— September 14, 2024

Achieving correct proportions of a face is difficult for adults, for kids almost impossible. The fact that after you draw the circle for the head, most eyes are exactly positioned halfway between the top and bottom is a novelty. If you draw a line from the corner of your eye back to your ear, you will find that the line rests on the top of your ear. 

Preschoolers are not exactly ready to get into the technical proportions of a face. That is why this activity is easy by being cut and paste. By being so straightforward it will showcase their assumptions of where facial features are on a head and they do not have to focus on drawing. The printable for the head and facial features are at the bottom of the page.

One of many creative art activities for preschoolers.

Your child’s artwork may look like Pablo Picasso inspired it when they finish, and that is the point. As a parent, you will have a keepsake to compare to their future portraitures. 

This activity is part of a week of lessons all centered around the theme of Nn is for Nose and the five senses. Coloring pages, free printables, and more creative activities are all included for free. Click the button below for more information.

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Why are portraits so difficult?

People tend to draw assumptions on what they think should be there or where they think something should be. Instead of drawing what their eyes are actually seeing they will draw what their brain is filling in for them. Especially children! 

Because our hair covers part of our head and the crown of our head is hidden, kids will draw the eyes high up on the forehead. A nose is difficult to draw because it lacks hard lines. When Mick, my 3 year old, attempted to place the nose on the face he did so upside down! My eldest, 5 years old, corrected him. Mick switched it even though I was enjoying the creative look that occurred from the mistake.

The fact that ears are so low on the head is often overlooked. As well as hair. Incorrect hair placement also probably occurs because the eyes are usually drawn on first…on the forehead.

Introduce the art subject for today with a song and books.

Before diving directly into the activity begin the lesson with a book such as, The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss. Or a poem by Jack Prelutsky, Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face. Additionally, sing and dance to Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. Or better yet, do all three. That’s exactly what we did. 

I read the two reading selections for my 3 and 5 year old before jumping up to sing and dance to Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. The poem had my boys giggling and the song had them moving to get the ants out of their pants before sitting down. 

A cut-and-paste art activity.

Step 1: Preparation and planning.

Once the wiggles have been danced out, you can explain what they are going to do. 

Choose any color paper to print the head and features on. I have done green, yellow, and blue in the past. This time is was interesting to see my boys get more creative with colors because I printed everything out on white cardstock. Depending on the age of your child will determine if you need to cut out the features ahead of time. I cut them out for simplicity for both kiddos. 

Now that your children are at the table. Only provide them with the paper. Let your child take the lead on placement for the features. Once they have planned the placement, then let them use the glue stick. 

Step 2: Paste and color the features.

After you have allowed them to plan their face, now give them the glue and see if they change anything. My boys moved a few things around like the eyes and nose. Watching them I could see that they were not sure why it looked wrong, they just knew it did. 

You may need to wait until the glue dries to let them color. I don’t know how my boys did it but they did not put any holes in their paper and they began coloring immediately after they finished pasting.

My 3 year old, who had used the most glue stick on his paper, was using a marker so that might be why. My 5 year old was coloring with crayons very gently so they really lucked out in not being patient on this one. You can help them be patient by dancing the wiggles out to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes again!

Step 3: Paste on the hair.

For the hair of our portrait I asked the boys if they wanted it to be short or long. My 3 year old was really going for that abstract look. Let your child take the lead on the creativity.

Once they are complete, allow to dry on a flat surface so the yarn does not fall off. Then they are ready to be proudly displayed on the fridge or wall. 

An original portrait to compare to future art endeavors. 

The Cut-and-Paste Portraiture Activity has the honor of hanging on our art wall. After a few months there, it will then be moved into my son’s Letter of the Week portfolio. A must in our household because one day I can pull this paper out and use it as an example of everything I described at the beginning. Our brains fill in the gaps and we create the preconceived image instead of what is actually in front of us.

Once my kiddo has used the new rules I have given them in their art lesson they will hopefully have a portrait that is more accurate and not as abstract. Then we can compare the two!

Being a Pablo Picasso inspired art activity, consider reading about Picasso’s life and studying some of his artwork with your child afterwards. If you complete this activity with your child, leave a comment to share about your child’s assumptions of the facial features. 

Creative art activities for 3-5 year old’s.

Nn is for Nose is a part of a 26 week curriculum for learning the alphabet. Activities, coloring pages, printables, book suggestions and so much more are included for each letter. The activities range from art and science to math and nature. Check out Letter of the Week at the button below.

Preschool Portrait Idea

Activity Instructions

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