Save self-portraits for later
It’s the beginning of the school year. No matter the setting — classroom, homeschool, art class — kids are feeling a bit unsure. They might be self-conscious about the new year, new teacher(s), new classes, new friends, new expectations… New EVERYTHING!
A popular beginning of the year project is the self-portrait. Yes, it’s a beautiful baseline that can show growth at the end of the year. But, is it really the best way to kick off a new year?
In fact, starting with self-portraits could actually end up making your art teaching harder this year. Think about it:
- Kids are already self-conscious about their appearance AND their art skills. Don’t make them put both on display at the start of the year.
- Drawing people is HARD… for kids AND adults! Starting the year with something that feels hard doesn’t set up your art time for success.
- Drawing yourself isn’t as fun as drawing a rocket… a monster… a dragon… a cat… or a unicorn… Starting with the self-portrait just sets up art time as “not fun.”
Cue the eye rolls.
Kids are already progressively critical about themselves as they get older, and when we force them to draw a portrait of themselves, they tend to bristle. It’s where art teachers complain the most that kids aren’t engaged.
We know you want your students to be engaged while they are learning and creating. We know you want them to be having fun and loving art time. So what CAN you do to start off the year?
Focus on FUN! Choose those topics that are kid-approved and designed to show kids that art class is going to be their favorite time of the day and week all year long.
Here are 5 ideas to get you started that aren't self-portraits:
Let there be dragons!
Kids love dragons! They can be cute or scary. They can be found in so many books, or kids can write their own stories to accompany their artwork. Watch their imaginations soar!
What will the outcome be if you start the year off teaching a project about dragons? The kids will be in disbelief that this is what they’ll get to create in art this year! They will be HOOKED!
Rally them with ROBOTS!
Kids are fascinated by robots! They love to imagine robots that behave like people or animals. They are excited to learn about robots that do amazing things — even travel in space!
The best part? Robots are a perfect way to sneak in lessons about the element of SHAPE.
Use basic shapes and combine them into something bigger and more complex — kids will be amazed at what they can create using this simple strategy!
Travel to a galaxy far, far away…
…and explore OUTER SPACE! Who doesn’t love to imagine what it would be like to travel into space? What would you see there? Would you discover a new planet? Or maybe a whole new universe? The possibilities are literally endless!
The dark backdrop of space creates the perfect opportunity to teach kids how to create VALUE and CONTRAST in their artwork. Students of all ages will be motivated to create a space scene!
Lead with Lotsa LINES!
Straight lines. Wavy lines. Dashed lines. Curly lines. So many lines! It doesn’t get more low stress than creating fun line designs!
Add in fun colors from crayons or oil pastels, then paint over top of the line designs with watercolors to create a wax-resist effect. You instantly have fun paper that can be turned into ANYTHING. Let imaginations run wild!
Start the year off with some CATtitude!
Kids love cats! They’re furry. They’re cute. They have TONS of personality!
And there’s no shortage of books about cats to pair with the purrrrrrfect project.
Do your kids prefer dogs to cats? Or zebras? Snakes? Go with it! Let them be inspired by the animal kingdom. We won’t tell Fluffy.
Save the self-portraits for later…
Don’t get the wrong idea — we LOVE seeing kid self-portraits as much as anybody. But they are complex. At the start of the year, kids are going to resist it. Grab their attention with something FUN, and they’ll be happy to learn how to create that self-portrait later in the year when routines are established and their nerves are calmed.
And when you do get to those self-portraits — remember to continue to have FUN. Self-portraits don’t need to be a seriously dreaded experience, ever.
If you’re interested in finding more art projects that bring on the FUN, The Glitter Bomb® and the Glitterbombers Membership is perfect for you. Recommended for ages 5-12, and truly cross-curricular, our bundles can be linked to science, history, geography, and language arts. Created by a homeschooler and art teacher team, every project is 100% kid-approved.