Summary: Selfies are an everyday part of children’s lives, and they provide a method of expression. We often hear about selfies in negative ways – those that lead to hurt feelings or are spread beyond their intended audiences. Selfies, however, can also be a good way to reflect and share with others.
The goal of this exercise is to take a “selfie” photo, or make a drawing, that you can use to share something about yourself with the class. The “selfie” could depict you in a place that is very important to you, it could show you doing something you love to do, or it could illustrate something about your personality, such as your sense of humor. These photos must not include any inappropriate material or any images that might be hurtful for anyone else.
Target grades: 1st through 12th grade
Minimum time needed: One or two 40 minute sessions
Materials : For younger ages, the “selfie” can be a drawing, in which case supplies for drawing are needed. Older ages need access to a phone or camera for taking a photo of themselves.
Connection to bullying: Practice encouraging rather than discouraging language, understand the uniqueness of each person.
Activity instructions:
- Assign each student to either draw a selfie or take a selfie of themselves, following the instructions above.
- Have each student write a short sentence about why this selfie depicts something about themselves.
- Have students share their photos with each other, either in small groups or with the entire class. With each photo, have other students express positive aspects of what is depicted in the photo, practicing the use of encouraging rather than discouraging language.
Alternative: Put the selfies on the wall, and have students put post-its with positive words with each one.
Activity Feedback:
“We stopped to take time to acknowledge our peers – we don’t take time to do that very often.”
