Visual & Performing Arts · Kindergarten

Active learning ideas

Meet the Artist: Frida Kahlo

Active learning turns abstract ideas into concrete experiences for five-year-olds. When children move, talk, and create, they connect new ideas about art to their own lives in ways that passive instruction cannot.

• Common Core State Standards
• NCAS: Responding VA.Re7.2.K
• NCAS: Connecting VA.Cn11.1.K

• 10–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 20 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Look Closely at Frida

Display 3-4 reproductions of Kahlo's self-portraits around the room. Students walk the gallery with a partner, stopping at each to name one object or animal they notice. Pairs share their observations in a whole-class discussion.

Explain how Frida Kahlo used symbols in her paintings to tell her story.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, position yourself beside a single painting and quietly narrate what you notice to model close looking for students who are still developing observation skills.

What to look for

Give students a card with a picture of a simple object (e.g., a flower, a pet, a book). Ask them to draw it in a small box and write one sentence explaining what that object means to them personally. This checks their understanding of personal symbolism.

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

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 10 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: What Does This Object Mean?

Focus on one detail in a Kahlo painting (a monkey, flowers, a bird). Pairs discuss: why might she have included this? What might it mean about her? Share ideas with the class, normalizing multiple interpretations.

Critique how Kahlo's self-portraits communicate her identity and experiences.

Facilitation Tip

In Think-Pair-Share, provide sentence starters on cards to support students who need help organizing their thoughts about objects and meanings.

What to look for

Show students a Frida Kahlo self-portrait with clear symbols. Ask: 'What do you see in this picture? What do you think this object might mean to Frida? How does it help us understand her?' This assesses their ability to interpret symbols and connect them to the artist's story.

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

Activity 03

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 35 min · Individual

Studio: My Symbol Self-Portrait

Students draw a self-portrait and add 2-3 symbols (objects, animals, plants) that represent something about their life or personality. Each student writes or dictates one sentence explaining one symbol. Display alongside a Kahlo reproduction.

Design a self-portrait that includes symbols representing your own life.

Facilitation Tip

During the Studio activity, walk around with a clipboard to ask probing questions like, ‘What does this color make you feel?’ instead of giving answers.

What to look for

As students work on their self-portraits, circulate and ask: 'Tell me about one symbol you are putting in your picture. What does it represent about you?' This provides immediate feedback on their grasp of personal symbolism and self-expression.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 15 min · Pairs

Peer Share: The Artist's Symbol Walk

Students display their symbol self-portraits. Partners take turns being the 'Artist' (explaining one symbol) and the 'Visitor' (asking one curious question). Class notices similarities and differences in how everyone chose to represent themselves.

Explain how Frida Kahlo used symbols in her paintings to tell her story.

Facilitation Tip

In Peer Share: The Artist’s Symbol Walk, pair students with a partner who has a different symbol so they practice listening to varied perspectives.

What to look for

Give students a card with a picture of a simple object (e.g., a flower, a pet, a book). Ask them to draw it in a small box and write one sentence explaining what that object means to them personally. This checks their understanding of personal symbolism.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by balancing whole-group exposure with student choice. Avoid rushing to label every symbol for children; instead, give them time to wonder first. Research shows that open-ended prompts build stronger observational and interpretive skills than worksheets or direct instruction. Keep language simple but rich, and connect every activity back to the idea that art shares stories.

By the end of these activities, students will describe Kahlo’s self-portraits as more than images, identify personal symbols, and share how their own experiences shape their art. Look for confident talk, careful looking, and thoughtful additions to portraits.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Gallery Walk: Look Closely at Frida, watch for children who describe only colors and shapes. They may think self-portraits are just pictures of what you look like.

  Pause at a painting and say, ‘Frida put a monkey here. Why do you think she included him? What might he mean to her?’ Guide students to think beyond appearance.

• During Think-Pair-Share: What Does This Object Mean?, watch for students who say, ‘I don’t know what it means’ because they think they must understand everything in a painting.

  Acknowledge their observation first: ‘I see a bird in Frida’s hand. What do you notice about it?’ Accept all ideas and remind them that first thoughts are a starting place, not a final answer.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share
• Inside-Outside Circle