Meet the Artist: Frida KahloActivities & Teaching Strategies
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.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify symbols Frida Kahlo used in her self-portraits to represent her experiences.
- 2Describe how specific symbols in Kahlo's self-portraits communicate her identity.
- 3Design a self-portrait incorporating personal symbols to express identity.
- 4Explain the connection between personal symbols and self-representation in art.
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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.
Prepare & details
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.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
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.
Prepare & details
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.
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
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.
Prepare & details
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.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
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.
Prepare & details
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.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Teaching This Topic
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.
What to Expect
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.
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: 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.
What to Teach Instead
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.
Common MisconceptionDuring 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.
What to Teach Instead
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.
Assessment Ideas
After Gallery Walk: Look Closely at Frida, give students a card with a simple object. Ask them to draw it and write one sentence explaining what it means to them personally.
During Gallery Walk: Look Closely at Frida, show a Frida Kahlo self-portrait with clear symbols. Ask: ‘What do you see? What do you think this object might mean to Frida? How does it help us understand her?’ Listen for connections between symbols and stories.
During Studio: My Symbol Self-Portrait, circulate and ask each student: ‘Tell me about one symbol you are putting in your picture. What does it represent about you?’ Note whether they can explain their choice.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge students who finish early to add a second symbol to their self-portrait and explain it to a partner.
- Scaffolding for students who struggle: Provide a set of pre-cut symbol images (hearts, animals, suns) they can glue onto their portrait instead of drawing.
- Deeper exploration: Invite students to act out one of Kahlo’s symbols and have classmates guess what it represents.
Key Vocabulary
| Self-Portrait | A painting or drawing that an artist makes of themselves. Frida Kahlo is famous for painting many self-portraits. |
| Symbol | An object or picture that stands for something else. For example, a heart can be a symbol for love. |
| Identity | Who you are. It is made up of your feelings, your experiences, and the things that are important to you. |
| Artist | A person who creates art, like paintings, drawings, or sculptures. |
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