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If you’re looking for a new and creative activity for your child at home, or children in your classroom, this self portrait art project for young kids is sure to be a hit! Use an old yoga mat for this DIY art project that is easy to roll out and roll back up to store.
Each day in kindergarten, we have center time. My students love exploring and learning through play during this time. I’m always looking for unique ideas to bring to the room for them to try. This art project is simple to create and easy to set out each time for children to create at.
Projects like this encourage fine motor skills, creativity, planning and design. It’s also a great way to introduce play based learning and art into your classroom.
Creating the mat is simple especially if you use the step by step directions below. You can purchase a yoga mat or reuse an old one for this activity. I like using yoga mats for centers because they are easy to paint, inexpensive and they easily roll up for storage.
If you’re looking for more ideas using loose parts, check out Play Learn Inspires popular collection of: 35+ Easy Loose Parts Play ideas. This collection will inspire possible loose part ideas of materials that you may already have on hand, but never considered for loose parts play.
DIY Build a Face Mat
Creating the mat is easy and quick. Start with any yoga mat and make sure that it is new, or clean if you are reusing it.
Choose paint colors for the faces – a variety of complexions is ideal. Find a lid or bowl that is the size you want to make your faces. Next, draw a circle to make each face. My mat fix six faces, three on each side, but you can make as many faces as you can fit.
Trace the circles, add a neck and then paint. It’s that simple! You can choose to add ears, but you can leave that for children to add. Let the paint dry. It is best if you can add a spray or paint a layer to protect the paint from chipping off over time.
Self Portrait Art Project for Young Kids
Once your yoga mat is done, you’re ready to set up the center.
Roll the mat out. It can be rolled out on a carpet or across a table. Set out bins of loose parts, or create a large tray with a mixture of loose parts for kids to use.
Each child will create something different. A hair elastic will become a smile, a button a nose. The possibilities are endless. One item that I did set out were googly eyes. It helps to bring the whole project together and they look adorable.
It’s really interesting to see what children create with the materials. Their imagination is endless and each face will turn out very differently from others. That’s my favorite part.
Extension Ideas
There are lots of other things you can do to extend this project. Below are some ideas for you and your kids.
If you have the opportunity make sure to take some time and talk to students about each face that they create. Ask them questions such as:
- What emotion/feeling is the face you created showing?
- Why did you create them with that emotion?
- Tell me about the material you used for the ____. Why did you choose that?
- What is your favorite part of the face you created?
- Is there anything more you could add to the face to make it even better?
Another option that my students loved, was taking photos of the faces they created. They loved recording their art and even giving the face a name!
You can also challenge children to create someone other than themselves. Have them make a friend or family member. Can they remember their hair style and other features? Once children have created their self portrait and maybe a friend, this yoga mat is an easy center to roll out for children to create any face they want.
The more loose parts you can make available, the better. You’d be surprised with what children will come up with given the materials. It may not look like part of a face to you, but children may see the materials in a different light. I typically set out and open various containers of loose parts and let children choose any combination they want in order to design their face.
