The Power of Self Portraits

At The Washington Market School, we recognize that early childhood education is a crucial period when children develop the foundational skills to engage with the world around them. A core value that we teach our learners is self love, which is the first piece of our 4-part framework:

1. Self Love

2. Embrace People

3. Identify Unfairness

4. Act Justly

This framework stems from our work with Britt Hawthorne, and our commitment to becoming anti-bias, antiracist  (ABAR) practitioners. One way that we introduce self love is through the creation of self portraits. Before beginning their self portraits, each child observes their faces by looking in a mirror. The mirror offers a chance for the children to notice their features and is an opportunity for them to honor themselves. Making observations such as: “my hair is curly” or “I have green eyes,” draws a child’s attention to their individuality and encourages a stronger sense of self. 

The Montessori and Reggio approach both rely heavily on observation as a tool to truly understand each child. Through observation, educators learn a great deal about a child and in turn, are able to meet the child exactly where they are. Providing each learner with a chance to observe themselves is a less frequent, yet equally beautiful way for a child to understand how they fit into their environment. Taking time to observe facial features in a mirror, the first step in a self portrait lesson, helps reinforce the idea that each child and person is unique. Some may have freckles, some may have glasses, and others may have a missing tooth! Regardless of the differences in our bodies, this lesson deepens a sense of community within the classroom. 

Beginning the year with self portraits allows for further observation of each learner’s motor skills and their development as the practice is revisited throughout the year. When self portraits are first introduced, the teachers focus on teaching simple shapes and model how to properly grip a pencil. In addition to motor skills, they focus on conceptual skills, such as the parts of the face and where features are placed. As the year progresses, and the children develop their skills further, the teachers use their observations to determine the growth of our learners. The later self-portraits are strikingly more advanced than the ones created during the first weeks of school - it is truly special to see the growth of each learner’s skills!