Introduce your students to the inspiring life and artwork of Frida Kahlo, one of Mexico’s most celebrated artists and a powerful voice in 20th-century art.

In this engaging art history lesson, students will learn about Frida’s extraordinary life, how she overcame tremendous challenges, and how she used art to express her emotions, experiences, identity, and cultural pride. Through her colourful self-portraits and symbolic imagery, students will discover how artists can tell personal stories through their artwork.

The lesson explores Frida’s life, her relationship with fellow artist Diego Rivera, her travels, teaching career, famous Blue House in Mexico City, and the symbolism that appears throughout her paintings.

After learning about Frida’s life and artistic style, students will create their own Frida Kahlo-inspired mixed-media portrait using flowers, animals, and meaningful symbols.

What’s Included:

• Child-friendly biography of Frida Kahlo
• Introduction to symbolism in art
• Discussion of Frida’s life, travels, and artistic career
• Information about Mexican culture and heritage
• Fun facts about Frida Kahlo
• Exploration of her most famous paintings
• Discussion of symbolism, self-portraits, and personal storytelling
• Geography connections to Mexico City and Coyoacán
• Frida portrait template
• Animal, flower, and decorative templates
• Step-by-step project instructions
• Student artwork examples
• End-of-lesson reflection and discussion questions

Art Project

Students decorate a Frida Kahlo portrait using flowers, animals, leaves, and personal symbols inspired by Frida’s artwork. The project encourages creativity, self-expression, and storytelling through art.

Learning Focus

• Symbolism in art
• Self-portraiture
• Mexican art and culture
• Personal storytelling through images
• Mixed-media techniques
• Creative confidence and self-expression

Perfect for primary art lessons, home education, art clubs, enrichment programmes, multicultural studies, and lessons celebrating influential women artists.

Please note: Due to copyright restrictions, images of Frida Kahlo’s original artworks are not included. A list of recommended artworks to view online is provided within the lesson to support classroom discussion and analysis.