Invitation to Create Cubism Self-Portraits with Loose Parts

This month, our Artist of the Month is none other than Pablo Picasso—the Spanish artist who forever changed the world of art. We’ve been diving into beautifully written picture books about his life and work, exploring the many ways he created, experimented, and inspired generations.

Picasso is often celebrated as a pioneer of Cubism—a style where objects and faces are reimagined through geometric shapes and unexpected angles. His portraits often looked like whimsical, “funny faces,” full of personality and surprise.

To bring this style to life for our young learners, we set up an invitation inspired by Picasso’s Cubist portraits. We provided: Images of Picasso’s cubist works for inspiration, face outlines as a canvas, Loose parts including grapat pieces, acrylic cubes, translucent and colored pebbles, acrylic shapes, wooden gem rocks, and more. The children were invited to explore these materials and design their own playful renditions of Picasso-style portraits.

Working with loose parts offers endless opportunities for exploration and growth: Spatial awareness, arranging pieces inside, outside, or around shapes builds an understanding of space and proportion. Art appreciation, children are introduced to different forms of art while learning to look closely at details. Language development, conversations naturally flow as children describe what they see, how they are building, or the “story” behind their portrait. Fine motor skills, manipulating small pieces strengthens hand–eye coordination and dexterity. Color & shape recognition, sorting, choosing, and layering parts encourages visual discrimination and design thinking. Most importantly, since loose parts are dynamic by nature. There is no right or wrong way to use them, which gives children the freedom to experiment, reimagine, and express themselves—just like Picasso.

Here are other ways to explore the artist 2 ways, one way.