Family Portraits Activity

Learning Intention

Today, we will use crayons to create colourful family portraits to celebrate who we are and the people in our families. We will explore drawing shapes and colours to express our family identity and share about ourselves.

Learning Outcomes (Western Australian Kindergarten Curriculum Guidelines 2023)

• Outcome 1: Arts Practices and Skills
  Children use play, imagination, arts knowledge, processes and/or skills to discover possibilities and develop ideas.
  (Content Code: AC9AVAFD01)
• Outcome 2: Communication and Expression
  Children create arts works that communicate ideas from personal and social experiences.
  (Content Code: AC9AVA6FD01)
• Outcome 3: Personal and Social Identity
  Children develop awareness of self and family within their artworks, demonstrating belonging and identity.

Learning Provocation

Begin by gathering children in a small group circle indoors or in the outdoor learning environment. Read a simple story or show pictures about families and share your own family portrait drawn with crayons. Ask:

• "Who is in your family?"
• "What colours do you see in your family?"
• "How can we use crayons to show our family members?"

Encourage children to notice different family members and celebrate diversity.

Teaching Strategy

• Balanced approach: combine teacher guidance and child-led discovery.
• Environment as the third teacher: use indoor or outdoor space with accessible art stations offering various crayon colours and large paper sheets.
• Hands-on play: children freely experiment with crayons to express family members using shapes, lines, and colours.
• Social inclusion: adapt communication by using visual cards or gestures for non-verbal ASD children, offering one-on-one support during the task.

Teaching Instructions

Introduction (10 mins)

1. Welcome children and gather briefly to introduce the activity.
2. Show a simple example of a crayon family portrait, identifying shapes (circle for head, rectangles for bodies).
3. Encourage discussion about family members and invite children to think about who they want to include.
4. Explain that we will use crayons to draw our own family portraits to share with friends.

Main Activity (25 mins)

1. Provide each child with a large paper sheet and a set of crayons in a basket.
2. Encourage children to start with simple shapes to create people who are in their family.
3. Walk around offering comments like, “I see you chose red for your mum’s shirt. What made you pick that colour?”
4. For non-verbal children, use picture cards or point to examples and support their choices non-verbally if needed.
5. Invite children to add background details if they wish (home, pets, favourite things) to extend expression.
6. Allow children to freely explore, emphasising creativity and self-expression rather than perfection.

Sharing and Reflection (10 mins)

1. Invite children to participate in a "gallery walk" around the room or outdoor area displaying their portraits.
2. Encourage the class to use kind words and ask questions about each other’s artworks, e.g., “Who is this?” or “What colour did you use?”
3. For non-verbal children, offer positive affirmations about their work and encourage peers to do the same.
4. Conclude by celebrating the uniqueness of every family and every drawing.

Assessment

• Observe children's ability to use crayons and shapes to represent family members, noting fine motor skills development.
• Listen to children’s descriptions of their portrait to assess communication of family identity and self-expression.
• Note participation and expression especially of non-verbal or ASD children, adapting support as needed to ensure inclusion.
• Use observations to document alignment with WA Curriculum outcomes AC9AVAFD01 (Arts practices and skills) and AC9AVA6FD01 (Communication of ideas)【7:AC9AVAFD01.md】【7:AC9AVA6FD01.md】.

This lesson nurtures creativity, belonging, and imagination in line with Western Australian Kindergarten Arts Curriculum Guidelines. It carefully integrates play-based learning, social interaction, and inclusivity for the whole class of 20 students, including two non-verbal children with ASD, utilising the flexible indoor/outdoor environment you have available.