A face can show how someone feels. Look at the mouth. A mouth that curves up looks happy. A mouth that curves down looks sad. A round, open mouth looks surprised.
Key idea
Mouth up: happy. Mouth down: sad. Mouth a round O: surprised.
Why it works
When we feel something, the muscles in our face move. Artists copy those shapes, so we can tell how a person in a picture feels.
Worked example: Let's look
Leo's ice cream fell on the ground. How might his mouth look?
- Losing an ice cream feels sad.
- A sad mouth curves down.
Answer: Curved down, like a sad face.
Common mistake
Some children draw every face with the same smile, even when the story is sad. Choose the mouth to match the feeling.
For the grown-up. Play "make a face": you name a feeling and your child makes it in a mirror, then draws it. Talk about a time each feeling happened.