Self-Portraits

In our Kindergarten classroom, we feel very fortunate to have a wonderful mix of families representing different kinds of diversity. As teachers, we feel a strong sense of responsibility for helping all children develop a positive sense of themselves and of their identity.

One approach to supporting the development of a healthy cultural or ethnic identity focuses on the noticing how we are alike and different. We talk about all the ways we are alike; we all have a body, eat, sleep, have a family, etc. We also talk about the ways we are different, with a goal of making differences normal, natural and interesting. We talk about all the different kinds of hair in our classrooms, all the different colors of eyes. We convey the message that speaking two (or more) languages is a wonderful thing.

Therefore, we began a dialogue with the children about the differences we each have, including our skin tone. After our conversations and hands-on experiments we concluded that in reality, skin color is not really white or black but an incredible range of shades. So, to show our new found knowledge we decided to create self-portraits.

Self-Portraits are a great project, because it can teach children to design beyond just what they think they see and to craft what is really there. All Kindergarteners were given a mirror to observe their facial features and look for small details.  During the project we encouraged the children to discuss what color paper they were using. Which comes closest to your skin tone? What color are your eyes? What color is your hair? It was such a delight to hear the children reply, “My color is like this one. It’s peach.” Or, “Mine is brown like this one. Like chocolate.”

We allowed the Kindergarteners to take their time so they could nurture their creative development. The end result is now displayed in our classroom.  Please do come in to enjoy these masterpieces and converse with the “artists”!