1st Grade Back to School About Me Art Lesson Portrait Favorite Thing Art Project
Looking for a Grade 1 About Me art lesson that helps students create a self-portrait and share their favorite things? This 1st Grade About Me Portrait Art Lesson is a creative, meaningful, and classroom-ready art project where students make a self-portrait and surround it with drawings of their favorite things. Students will explore who they are, what they like, and how artists can use portraits, colors, lines, shapes, patterns, and details to share personal ideas in art.
In this lesson, students learn that “about me” art can show a person’s name, appearance, interests, favorite things, experiences, and personality. They will also learn that a self-portrait is an artwork an artist makes of themselves, and that portraits can tell stories about people. Students create a portrait, draw favorite things such as a favorite food, color, animal, toy, place, or activity, and combine everything into a bright finished artwork that feels personal, creative, and perfect for display.
This ready-to-teach Grade 1 art lesson is perfect for elementary art teachers, classroom teachers, homeschool families, substitute teachers, Back to School art, All About Me units, self-portrait lessons, portrait art projects, favorite things activities, classroom community building, and art lessons with literacy connections.
Because first graders sharing their favorite things through art? Tiny masterpieces with personality.
THIS RESOURCE INCLUDES (Non-Editable PDF and Powerpoint)
- Grade 1 About Me Portrait art lesson plan
- Suggested visual art standards
- Teacher directions for preparing and using the resource
- Critical-thinking questions
- About Me anchor chart
- My Favorite Things drawing handout
- Trace Lines fine motor portrait practice page
- Cut & Glue favorite things template
- Trace, Cut & Glue portrait fine motor practice page
- Portrait templates
- Frame templates
- Build-a-Portrait creative choice page
- About Me artwork page
- History of Self-Portraits student reading page
- Visual step-by-step tutorial page
- Fast-finisher portrait coloring activity
- Art rubric
- Bulletin-board display sign
- Art Exploration: Line activity
- KWL chart for portraits
- Read & Respond passage about art-making processes
- Read & Respond questions
- Read & Respond answer key
- Spelling word list about portraits
- Spelling test
- Reflection pages
- Art Talk reflection page
- Gray Scale Exploration activity
- Make Line Art activity
- Mandala Design activity
- Portrait writing activities
- About Me writing activity
- The Message reflection page
- Creative Process magazine activity
- Goal-setting page
- Look at Mediums reflection pages
- Artwork reflection page
- 3 Stars & a Wish reflection page
- Artist statement pages
- Postcard extension activity
- Finished artwork example
- Introductory slideshow about About Me, portraits, self-portraits, and favorite things
- Step-by-step slideshow for creating the About Me Portrait art project
- Bonus link/QR code to a video demonstration
