. 😁✨

    Reply
    • Jennie's avatar Jennie says:
      June 17, 2022 at 6:50 am

      Thank you. The eight portraits are four different children. They each drew one in September and another one in June. The changes in their drawings is remarkable.

      Reply
  25. petespringer's avatar petespringerauthor says:
    June 16, 2022 at 12:06 pm

    A year of development for a child is night and day compared to an adult. That’s why education during this time is so critical.

    Reply
  27. OIKOS™- Art, Books & more's avatar OIKOS™- Art, Books & more says:
    June 18, 2022 at 2:13 pm

    Great to see, and how they evolved to individuals, recognising themselves as persons. Perfect work, Jennie! xx Michael

    Reply
  28. bosssybabe's avatar bosssybabe says:
    June 21, 2022 at 11:02 pm

    This is such a great exercise! I will try to remember to do this with Charlotte maybe for Sept first day of JK and last day of JK 🙂

    Reply

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