Art and Design · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Capturing Emotion in Portraits (Self-Portraits)

Active learning works for this topic because children learn best by doing when exploring emotions and art. Handling emotions through role play and color studies makes abstract feelings concrete and memorable for Year 2 pupils.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Art and Design - Drawing and Portraits

• 15–25 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 20 min · Pairs

Role Play: The Emotion Mirror

In pairs, one student acts as the 'sitter' and pulls an emotion card (e.g., surprised, grumpy). The other student is the 'artist' who must describe the physical changes in their partner's face (e.g., 'your eyes are wide') before sketching the key lines.

How can you show if someone is happy or sad just by drawing their mouth and eyebrows?

Facilitation Tip

During Role Play: The Emotion Mirror, model exaggerated facial expressions so students can clearly see how small changes in eyes and mouth affect emotion.

What to look for

Show students three simple drawings of mouths and eyebrows. Ask them to point to the drawing that looks happiest and the one that looks saddest, explaining their choices. 'Which drawing shows happiness? How do you know?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Freud's Faces

Display several portraits by Lucian Freud. Students move around with sticky notes, writing one 'feeling' word for each portrait. They then look for patterns: which colors or types of lines did the artist use to show 'sadness' or 'thoughtfulness'?

What colours would you use to show a happy feeling? What about a sad or worried feeling?

Facilitation Tip

In Gallery Walk: Freud's Faces, point to specific areas in Freud’s paintings and ask students to describe what they notice about the paint and colors.

What to look for

Give students a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw just an eyebrow and a mouth to show they are feeling surprised. Then, ask them to write one word describing the emotion they drew.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Color of Mood

Show a portrait that uses 'unnatural' colors (like green or purple in the skin). Students discuss with a partner why the artist might have chosen those colors instead of realistic ones, then share their theories with the class.

Draw a self-portrait that shows how you are feeling today.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share: The Color of Mood, provide small mirrors so students can observe their own facial expressions as they discuss color choices.

What to look for

Display two simple portraits of the same person, one using warm colors and one using cool colors. Ask: 'How does the color change how you feel about the person in the picture? Which colors make you think of happy feelings? Which colors make you think of sad feelings?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by connecting emotion, observation, and technique. Avoid focusing too much on perfect likeness. Instead, guide students to notice how artists use texture and color to show feeling. Research shows that young children learn emotional expression best when they connect it to their own experiences, so use mirrors and role play to ground abstract ideas in the familiar.

In successful learning, students will confidently describe how facial features and colors communicate emotion. They will experiment with thick paint and bold lines to capture mood in their self-portraits, linking their work to Freud’s techniques.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role Play: The Emotion Mirror, watch for students who try to draw their faces exactly like a photograph.

  Pause the drawing activity and have students look in a mirror while making a happy face. Ask them to notice how their eyes crinkle and mouth turns up, then draw only those key changes to capture the emotion instead of perfect details.

• During Gallery Walk: Freud's Faces, watch for students who focus only on the colors and ignore the facial expressions.

  Point to Freud’s thick paint strokes around the mouth or eyes and ask, 'How does the way the paint is put on make the face look serious or tired?' This helps students connect technique to emotion.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share