Exploring Portraits by Frida KahloActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning helps Year 1 students connect personally with Frida Kahlo’s art by moving, talking, and creating. When children explore symbols through hands-on activities, they move beyond surface observations to deeper meaning-making, which builds both artistic knowledge and emotional vocabulary.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify symbols within Frida Kahlo's self-portraits that represent her feelings and experiences.
- 2Compare and contrast elements in Frida Kahlo's self-portraits with self-portraits created by students.
- 3Explain how specific life events, such as illness or cultural background, are visually represented in Frida Kahlo's artwork.
- 4Analyze the use of color and line in Frida Kahlo's self-portraits to convey emotion.
- 5Classify symbols used by Frida Kahlo into categories representing emotions or personal experiences.
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Gallery Walk: Kahlo Symbol Hunt
Display enlarged prints of three Kahlo self-portraits around the room. Students walk in small groups, circling symbols on worksheets and noting possible meanings like 'monkey = friend'. Regroup to share findings on a class chart.
Prepare & details
Analyze how Frida Kahlo uses symbols in her portraits to tell a story.
Facilitation Tip: During the Gallery Walk, position yourself at key paintings so you can prompt students with questions like, 'What might this animal mean to Frida?' without taking over their thinking.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Pairs: Compare My Portrait
Pair students with their earlier self-portraits next to Kahlo images. They discuss differences, such as 'I drew my hair realistically; Kahlo added flowers for Mexico'. Draw one symbolic addition to their own portrait.
Prepare & details
Compare Kahlo's self-portraits to the self-portraits you created earlier.
Facilitation Tip: When students work in pairs to compare portraits, ask them to point to specific details in their own drawings and Kahlo’s paintings to justify their comparisons.
Setup: Groups at tables with case materials
Materials: Case study packet (3-5 pages), Analysis framework worksheet, Presentation template
Whole Class: Story Circle
Sit in a circle with a Kahlo portrait projected. Each child adds a sentence to a group story explaining the symbols, like 'The thorns hurt because Frida was poorly'. Record and illustrate the story together.
Prepare & details
Explain how an artist's life experiences can influence their artwork.
Facilitation Tip: In the Story Circle, sit in the middle of the group to model listening and encourage students to build on each other’s ideas with phrases like, 'I heard you say… so maybe…'.
Setup: Groups at tables with case materials
Materials: Case study packet (3-5 pages), Analysis framework worksheet, Presentation template
Individual: Symbolic Selfie
Students draw a quick self-portrait adding one personal symbol, such as a pet or favourite food. Label it and share with a partner why it shows their feelings.
Prepare & details
Analyze how Frida Kahlo uses symbols in her portraits to tell a story.
Setup: Groups at tables with case materials
Materials: Case study packet (3-5 pages), Analysis framework worksheet, Presentation template
Teaching This Topic
Teach this topic by balancing guided observation with open-ended creation. Start with structured discussions to build confidence in noticing details, then shift to student-led symbol choice to reinforce ownership. Avoid over-explaining symbols; instead, let students test ideas through trial and error. Research shows that when young children connect art to their own lives, their engagement and retention grow significantly.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like children identifying and discussing symbols in Kahlo’s work, using personal symbols in their own portraits, and confidently explaining how artists share stories through art. They should begin to see art as a way to express feelings and experiences, not just to copy reality.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Gallery Walk: Kahlo pairs, students may say, 'Her face looks wrong because it’s not like a photo.'
What to Teach Instead
Pause at the painting and ask students to point to one symbol. Say, 'Look at how the thorns curve around her neck. How does that make you feel? Now compare it to a real thorn—how is this different?' to shift focus from realism to symbolism.
Common MisconceptionDuring Pairs: Compare My Portrait, students might insist their symbol means only one thing.
What to Teach Instead
Prompt them to share their symbol with their partner and ask, 'Could your partner’s symbol mean something different? How?' to open discussion about personal interpretations.
Common MisconceptionDuring Story Circle, children may say, 'Artists just make things up.'
What to Teach Instead
Share a simple timeline of Kahlo’s life events (like her accident) and ask students to act out how she might have felt. Then ask, 'How could she show that in her painting?' to link life experiences to art.
Assessment Ideas
After Gallery Walk, give each student a small card. Ask them to draw one symbol they saw in a Frida Kahlo painting and write one word next to it explaining what it represents. Collect these to check for understanding of symbolism.
After Pairs: Compare My Portrait, display two of Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits side-by-side. Ask students, 'What differences do you notice between these two paintings? How might Kahlo have been feeling when she painted each one?' Listen for observations about color, symbols, and mood.
During Whole Class: Story Circle, after discussing Kahlo’s life experiences, ask students to hold up one finger if they think her art shows sadness, two fingers if it shows happiness, and three fingers if it shows a mix of feelings. Use this as a quick gauge of their ability to connect life to art.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge early finishers to add a second symbol to their self-portrait and write a sentence explaining its meaning.
- For students who struggle, provide a bank of symbol options (for example, heart, sun, or tree) to choose from before creating their own symbols.
- Give extra time for a follow-up lesson where students interview each other using sentence starters like, 'I chose this symbol because…' and record responses in a class book.
Key Vocabulary
| Self-portrait | A portrait of an artist created by the artist themselves. Frida Kahlo is famous for her many self-portraits. |
| Symbolism | The use of objects or images to represent ideas or feelings. Frida Kahlo used symbols like monkeys and hummingbirds to show things about her life. |
| Expression | The way an artist shows their thoughts or feelings through their art. Kahlo's paintings express her emotions. |
| Influence | The power to affect someone or something. An artist's life experiences can influence their artwork. |
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