Each year, five-year-olds at City and Country School rise to the challenge of creating self-portrait collages, a project that combines artistic skill-building with a deeper understanding of identity and community. Originally designed by former Vs teacher Ann Isaacs and art teacher Molly Herman, this work integrates lessons on shapes, colors, and self-expression with opportunities to reflect on individuality and shared humanity.  

The project begins with weeks of practice in collage techniques—tearing, cutting, arranging, and gluing. These activities help students develop fine motor skills and prepare them to represent themselves thoughtfully through art. In parallel, classroom discussions, guided by books like Little Humans and All the Colors We Are: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color, invite students to notice and celebrate similarities and differences among themselves and others. These conversations foster an early appreciation for diversity and help build a sense of belonging within the class.  

Collage-making is a step-by-step process that encourages careful observation and decision-making, allowing students to engage as they create. As Molly explains, “The different shapes of human faces are noticed and considered, but Vs aren’t shown ‘one way’ to create a shape for their face. They figure it out in their own way—how big, how small, and which color comes closest to their own skin tone.”  

Through this project, students connect to identity work. By thinking critically about how they see themselves and how they want to be seen, they develop confidence in expressing who they are. The process also emphasizes that every child’s perspective is valuable, reinforcing the idea that we all belong to a diverse and interconnected community.  

Whether their portraits are large and bold or small and detailed, each one tells a story about the creator. The self-portrait collage project is an early and important step in helping students explore their own identities while learning to appreciate and connect with those around them.

“When Vs make their body as a part of this project,” Molly adds, “they often enjoy creating fashions that reflect their favorite clothes to wear or inventing whatever fashions they wish and want to wear!”