Frida Kahlo Art Lesson: A Hispanic Heritage Month Student Favorite

My students love this Frida Kahlo art lesson. It gives students the opportunity to explore identity, symbolism, color, and personal storytelling while learning about one of the most recognizable artists of the 20th century. Here’s why kids love it and how I teach it.

What the Students Learn

I begin by teaching students about Frida Kahlo and how she used symbols and imagery to communicate ideas about herself. Rather than simply copying one of Frida’s paintings, students use her approach as inspiration for creating a self-portrait that represents their own identity. They think about their interests, personality, family, culture, hobbies, favorite things, and experiences and choose symbols that could communicate those ideas visually.

Throughout the lesson, students practice a variety of skills such as drawing portraits with the correct proportions, drawing from observation and using creativity to communicate personal meaning through symbols, colors, and imagery. Most importantly, students make a connection between Frida Kahlo’s paintings and their own to discover that art can communicate something personal about the artist.

frida kahlo self portrait art project — Student examples of my Frida Kahlo art lesson.

Who Enjoys This Lesson?

This lesson is especially popular with upper elementary and middle school students because it gives them plenty of room to make creative choices.

Also, they love it because they can be successful no matter how good their drawing ability is. Students who do not feel confident drawing realistic portraits can focus on the symbolic and imaginative aspects of the project. Students with more advanced drawing skills can challenge themselves to create a more detailed portrait and background.

How I Teach the Lesson

I begin by introducing students to Frida Kahlo and showing them several of her self-portraits. We critique her artwork and I encourage them to look for clues about what Frida wanted us to know about her. Next, students’ brainstorm symbols that could represent their own identities. This is an important part of the lesson because it gives students time to think before they begin drawing. Students then create their self-portrait using a mirror as a reference. I created a handout to help with facial proportions to help students visualize where to place each facial feature. Next, my students begin incorporating their personal symbols into the composition. I encourage them to make intentional choices about placement, scale, color, pattern, and background details.

As students work, I focus my demonstrations on the skills they need most—such as constructing the face, drawing facial features, adding details, and creating a balanced composition —while allowing students to make the creative decisions. The final artworks become much more than portraits. They become visual stories about the students who created them.

About Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist best known for her powerful self-portraits. Born in 1907, she experienced serious health challenges throughout her life, including injuries from a bus accident when she was a young adult. During periods when she was unable to move easily, Kahlo began painting more frequently, including many self-portraits. Her artwork often explored identity, Mexican culture, relationships, nature, pain, and personal experiences. She frequently included objects, animals, plants, clothing, and other symbols that held meaning for her. Kahlo’s distinctive style, bold colors, and deeply personal subject matter have made her work especially meaningful for students studying portraiture and identity.

Why I Love This Lesson

What makes this project special is that students aren’t just learning how to draw a face. They’re learning that their experiences, interests, memories, and personalities can become part of their artwork. And for an art teacher, those personal connections can make a huge difference. The result is a classroom full of colorful, meaningful self-portraits — and students who have a better understanding of how artists can use visual elements and symbols to tell their own stories. The best part is that every student’s artwork ends up looking completely different.

My Complete Frida Kahlo Portraits art lesson plan is available here.

Enjoy, Trista

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I’ve been teaching art for over 20 years and I love it!

I have taught every grade from kindergarten to high school. This site features art education articles with art resources and ideas as well as art lesson ideas for all ages. My goal is to allow students to explore a variety of art materials, discover different genres and styles, and most importantly, have FUN!