I love to develop art projects to go along with picture books – especially for younger students. I really love it when I can find a book like Be Big! by Katie Kizer that has an important message that can connect with students. I find that the art activity helps cement the book’s message into the kids’ minds. That’s why I think this “Be Big!” first grade back to school art project is really great for the kids and, bonus! It is easily directed by teachers – in art rooms and regular classrooms.

Book: Be Big! by Katie Kizer

Kizer’s book, Be Big!, is about a first grader, Beatrice, and her first day of first grade. It’s a story of celebrating our uniqueness and not hiding from who we are.  It’s a great book to read to students at the beginning of first grade, and it makes for a great launch into fun art projects and activities.

In this post, I’ll share an art project I developed and did with a group of 24 1^st graders. Make sure you get all the way to the end to read my interview with the author, Katie Kizer – you’ll see how passionate she is about this book and how personal it is to her! If you are anxious to see this book, you can follow my affiliate link to Katie’s book on Amazon by clicking on the image below.

After reading this book, a few things stood out to me. I chose to focus on the blue tutu that Beatrice wears as symbolic of the item that makes her unique. My idea is for students to create self-portraits that include a unique item, like the blue tutu that Beatrice likes to wear. I also wanted to play on the “be big” title and have them draw themselves “big” – literally to connect with the figurative use of being “big” in the book.

Children at this age (1st grade) tend to draw small, so I knew if I just gave them a sheet of paper and asked them to draw themselves big, they may or may not actually do that. I wanted to give them some guidance, so I took a 6” x 18” piece of paper and folded it into four sections in an accordion fold. I wanted the head to be on the top so that the “big” person would emerge when it was lifted. Like this…

First Grade Back to School Be Big! Art Project

Preparation: Cut paper into 6” x 18” strips and fold them into four equal sections in an accordion fold. You could, of course, use another size of paper – that is just what I used, and I like the final results.

Read the book: To start this first-grade back-to-school art project, gather your students together and read the book Be Big! by Katie Kizer to them. You can find the book on Amazon HERE. After reading the book, you might ask your students some comprehension questions to see what they learned from the story. You can also brainstorm to see what unique items they want to add to their self-portraits.

[In 2021, Be Big 2 also became available. You can find the link to it HERE. ]

Steps

Students are going to draw, outline, and then color “big” self-portraits. Let’s take a look at the steps in detail and see some examples from the artists – the 1st graders themselves!

Draw

Have students draw themselves onto the piece of paper. Have them draw their head on the top 1/4th of the page. Then, have them draw their torso on the second 1/4 of the page. Then, have them draw their waist to knees on the third 1/4. Finish with legs to feet on the last 1/4 of the page. Students have a strong tendency to draw themselves small, so really spend time on this step getting them to draw themselves on the entire piece of paper. It really helps if you have an example to show. I chose to draw Beatrice as my example to connect what I was asking them to do to the storybook.

Include Unique Item

Remind your students to include a unique, personal item in their drawing. It could be a hat, shoes, shirt, etc. The kids I was teaching wear uniforms to school, so it was easy for me to say, “If you didn’t have to wear a uniform to school, what one item would you definitely wear with your outfit to show your unique personality?”  

Outline

Once your students have drawn themselves, they can outline the drawing with a black Sharpie. This is optional, but I like to do this step so that the drawing will really stand out – especially if anyone has done a lot of erasing. Just be careful to test if your markers will go through the paper and onto the table – you might want kids to have a piece of paper or cardboard underneath so you don’t get Sharpies on your table.

Color

After the drawing is complete, have your students color the self-portrait. I like to use crayons to keep it simple and focus on the drawing – however, you could use watercolor paint, colored pencils, or markers.

Teaching Tip: One thing I’ve seen in my years of teaching – time and time again – is students’ confusion about the “background” of their artwork. This lesson is a great time to stop your class and explain that the white area of the paper around their self-portrait is their art background. Encourage them to color this area and not just leave the paper white. They can color it a solid color or draw something in the background.

Display

When the artworks are finished, they will make a beautiful display in your classroom or hallway! These adorable self-portraits could grace the halls on open house night for parents to enjoy, and hopefully, the students will explain to their parents how they learned to “be big,” be brave, and embrace their unique qualities.

Here is a close-up of a few of my favorites…

Interview with Katie Kizer, Author of “Be Big!” 

Jenny K.: Can you share a story with us about a time when you faced your “uniqueness” when you were in school?

Katie: In elementary school, I was taller than almost everyone in my grade, including the boys. It was something I felt shame about every day. But eventually I started playing basketball and all of a sudden, my height was a positive thing about me. It was something to embrace instead of shy away from. My tallness became something I celebrated!

Jenny K.: Like the blue tutu, was there something special you liked to wear to school to show your unique self when you were growing up?

Katie: I loved this big, green stretchy headband with a bow on it as a little kid. It helped tame my wild hair, which was always in disarray. And interestingly enough, those types of headbands have come back in style and I have found a way to re-incorporate them into my wardrobe!

Jenny K.: What made you want to write this book?

Katie: I wrote Be Big! because one day, as an adult, I was getting ready in the morning when I started to question how I looked. I have twin nieces who are now going into Second Grade, Ava and Lyla, and that day looking in the mirror, I thought about how I never wanted them to feel afraid to be themselves. I wanted them to take up as much space in the world as they could, and to be however they wanted to be. I thought of it as “being big.” That idea, “be big,” just wouldn’t leave my mind. So I decided to write a book around it!”

Keep Exploring

If you love Katie Kizer’s book as much as I do (which I know you will), make sure you check out her Be Big! website and keep exploring with Beatrice. The website even has coloring pages of Beatrice that would be fun for early finishers of your Be Big! first-grade back-to-school art project.

I hope this project is meaningful for your students and that some great conversations can be had to celebrate the uniqueness of each one of them!

Happy teaching, and thanks for making art with your kids,

Jenny K.