With the arrival of September, we’ve begun our monthly self portraits. This is one of the most telling projects we do all year. Each child draws a picture of himself or herself at the beginning of each month. These drawings go into our portfolios as the dividers for the month’s collection of materials. It is always quite striking to see the differences between each month. The comparison between the first drawing and the last show the massive progression that takes place within a child’s 4th and 5th years.
The children also write their names on these portraits. I do not help with spelling or handwriting during this process. It is more important for us to be able to witness the process of their growth than for their writing to look like a grown-ups. My goal with this project is to have a tangible display to help the children celebrate their own growth throughout the year.